Me and Lynn first met up at work when we were both fresh out of school, as full of book smarts as we were lacking in common sense. All of us girls were married...beginning the end of the road that was definitely NOT to be our destiny. We shared our days drawing blood and our nights taking call, helping each other survive when a dead body showed up with wailing relatives all around. Sometimes you just have to keep your sanity about you when everybody's all going off and stuff. Divorces got had and mamas and daddys died and all the while, kids kept being born. A girl couldn't turn around without having to host a dang baby shower or tupperware party in between baking casseroles for church. Sigh.
Actually, we did our fair share of partyin' back in the day and I look back on it with fond memories. Some old lady is gonna get an earful when I end up as her roommate in the nursing home. I'll tell her all about how TK bought my 13 year old self Old Charter hoping to get some...and didn't. 'Bout how the drummer used to walk from town out to my house to see me at that same age. I will proudly announce that I've gotten schnockered with any woman that I call friend, and quite a few men. I know who to ask for a safe ride home and I do when I need it. Us girls from work would gather every Friday afternoon at somebody's house or another and drink 'til we were all silly or somebody's kids had to be tended to. My Momma usually kept Lacey so I could have a night to play.
The trouble began when the "job" came open. You know the one...where you get to be boss and take it easy? Our boss K was one of those guys who could get the women to do every damn bit of the work and think that he'd done 'em a favor. Real charming fella who learned mind control from some superhero figure. Mama's boy, if you know what I mean. The pathologist was a rich Cuban guy who had a girlfriend that he left his wife for. Whew..what a bunch of drama THAT was! Pete paid K on the side to do his autopsy work and we watched several of them that he performed with a cigarette hangin' offa his lip. He talked about peace and love and John Denver and we adored him..would fight over the chance to make him proud of us.
The ones who slept with him actually suffered a lot more than me because I said to hell with it when the search began for somebody to do his job while he got paid for it. Sonofabitch would have me up there mixing chemicals while my babygirl was home sick as a dog. I despise him for that. But 'ya know what? It was my choice. Even though sometimes I regret missing the complete childhood experience, there have been lessons I'd have never learned had I not worked full-time. With the public. In the middle of a bunch of poop and pee and gross shit.
The job was posted, typical behavior for K. He never could talk to a girl straight and tell her what was up. Here was the deal, umkay? He moves to an administrative position at the nearby hospice while the chosen one stays in the hospital to satisfy state regs, at the same pay. Poor thang had no life, so to speak. My strong background in statistics told me that this looked like a losing proposition, so I passed. Thank you Jesus!
Nothing much was ever the same for a lotta years. Mae moved away with her Southern Baptist preacher hubby to parts unknown. Carol divorced her alcoholic man and proceeded to have a wild time herself. Sheila got a job in finance and never looked back. All that was left was Lynn and me of that little group. It was a pretty rocky stretch there for a long loooooooooooong time while she learned that bein' ruler of the world isn't quite the gig it's cracked up to be. Lynn grew up in the Church of Christ at Galls where her daddy Mr. Frog was an elder. Her twin brother Glynn was right there with her on the pew listening to hellfire and brimstone sermons filled with lots of "thou-shalt-nots-or-else". Signed, The Great Avenger aka God. Her momma never worked outside the home and the garden was big and scrumptious every year because Frances made it that way while he was out working. It's what women did when they stood by their man, so to speak. I did the same thang, so don't call her dumb or anything. We were just young and mighty confused.
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