14
Chryssie walked out of the room, heartsick.
Stan was sitting at the bar.
Marquetta slouched in front of him and giggled.
Marquetta didn’t need to get involved with Stan. Her children needed a good man, not this thug. She’d thought Zack was a good person. Boy, had she been wrong. Chryssie motioned for Marquetta.
After whispering something to Stan, Marquetta made her way down the bar. “Hey, girl. Need something to drink?”
“No, just thought you might want to get together after your shift.”
“Really? We’ve never done that before.”
“I know, but I’m done with school. No more studying. No more classes so I’ve got the time now.”
“Sounds fun, but I can’t stay long. Gotta get home with the kiddoes, you know.”
“Well, they can come with us. We can get pizza.”
“Sure. Sounds fun.”
When she left the bar, Chryssie‘s eyes protested as she stepped into the brightness of the summer day. She worried about how she could get Marquetta to quit her job without actually telling her the truth. Somehow, she needed to find a way to get her out of Marv’s clutches before it was too late for her like it was for Chryssie. Can you give me an idea, God?
****
Marquetta came into the pizza place, but then leaned down and whispered to her daughter. Her little boy laughed and pointed his finger as his big sister got a talking-to. Marquetta took each child’s hand, rolled her eyes and walked to the table. “We’re here.”
“So, I see. Everything OK?”
“Sit, my lovely children. Everything’s just perfect.” Another roll of the eyes.
Her daughter sat on the chair, folded her arms, and glared at her mother.
“Not a word. Unless it’s a nice one,” Marquetta’s voice was firm.
The little boy walked over to Chryssie. “Hep me.”
“Sure thing.” She pulled the chair out and then helped him get settled. “My name’s Chryssie. What’s yours?”
“Mark but it’s with a Q just like Mommy’s. M-A-R-Q.”
“Wow. That’s very good. How old are you?”
He held up four fingers. “This old I am.”
“That’s not how you say it, st—”
“Only nice words, Tanisha.” Marquetta warned her daughter.
“Well, he didn’t say it right.”
“That’s fine, you can tell him the right way, but do it nicely.”
Marq pointed at the bandage on his head. “I got a boo-boo.”
“I see that. How did that happen?”
“I falled down and hit my head.”
“It’s fell, Marq. I fell down and hit my head.” Tanisha smiled as she said it, then looked at her mother for approval who nodded.
“You didn’t fall, I did. Silly.”
Even Tanisha had to laugh. “You’re right, Marq. What was I thinking?”
“We had a little problem on the drive over, but we’re all better now. Right, Tanisha?”
The girl smiled sweetly. “Right, Mommy.” She turned to Chryssie. “Mommy told me if I wasn’t good, I wouldn’t get to eat pizza. Only salad.”
“Well, salad’s very good for you.”
“Not as good as pizza.”
“Pizza.” Marq nodded his agreement.
They ordered and the kids talked about school and their friends. When the pizza arrived, the two children dove in with enthusiasm, commenting on their toppings and the gooey cheese.
In an undertone over their banter, Chryssie dove in. “Marquetta, I need to talk to you about something important.”
“What’s wrong? Is it about what happened to you?”
“Sort of, but not really. But you have to promise not to tell Marv. OK?”
Marquetta nodded.
“You need to find a new job.”
“A new job? Are you crazy, girl?”
“I can’t really tell you why, but you need to trust me. You need to find a new job right now. I’m sure you can find a place that pays better than there anyway.”
“But why?”
“It’s…it’s not safe. I can’t really say more than that. Just trust me. You don’t want to keep working there.”
“I know the tips aren’t that good, but it’s good hours. And Marv’s real good to me when I need to take off for the kids. To you too. I can’t believe you’re telling me to quit. After Marv hired you a lawyer and everything.”
“Marquetta, if I knew last week what I know this week, I…I…I wouldn’t be in all the trouble I’m in.”
“I thought they weren’t going to charge you.”
“I’m not sure about that yet, but that seems to be the way it’s heading. Still, if I’d quit last week, then it wouldn’t have happened.”
“Yeah, but that’s not Marv’s fault.” Marquetta took a bite of the pizza.
It was all his fault. “The bar’s not safe. If this happened to me, it could happen to you. To any of us.” The picture of that gun raising up toward her flashed in her mind. “And maybe next time, we won’t be as lucky. Plus, something else happened that Saturday night.” Quietly, so the kids couldn’t hear, Chryssie told her what happened with the drunks.
Marquetta shook her head. “I can’t believe that.”
“So you’ll quit?”
“I’ll quit when you quit. How’s that?”
“Not OK. I don’t have kids, Marquetta. You do. It’s not safe there. That’s why you need to quit and find another job—somewhere—anywhere.”
“Chill out.” Marquetta picked up her pizza. “Are you sure there’s not another reason you’re so gung ho about me quitting? Something you’re not telling me?”
“You need to quit. Don’t wait until something bad happens. If you wait, it will be too late. That’s what I’m saying.”
“You might be right. I’ve been thinking that myself.”
Chryssie handed her a piece of paper. “Here, I checked around. These two hair places are hiring shampoo girls. It might not be much, but it’ll be safe.”
Marquetta blinked. “Wow. You’re serious about me getting a different job.”
“Just promise me that you’ll quit. Tomorrow.”
“Marv’ll be mad if I quit without a notice.”
“Marv’s not the one I’m worried about. It’s you. And your children.”
Marquetta looked down at the paper. “Wow! That’s a fancy one. You really think they’d hire me?”
“Of course. You went to beauty school. They’d probably jump at the chance to hire you.”
Marquetta got a faraway look in her eyes for a moment, then smiled. “OK, I’ll give it a shot in the morning. If it works out, I’ll take it.”
Oh, please, God, let it work out. “Great. Sounds like a plan.”
After dinner, Chryssie trudged up to her apartment, feeling positive about the night. She might not be able to fix her situation, but she could get Marquetta out of the mess.
As she rounded the corner, Chryssie froze.