Page 15 of August
“I am. With my wife.” Darling asked him when he’d gotten married the look on her face looked like a puppy eating something sour. It wasn’t a good look on her. “Some time ago. We have three other children, too. And since I’ve never met you before, I’ll have a DNA test done that will prove that you’re trying to scam me. Have a good day.”
“I heard you were nicer than this.” He was slightly distracted or would have paid more attentionto the cashier. She seemed to be in a hurry, too. “Maybe we should start over. I’m Darling Jane, I’m going to have your kid.”
“No, he’s not.” He looked at the woman that was ringing him out and thanked her. “Get out of here, Mabel, before I call your mother again and tell her that you’ve stolen the pretty pillows off her couch again. What do you think she’s going to do to you when she finds out that you’re messing with customers again. She told you the last time that she was going to beat your bottom all the way home. And I’ve already called her to come in.”
“Melissa, why do you have to be such a spoiled sport? I’m just trying to have me a little fun.” She told her to scat like she was some neighborhood cat that had become a pest. “I’m going to tell William that you’re not working the cash register as much as you are your mouth. What do you think he’s going to do then?”
“He’ll want to know if it pays well. At least better than this job I have right now.” She told him the total and asked him if he wanted to buy a lottery ticket. After telling her yes to the ticket, he handed her fifty dollars and told her to keep the change. It wasn’t but an extra twenty bucks, but it sounded to him like she needed it. Plus, she got rid of Darling for him.
He was on his way home when he realized that he had two lottery tickets. He hadn’t a clue how much it was for. Or, for that matter, if it was a daily drawing or what the scratch-off was for. Deciding that he was going to wait until he got home to look, he started laughing.
Here he was a father to almost four kids, and he had been hit on. He didn’t know if he’d been hit on when he might have appreciated it. Being a nerd about numbers, he wasn’t the Erickson that most younger women wanted to go out with.
After telling Jacklynn what had happened and the woman selling him two lottery tickets, they both had a good laugh. When the little bit of groceries were put away, Jacklynn told him it was a lottery ticket for the big drawing tonight. It was then that he wished he’d gotten a few more. Not that he thought that he’d win, but if he did win anything at all, he was going to share it with the cashier. It might brighten up her day. And maybe get her out of the cashing out business for one night to have a bit of her own fun. She asked him if Tennessee was one of the states that made you tell who had won.
“You can’t remain anonymous here. Unless you request it from the state. Although if someone asks who won it, they’ll tell on you. It’s to keep their records straight I think. You’d have to ask Zander or Knox about that for sure. Kentucky and a couple of other states are like that as well. If you don’t want everyone to know, buy an Ohio ticket, and you’ll be able to remain anonymous.” He looked at his wife—how he loved saying that. “Why? Did we win with that one?”
“It’s a scratch-off, and yes, we did.” She handed the ticket over to him when he asked. Sure enough, they’d won five grand. It was going to be a nightmare to try and cash the ticket so he decided what he was going to do.
Chapter 6
Carrie’s line was too long for her to get to go to the bathroom and hurry back. Not only was it the first of the month and double coupon day, but it was also payday for most of the businesses in town, so she should have known that she was going to be busy. She just needed five minutes, and she’d be back.
“Carrie?” She nearly wet herself when Mr. Thomas shouted her name over the PA. “Come to the office, please?”
“I’m busy.” He usually would come and relieve her if she asked him to, but just the other day, he’d sprained his ankle playing with the grandkids. This time, he put his head out of the office and shouted for her. “Don’t you see that I’m busy? It’s double coupon day, too. What can be so important that you need me now.”
“Come on here. I got something for you.” She growled low, and that made Mr. James laugh. Before she could figure out if everyone was going to be in a shitty mood for going to see what the boss wanted, the four in her lane told her that they’d be there when she returned. Stomping her way to the office, she was ready to bite his head off when she saw a pretty lady in his office. “Get on in here and close the door. I’ll take over your line.”
As soon as the door was closed, she asked the woman if she could go to the bathroom. Slipping into the one-roomed powder room, she was out again before the woman stopped laughing. Telling her sorry, she asked what she’d done now.
“The other day, the day before yesterday, you sold a scratch-off to my husband.” She told the lady how she tries to sell one to everyone who comes in. She gets a much-needed bonus for it. “Good. We had to wait for today when you worked again to get to talk to you, so here you go.”
Taking the envelope, she only had to look into it to realize it was a shit ton of cash. Trying to hand it back was proving to be more difficult than it was to get her mother’s shoes on her when she was with her.
“I can’t take this.” She told her that she already had. “What I mean is, I won’t take this. A tip isn’t really something that Mr. Thomas minds that much, but he allows it. But I think he’d have a fit if you were to—how much money is here anyway?” She told her. “Yeah, he’d not like that at all.”
“I took care of him.” While she didn’t know what that meant, she didn’t ask because the woman sounded like she meant to take care of her as well. “You sold him the ticket, and he’d be here today, but it’s his turn on diaper duty and so I got to come here. I told him that I’d have no problem getting you to understand that he doesn’t need it.”
Her temper flared. It wasn’t usually right there where it would go off that often, but today had been an especially difficult day to get her mom to understand that she was her daughter and that she would never poison her with oats.
“So he thought that he’d give it to the lowly cashier? To help me out, he’s going to tell the newspaper people when they come by. Is that it?” She didn’t give the woman time to speak but attacked her once again. “Is this something the two of you get off on? Going around and embarrassing people? Well, I’m all out of kindness for people like you. Get your rocks off with someone else.”
“Do you feel better?” She felt her face heat up and shook her head. “I didn’t think you would. No one will know that he’s giving you the winnings. There will not be a write-up in the local paper. I detest those things as much as he does. He’s doing this because you helped him out with Darling Jane—that’s what I’m going to name my next puppy. It’s just too cute not to use it.”
“It’s not her real name. She calls herself that when she’s turning tricks. Which she doesn’t do as much anymore as she’s about seventy years old. She might look it in the dark, but once the bright lights hit her, you know you put your pony away in the wrong barn.” The sudden burst of laughter from theother woman made her smile. It was a good laugh and she found herself laughing along with her. “I tend to say shit first and not think about it later.”
“I love it. And you. But take the money. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Erickson men.” She nodded, then shook her head. “I don’t know what that means. You’ll have to explain it to me.”
“I know who they are but I don’t believe that he’s the guy that came in here the other day. He said he has three kids and one on the way.” She stood up and showed her the belly that was still long before she’d be considered large. “It’s really one of them, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so. And you’ve read the papers about my family. I was Jacklynn Blackman Erickson. We’ve taken on the kids that were my brothers and are raising them as our own. We don’t tell people that much. We’d like to keep it out of the paper for the kids’ sake.” She said she understood that. “Your mother is ill, I heard. Alzheimer’s.”
“She’s in the middle of her journey and I’m doing the best I can with her. It’s difficult without much help. I have five brothers and three sisters who aren’t doing shit to help her out. But they certainly know when there is cash to be had and show up then.” She knew that she didn’t need to ask her this, but she needed to know. “Did one of them con you into coming here to trick me? They think because I’m getting government help that they should be able to take what I get as well. It’s barely enough to get her meds and food, too. I’m working three jobs as it is.”
“Let me help you.” She said she was only venting, not whining. “No, you’d not whine ever, would you? You’d go on helping your mother even though there are others that can help you out as well, but don’t. Yes, I need you to come and work for me.”
“Look, Ms. Erickson, I don’t want your pity.” She told her that was good because she wasn’t giving it to her. “Then what is it you want? Money? This five grand would get my mom’s meds all at one time instead of when I can barely afford them one at a time. Put food on the table and also pay off the money that I owe the sitter who is watching my mom in the evening. It’s when she’s the worst.”