A Penny's Worth (15 page)

“Well let’s not go that far. Hey, I have
a great idea. Forget the coffee, let’s go out for a drink after work and have a
few laughs. I’ll bet the shirt off my back that you’re a lot more fun than you
let on.”

Penny thought about her new sweater,
jeans and hair, and decided that drinks would be a perfect ending to an almost
perfect day.

“Are you girls on a coffee-break this
early in the morning?” Reins asked, glaring sternly at them both. Penny didn’t
know how long nurse Reins had been standing there, but she knew they had been
chatting longer than they should have.

 “I’m on my way to see Karen Cartwright,”
Penny announced, snapping back into professional mode while Alyssa resumed her
errand and zipped away.

Reins said curtly, “Alyssa could be your
ruination Penny. Don’t let her rub off on you.”

“Oh, of course not. No rubbing off here.”

As Nurse Reins brushed past her through
the bustling corridor, beneath that cold expression Penny could swear that her
eyes were twinkling. She decided to trust her gut feeling. She was beginning to
like this strange woman, even though she made her a nervous wreck.

The buzzing energy in McConnell’s Crossing hit her like
a swamp-soaked alligator’s tail. She and Alyssa, arm-in-arm, were grinning
hugely as they marched in, and the dragging tiredness of a full day’s work
disappeared, instantly forgotten. The bar area was jam-packed, and most of the
tables were already taken.

 
“This place is really popping,” Penny
said in amazement. “And it’s only six o’clock.”

Alyssa nodded energetically. “It’s like
this every night during the week. The buffalo wings and burgers are great here.”

Checking out the scene once again, Penny
realized the people in McConnell’s were on the young side, and the men by the
bar did not hide the fact that they were on the prowl. They checked out every
woman that walked by. A shrill laugh startled her and mingled with the
deafening music; she felt a headache coming on. She wasn’t used to this type of
scene and she didn’t feel comfortable. She wanted to bolt out of there, pronto.

“Come on, let’s get a drink,” Alyssa
said, tugging her arm.

Penny tried to stand by the bar alongside
her friend, without success. She was jostled away just as Alyssa bolted for the
other side of the bar.

“What do you want?” Alyssa yelled out as
she held up her hand to get the bartender’s attention.

She yelled back, “A screwdriver.”

Trying to maintain her composure, she
looked around coolly. There was a guy staring at her. She stared back, until
she noticed that his eyes were fixated on her breasts. Pig, she thought as she
crossed her arms. How much more obvious can a man get? She would have thought
she would have liked to have that type of attention. She wanted to have a man
desire her and admire her. But first he has to look into my eyes and get to
know me before he can look elsewhere, she decided.

“Here you go,” Alyssa said, planting a
highball glass in Penny’s hand.

Two guys sidled up. The tall darkhaired
man said, “Howdy.”

Looking up at him, Alyssa cooed, “Howdy
back. Where’s your cowboy hat?” She began to laugh loudly. The two men looked
at each other, shrugged, and walked away. “I know how to get rid of them quick
don’t I?” she said, looking quite pleased.

Two other nurses were making their way
toward them. Mike and Josephine: she wasn’t too well acquainted with them, but
they always said hi when they passed her in the hospital corridors.

Alyssa screamed upon seeing her two
friends, waving in excitement, “Guys, guys, over here!”

Everything was large on Josephine. Her
voice was large, her hair was huge, and her hands were as big as any man’s. Her
red nail extensions had diamond studs. All Penny seemed to see when Josephine
approached were monstrous hands with long talons attached. She could never
figure out how Josephine got away with wearing those things in the hospital.
She was once tempted to ask Alyssa if she thought the patients felt terror when
Josephine’s claws were placed on them. She knew she would have been scared to
death.

“First time I’ve ever seen you here,”
Josephine said in her big raspy voice. “What’s your name?”

“I told you Joe, her name is Penny and
she’s my new friend,” Alyssa replied, welcoming her two friends with a hug.

“But does she know how to party? Who’s up
for a shot of vodka, girls?”

Penny knew she would go along with the
crowd. Though she hated to admit it, she was desperate to be accepted by the
nurses on her floor.

“Excuse me Joe,” Mike cut in, “but do try
to remember, I’m a guy.”

Penny smiled slightly; she’d heard Mike
was gay and had just gone through a messy break-up with Rob from the x-ray department.
She had also heard he was a blast to be with and very funny. Everyone at the
hospital appeared to love him.

Smirking, Josephine replied, “Yeah,
whatever, but you’re as close to a girl as one could get. I’m buying, vodka
everyone?”

“Yes,” Alyssa shouted out as she held up
her bottle of beer. “I’ll use the rest of my beer as a chaser.”

Watching Josephine head toward the bar,
Penny had to smile. The crowd had parted quickly when she passed. No-one would
mess with Josephine.

“Let’s dance,” Mike commanded, pulling
Penny toward him.

“Oh, no, really, I don’t think that’s a
good idea.”

Mike was unusually strong for a slightly
built man. He whisked her onto the small wooden dance floor as if she were a
piece of tissue paper.

The DJ tricked out the atmosphere with a
slow number, and Mike pulled her close. Too close for her liking. Pressing his
hips against hers, he began to slowly grind as they swayed back and forth.

She could feel the effects of her drink,
as she’d barely eaten all day. She pulled away from him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m dancing with you,” Mike replied.

The vodka must have begun the work of
loosening her tongue; she exclaimed, “But you dance as if, well, like… you’re
not…”

He put his lips close to her ear and
whispered, “I’m pretty flexible. I can go both ways.” She could feel the warm
wetness of his breath on her earlobe.

Josephine’s booming voice rang out,
“Mike, what the hell are you doing? Stop messing around with that girl and come
get your drink.”

Breaking away, Mike laughed and gave her
a playful punch. “I got you going didn’t I?”

She attempted to laugh back as she
plucked the shot glass from Josephine’s hand. With rising panic she thought she
could not in any way, shape or form down the drink in one gulp, even if her
life depended on it.

“Bombs away!” Alyssa quickly downed her
shot. Mike and Josephine followed suit. They all turned to stare at Penny.

She said weakly, “Salute.” Putting her
head back, she placed the drink to her lips and drank it. She tried to quell
her gasping, but she coughed and sputtered anyway. Liquid fire had just gone
down her throat.

“Good girl,” Alyssa said, patting her
back. “Are we ready for another one?”

“Are you kidding me?” She already felt
dizzy and lightheaded. She was on her way to being drunk, if she wasn’t
already.

Someone bumped her, and she stumbled. Josephine
steadied her arm. “You okay? Hey watch it lady.”

Turning around, Penny’s mouth formed into
an o: she was face-to-face with Lizzie Briar, the most popular girl in her high
school. Penny had thought she was the most beautiful, smartest, and coolest kid
in her grade. She would have given anything to have been friends with her, and
her handsome jock of a boyfriend Christopher. They were the perfect match, had
gone to the same college together and had gotten married the moment they
graduated. Lizzie and Christopher made her believe that dreams do come true,
and hers was just a little late in coming.

“Lizzie is that you?” she asked in a
high-pitched voice.

Lizzie blinked, a blank look on her face.
Penny realized that she had no recollection of her at all. Wow, she thought, I
was in her English classes all throughout high school for God’s sake, was I
that invisible?

“It’s me,” Penny began in a shrinking
voice, “You know, Penny Marins? We went to high school together.”

Lizzie peered at her with squinting eyes,
then exclaimed, “Yes, oh yes, now I remember you. You look so different, I
hardly recognized you. Didn’t you wear glasses or something?”

“No.” She felt that little self inside
her shrivel just a bit. “I’ve never worn glasses.”

“Well, whatever it is,” Lizzie said
clumsily, waving her right hand. “You look way different. How the hell have you
been?”

Lizzie didn’t look quite the same as she
had back in high school either. Now that she looked more closely, her face
seemed bloated and distorted, and her once petite figure had thickened
considerably. Lizzie had always been adorable with an engaging personality that
drew everyone in. Now she looked like a woman that may have indulged in one
drink too many and she no longer wore that happy-go-lucky grin.

“I’m great,” Penny said carefully. “How’s
everything with you and Chris? How many kids do you have?”

Lizzie took a hefty gulp of her drink,
moshed it around in her mouth, and eventually swallowed. “Chris and I are
kaput. We’re in the middle of a really nasty divorce, and my son Charles and
daughter Kelsey are feeling the brunt of our long and drawn-out battles.
Anything else you want to know?”

“I’m so sorry,” Penny said softly.

“Look, no-one died or anything so there’s
no need for apologies. The bastard has been cheating on me for three years with
some slut he met at the gym, a woman covered from head to toe in tattoos if you
can imagine. I bet you can’t believe that Mr Big Preppy Man on campus gets
turned on by a biker chick. Go figure.” She shook her head slowly. “I can’t
believe it took me all this time to find out what a lowlife he is. How stupid
am I?”

“No-one thinks someone they love is going
to cheat on them.”

A woman walked by, put a hand on Lizzie’s
arm and said, ‘Give it a rest; you’re out to have a good time.”

Lizzie cackled harshly and took one last
gulp of her drink, finishing it. “Yeah right, like I ever have a good time.”
She looked at Penny with a sad smile. “I admit I’m a little obsessed, so
instead of chewing your ear off with my nasty life, I’m going to get another
drink and blot out my misery for a bit. Nice seeing you, have a nice life, I
hope yours is going better than mine.”

Watching Lizzie push through the crowd,
Penny noticed that she walked a little crooked. She swayed as she fought
through the sea of indifferent arms, legs and bodies. Lizzie looked like a
broken down middle-aged woman and that upset Penny something awful. In high
school she always looked happy and confident as if her world held nothing but
the promise of a wonderful future. Now it appeared that all her life consisted
of was gin and tonics.

Lizzie stumbled across a chair leg. The
man standing next to it quickly leaned forward to assist her. She pushed his
hand away and barked, “I’m fine, let me be.”

Penny felt disappointment seep into her
and it quickly made her insides feel cold and empty. You always made the good
life seem possible Lizzie, she thought. Now I don’t have you to hold up as a
shining example any longer.

“Hey Penny,” Alyssa yelled out, “I’ve
been looking all over for you. Mike just got another shot for you. Get over
here!”

Looking over at her new friends, Penny
thought that at the very least, even if there were no rainbows at the end of
the road, she was moving along.

Her father was waiting for her, the following evening.
She spotted him in the darkness the moment she stepped out of the hospital. She
was so surprised to see him standing on the sidewalk; he had on the dark navy
overcoat Dolores had given him many Christmasses ago. His breath came out in
quick puffs of smoke, a dead giveaway that he was nervous. That makes two of
us, she thought as she approached him.

They stood facing one another, sizing
each other up. Penny didn’t know what to say. She figured he had come to see
her, so she mentally threw the ball in his court and waited patiently to see
what he would say.

Clearing his throat, Ron finally
declared, “Thanksgiving is next week.”

Glancing at the parking lot as if she had
just spotted someone, Penny waved. She didn’t want him to know how much his
visit was unnerving her. She regained her composure and said nonchalantly,
“Yes, I know.”

“We want you to spend it with us.”

“Who is we?”

Putting his hands out to her, he asked
haltingly, “Have you forgotten us already? One little problem and you just turn
your back on us.” He stated this levelly, as if he had already concluded that
she had written off her family because of one little rift.

Feeling a catch in her throat, she
shuffled her feet back and forth to keep her mind on something else. She didn’t
want her father to see how much his visit upset her. She needed to show him
that she was strong and sturdy.