Chapter 20: The Truth About Brian, Part 2

Hayden was still walking with a limp when Monday rolled around. Todd had instructed her to do a slow jog at each workout. Her entire body was sore and she even had sore muscles in her shins! She didn't even know that there were muscles in her shins.

By the time that she arrived at Fox Vinyl, she wasn't even excited that they had started a new book and that it was the first day for the bonus contest. Brian met her eyes as she headed to her desk and she nodded her head at him in greeting and then quickly looked away. Ever since she had found out that information about him, she hadn't wanted to get too friendly. She knew druggies from being a teenager and they wore everyone out, constantly needing to borrow money if they weren't stealing it or otherwise acting weird.

Each evening she did greet him, but she avoided meeting his eyes and if it appeared that he would talk to her, she pretended to be busy, or would begin making a phone call. There were some positive things to develop over the next few days though. Marcus had ceased his constant offers to be her pusher. Also, she figured out that Abdullah didn't smell funny. He just smelled like curry; the curry that he heated in the microwave each evening without bothering to cover it with a napkin.

Strangest of all was that one evening, as the day was rounding down to a close, Pam turned in her chair and spoke to her.

"You can't call transmission companies."

"What?" Hayden had heard Pam, but she just couldn't believe that Pam had initiated any communication with her.

"You can only advertise one type of company on the cover."

She stared at Pam wanting to tell her that she already knew that—no thanks to her.

"Well transmission falls under G for garage, or A for automotive," Pam continued.

Hayden didn't speak. Okay maybe she was right because that re-run of Abdullah's that she'd sold was an auto body business. She glanced at Brian to see if that was correct information, but he wasn't paying attention.

Pam continued. "So the guys are calling the first half of the book and anything that is automotive or garage is theirs to call. We get the back half and even though T falls in our territory, transmission wouldn't because it's still an activity that falls under what a garage or automotive would do. So we can't call transmission."

Okay that did make sense. Hayden nodded in appreciation at the information. "Thanks," she said briefly.

Pam just stared at her.

Hayden turned in her seat until Pam was facing her back. It was probably rude, but she didn't care. Pam probably wasn't being as helpful as she was just happy to find something Hayden was doing wrong.

Mr. Fox came over a few moments later and gestured for Brian to follow him. He did it every few days and Hayden assumed it was for a drug test. She couldn't help but to notice the way Brian seemed to sink. However, he got up and followed his father back into his office where the door was soundly shut.

Pam immediately jumped up and hurried to Hayden's desk.

"You stopped being friends with Brine."

Hayden looked at her in surprise. She couldn't believe that this hypocritical she-dog was in her business.

"What are you talking about? I haven't stopped anything. And besides, why do you care?"

Pam wouldn't meet her eyes. "Because I remember…" The older woman sighed and shook her head and then returned to her desk.

Hayden stabbed out the number of her next customer into her telephone, but right before it began to ring she hung it up and turned her chair to face Pam.

"What is it that you remember?"

Pam took a long time to acknowledge the question but Hayden waited. She finally sighed again. "I need a cigarette." She met Hayden's eyes. "Care to join me?"

In the filthy, smelly, foul canteen the two women found a table away from others who had come in to chat, smoke or eat. Mr. Fox didn't allow the smokers to congregate outside the building. He said it gave a bad impression. Considering the majority of the people that worked at Fox Vinyl, it would definitely appear that a 12-step program was being held here if they were to gather outside…

Pam lit a cigarette, which she retrieved from a large coin purse. After she had taken a few puffs, she looked at Hayden.

"Me and Brine's mama were friends." She coughed into her hand and Hayden grimaced at the idea of all of the surfaces she would touch with that hand.

"We had worked together down in Dillard at a shipping company and when I came up here years later, I saw that she had married Robert and had Brine. Evidently it took them a long time to have him. That's why they treated him so special. Some might describe it as spoiling him, but I don't agree. He was special because of how hard it was to get him, that's all.

"Anyway, I didn't care too much for my job. I was working customer service at a collection agency and Brine's mama told me about this new company that Robert was trying to start." Pam shrugged. "So I started working here. I'd see Brine about once or twice a week. He was ten or eleven and his Daddy would tell him that he had to learn the business because one day, it was going to be his."

Pam smiled to herself. "Brine always looked around like this place was more than a rented office space where people down on their luck tried to sale ad space on phonebook covers. Robert would sit him with me so I could teach him how to be a telemarketer and Brine actually made sales, even as a kid. He wouldn't take none of the commission though." She had a distant look on her face.