Beverly June

"Look at me, I've made a pig of myself," she commented, when she finished. "I don't normally eat this much."

"I sorta figured that, after you told me about your situation this morning. That's why I ordered it for you," I told her with a smile. "I always try to start the day with a good breakfast, and then eat a lighter lunch. Most nights, I try and go light for supper as well. Otherwise, I'd be bigger'n the side of the house.

"What say we get outa here, and go back to the shop? I need to make a couple o' phone calls to the lumberyards, and then we need to find out if you can handle the job, and work with power tools."

"Okay, Lloyd, I guess I'm ready. How much do I owe you for breakfast?"

"I've got it, so don't worry about that."

Linda had left the totaled ticket on the table. I paid, and added the tip, on our way out. Once at the truck, I again opened the door for Beverly. When I climbed in, she chided me.

"You don't have to open doors for me, Lloyd. After all, I'm a big girl now, and besides, I'm gonna be workin' for you."

"That's just me. I was raised to always be polite to folks, and to always open doors for ladies."

"Yeah, I remember you bein' that way when we were in school, too."

We got back to my shop, and I unlocked the doors, and raised the overhead door. After turning on the lights, I turned to Beverly.

"I'm gonna be over there in the office for a bit, so why don't you take a walk through the shop and look things over 'til I get finished with my calls. The door, on the right, there at the back of the shop, is a restroom, if you need it. There is a privacy lock on the door. I'll join you as quickly as I can, and show you some of what I do."

"Sounds good to me," she said brightly. "I'll be here, when you're ready."

I walked over and unlocked the office door, turned the light on, and sat at the desk to make my calls. Tom, my contact at the lumberyard, gave me the prices I needed, and after a few minutes with the calculator, I was able to have the totals on materials. I got up and headed into the shop, seeing Beverly in the back, looking over the panel saw and material storage racks, when I walked in.

Beverly

While he was in the office, I looked his shop over. I knew what most of the tools were, either from helping Todd, or from the do it yourself television shows he'd always watched.

I was feeling some confusion, because I had some major trust issues, when dealing with men, but I found myself being very comfortable around Lloyd. Knowing who he was, I remembered he was always a kind, caring person, and he didn't appear to have changed.

He was making an effort to make me comfortable, and I really appreciated it. I noticed that when he was talking to me, or any other lady, like the waitress, this morning, he always looked us in the eye, and didn't let his gaze wander.

Many of the men I'd had dealings with, over the past five years, had always wanted to undress me with their eyes, and seemed to be more interested in what I looked like naked, than what I thought or had to say. With Lloyd, it was though he cared about what I thought, and was interested in what I had to say.

I had not intended to reveal all the details I had, when we were talking over breakfast, but he made me so comfortable, and seemed to be so interested in helping me, I couldn't help myself.

Even his noting that the restroom door had a privacy lock told me he was concerned for my well being, and was really trying to make me comfortable.

I was a bit puzzled about why I was as comfortable as I was, and the only thing that came to mind was remembering how he was when we were in school together.

Lloyd

"One thing we'll have to do is get you a hat or cap to wear, while you're workin' here in the shop," I commented, as I walked to where Beverly was standing.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Your hair. Sometimes you may be workin' with a drill press or one of the saws or sanders, and it's important to keep your hair outa the way. We'll also need to get you some leather gloves that fit your hands well, so you don't pick up splinters. You'll find that I stress workin' safely ahead of anything else. Don't worry about the cost of the cap or gloves; I'll pay it, since I can write 'em off as a business expense.

"Now that you've had a few minutes to look the shop over, I'm sure you have some questions."

"Well, I can pretty well identify most of the machines you have in here, since my ex did some woodworkin', and he always watched those how to shows on television. I helped him with a few projects, and liked workin' with my hands. I don't have a lotta hands on, but I imagine you'll take care of that," she noted, with a pleasant smile and giggle.

"How right you are. Why don't we start back here, and you tell me what you know about each machine we come to. If you have questions, ask 'em, and I'll be happy to answer 'em for you."

We took a couple hours, gradually working our way through the shop, and I was surprised by her knowledge. As we would come to each machine, she identified it and was able to describe the type of operations the machine would do. Most of her questions were about personal safety, so I demonstrated the operation, showing her how to use the fixtures for holding the work piece. I also described what could happen if the parts were not held properly. Overall, her knowledge level was impressive.

We broke for lunch, heading to a sandwich shop to eat, after which we stopped by the local hardware store.

"Hey, Lloyd. What're you after today?" Howard Sullivan, the storeowner, asked, when we came in.

"I need to get some kinda cap or hat plus a couple o' pair of leather gloves for my new helper, plus pick up those locksets I ordered."

"Yeah, I heard about Joey. He's goin' in the Marines, isn't he?"

"That's what he told me. He's leavin' later this week, and I'm gonna miss him, but it looks like I may have a good replacement. Howard, meet Beverly Davis. Beverly, this is Howard Sullivan. He owns this place, and is the go to guy for unusual hardware items. His family's owned this store for over a hundred years, and I think he's got stock, in his back room, from back in the late '30's."

"We do have a few things left, back there," Howard chuckled. "Folks like you are always comin' in here lookin' for that old stuff. Let's see what we can do to outfit this pretty lady. You said she needed a cap and some gloves. Let's go try some on, and find somethin' that fits, 'cause I know Lloyd; if it don't fit you, he won't have it."

"He does seem to be that way," Beverly commented. "Safety first was the first thing he told me."

"You'll find he's a real believer, and he expects those workin' for and around him to be the same way," Howard told her. "You couldn't have picked a nicer guy to work for. Lloyd has always tried to take care of his help."

"I'm figurin' that out, today. Everywhere we've gone, it seems everyone knows him and speaks well of him."

When they found what she needed, Howard and Beverly came up to the counter.

"Want me to put all this on your account?" he asked.

"Go ahead. I may have Beverly comin' in, on occasion, to pick up some things. If she has a list from me, she can charge to my account also."

"I'll make a note of that, Lloyd, and tell my clerks that the good lookin' redhead workin' for Harper Construction is authorized," Howard chuckled.

"I appreciate that, Howard. We'll likely see you in a few days."

"Y'all have a good day," he told us.

"You too."

Once we were back at the shop, I had her come to the assembly table.

"There's a few things I need to show you," I told her. "This cabinet, behind me, is where I keep my nails, glues, and sandpapers. I do use air nailers, since they are so much faster, but keep in mind that the nails are more expensive."

We held a lesson on the care and feeding of nail guns, and I was again surprised by how quickly Beverly picked up the procedures for loading and using the guns. I dug through my scrap bin, finding some suitable scraps of material, and let Beverly use the various nailers. Again, she demonstrated a good knowledge of safe work practices.

"The work is fairly simple, there's just quite a bit of it, on this particular job. The property owner is renovatin' twenty-five houses, and wants all the interiors done within five months. It's gonna be tight, but I believe we can do it. You don't mind workin' a little overtime, if we have to, do you?"

"Workin' some overtime won't bother me at all. In fact, I'd like it. About the only thing you haven't told me is how much you're payin', or what day the paycheck comes out, yet," she giggled. "You ain't tryin' to take advantage of me, are you?"

"I'm so sorry, Beverly. I shoulda already covered all that. Come on in the office, so I can get you set up in my system."

We went into the office, and I had her take a seat across the desk from me. Opening a file cabinet, I got out a boilerplate application and a W-4 form for her withholding. I told her what I paid my last helper, and that I would start her there, and we'd see how she worked out. The last thing was to tell her that I paid every Friday, and paid for the hours worked through noon, that day. She quickly had the application filled out, so I opened a file folder with her name on it, and placed it in the file cabinet.

I then turned on my computer, and reviewed her W-4 while I waited for the system to boot. Once it was up, I opened my payroll software and entered her information and pay rate, entering 8 hours for her for today, before shutting the system down.

"There's one thing, Beverly. I'll need you to fill out a time sheet each day." Reaching to a tray, I pulled a blank out. "This is the form you'll use. Please print your name at the top, and fill your hours in each day. We'll always start and stop the day here at the shop, so you can leave the sheet here. The top day is for any time worked after noon on Friday. You'll usually skip the next two days, since they will be for Saturday and Sunday."

"What're the normal workin' hours each day?" she asked.

"I usually start the day at 7:00 and finish at 4:00, takin' an hour lunch break from 12:00 to 1:00. Most days, I'll pack a lunch. Sometimes I'll only take thirty minutes, if I'm workin' over. I personally like havin' a little extra time in the afternoons, 'cause that's when I plan out what I need to do the next day."

"I can see that. It also gives you some time to relax a bit before you eat. So, if I understand what you've told me, I'll get paid this comin' Friday?"

"That's right, Bev. I don't hold any time back, except for Friday afternoons."

"That's sure nice, 'cause I'll need to get some groceries, and I need to find a laundromat to do some laundry. You know, you're the first one I've ever worked for that paid like that. Every place else, wanted to hold a week or two back."

"About doin' your laundry, Beverly; I don't have any idea what brand detergent you prefer, but feel free to use my washer and dryer, there in the house. In fact, I've been thinkin'; if you don't mind eatin' like I do, you're more than welcome to have your meals with me, every day."

"That sounds good to me. Give me a few minutes, after work, to sort through my laundry, because I really could do a couple of loads tonight."

"Well, it's about time to wind this up for the day, anyway, so why don't you go ahead and get your sortin' done. I'll set out the bleach and detergent for you, and go ahead and get my shower. Come on in when you're ready, the door to the right, on the back of the house, is to the utility room. I'll see you inside in a few minutes, and we'll see if I've got what we need to fix a good chef's salad, or somethin', if that's okay with you."

"That sure sounds good to me, and I'd love a good salad. I'll see you in a bit."

She headed for the travel trailer, while I went onto the deck and unlocked the back door to my house. Once inside, I turned on the lights in the laundry room and kitchen on my way to the master bedroom. I closed the door and laid out a pair of cut offs and a tee shirt, my normal around the house wear.

Once out of the shower, I dressed, stepped into a pair of flip-flops, and headed for the kitchen. I heard Beverly in the laundry room, so stuck my head in the door to see if she needed anything.

"I've got everything I need, Lloyd. You can't know how much I appreciate your letting me use your washer. Let me finish gettin' this load started, and I'll join you in the kitchen."

"What's your drink of choice? I've got tea made, and there's some pineapple juice in the fridge."

"I'm like you, I prefer unsweetened tea, if you don't mind."

"It'll be waitin' on you," I told her, as I returned to the kitchen.

I had the tea ready, and was getting the salad makings from the refrigerator, when she came into the kitchen.

"Thanks for the tea," she said. "What can I do to help put the salad together?"

"If you don't mind, the cuttin' boards are behind the toaster, and knives are in the top center drawer to the right of the range. Let me get some salad bowls out, along with one to mix the salad in."

Opening a base cabinet, I got out a large stainless steel bowl, and reached into the overhead cabinet for two salad bowls.

"What dressing do you prefer? I have Italian and Ranch tonight. If there's something else you like, I'll stop by the store tomorrow and get it for you."

"I'm good with either one, but my preference is the Ranch."

"That's the one I like, too. We're gonna have to find out what other likes and dislikes we share."

We chatted idly about the day, as we worked together, preparing the salad. Beverly prepared the vegetables, while I chopped ham and shredded cheese. The pleasant company and chat reminded me just how lonely the past couple years had been.

I had needed some time, after my wife passed, to come to grips with the grief, and to heal from the loss. My feelings began to improve after the first year, but what would have been our anniversary, this year, had hit me hard. My work was there, though, giving me something to focus on, besides my loss.

Thinking further, I realized my issues were insignificant, compared to what Beverly had dealt with. I could only imagine how two miscarriages, and an abusive husband had affected her. She hadn't said, and I didn't want to pry into those terrible memories, but the abuse must have gone on for several years. She demonstrated a tremendous inner strength, with her don't quit attitude. How could I not help, where I could, and provide a stable influence for her?

While we were working together, the phone rang. I was expecting my daughter to call, since she usually did on Tuesday nights.

"Hello," I said, answering the call.

"Hey Dad. How's everything going?"

"I'm doin' pretty good, Gal. How are you and Ron gettin' along, and how's my granddaughter?"

"We couldn't be any better, Dad. Are you plannin' on bein' home Saturday, or do you have a hot date lined up?" she giggled.

"I'll be here. I don't know of any woman that'd be willin' to put up with or want this cantankerous old man, so there's no hot date. Y'all plannin' on comin' up?"

"If you don't mind, we thought we'd come up that afternoon, and stay for supper."

"That sounds good to me, Baby. I'll get out see if I can find a fresh road kill that mornin'," I told her, with a chuckle. "You rather have armadillo or possum?"

"Knowin' you, you'll have a good steak," she laughed. "Is there anything we need to bring?"

"Just y'all and that lovely granddaughter of mine, 'cause I really need to see her again. I think I'll have everything else covered. I'm thinkin' of good tenderloin and twice-baked potato, if that'll be all right with you."

"That sounds good, Dad. We'll be there around 1:30 or 2:00 Saturday afternoon."

"Come ahead any time. I'll be lookin' forward to seein' y'all. I love you, Baby. Take care of my granddaughter, and make that man take care of you."

"He's doin' that, Dad. We'll see you Saturday, and we love you, too. Bye."

"Bye, Baby."

I hung up the phone and turned to see Beverly staring at me.

"What'd I do?" I asked, with a puzzled look on my face.

"What's wrong with you, Lloyd, sayin' you don't know of any woman that'd want you? I wanted you when we were in elementary school together, and based on what I've seen last night and today, I don't know why any woman wouldn't want you. You don't realize what a perfect gentleman you are."

Her declaration brought it all back. The memories, I had long forgotten, all came flooding back. Beverly and I had been inseparable, when we were in school together, with most of our classmates always teasing us and trying to embarrass us because we always wanted to sit together, or be as near together as possible. I well remembered the Saturday mornings we spent together at the theatre in town, and how we always stayed together on school field trips.

"You'll never know how much I hated it, when we moved that summer after sixth grade. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm sure I was in love with you then. I almost hated my parents for movin' me away from you and pullin' us apart."

What was I to do? Along with the memories, all the old feelings came back as well. I stepped over to her and held my arms out. She leaned into me with a deep sigh, as she wrapped her arms around me, and I returned the hug.

"You can't know how long I've wanted to have you hold me like this," she said softly. "I always wanted you to hold me this way when we were in school together."

She raised her head, looked into my eyes with those amazing emerald orbs, and wrapped her arms around my neck. She pulled my head down and kissed my cheek.

"I've so wanted to do that all day, ever since I found out we were in school together and I realized who you were. I had the strangest feelin' that I knew you when I met you last night, but couldn't quite put it together, 'til this morning."

I kissed her cheek and stared into those amazing eyes, while I chuckled.

"I'm the same way, Beverly. When I first saw you, sittin' in that corner, last night, I knew there was somethin' familiar about you, but the penny didn't drop 'til you told me your maiden name.

"I'm so glad to find you again, Bev, and you don't know how happy I am to know you remember me. I do remember the fun times we had, and I think I'd enjoy havin' that again. I sure have missed you."

"I've sure missed you, too," she told me, as she stood there gazing into my eyes. "I've got some trust issues, because of my past, but I want you to know I do feel more comfortable with you than I have with anyone I've been around in a lotta years. I remember you bein' such a carin' person that I could always trust. Just knowin' I've found you again makes me feel so good."

She pulled my head down again, and kissed my lips, the same way she had done all those years ago, when we sat together in the darkened theatre, on Saturday mornings.

"All we need, now, is Karen Morris or Kay Craig to be here singin' to us," I said, while chuckling.

"I'd almost forgotten that!" she exclaimed, with a pleasant laugh. "They were always after us, weren't they?"

"Yeah they were. After they caught us kissin' at school, that one time, they were always singin' Lloyd and Beverly sittin' in a tree," as she joined me to complete it, "K, I, S, S, I, N, G!" as we both broke into a loud laugh together.

"About the only times we were able to get away with doin' it was when we were sittin' on the back row of the movie theatre, on Saturday mornings," I mused. "Reckon we can get away with it now?"

"Why don't you try and find out?" she asked, with a big smile.