Bridget

Both Bridget and I suddenly noticed a shadow looming over us as the bulky man from the other side of the diner was standing right before our table. His wife/girlfriend stood behind him with an unsure look on her face as he glared directly at Bridget and told her, "Don't you have a job to be doing, whore?" He then took a coin out of his pocket and tossed it in her face. "I'm sure that's not the only tip you'll be getting tonight."

I'm pretty sure the large lout meant to leave after barking his words, but he didn't make it that far. He may have had a good foot and a hundred pounds on me, but I had learned a good many things during my time on the road...and I had also taught myself a few moves to be utilized in only the most desperate of circumstances. This bastard was about to find out that treating a woman the way he just had wasn't going to fly with me. It was time to take this jerkoff to school since I had a lesson to teach.

I flew out of the booth faster than a bolt of lightning and threw myself into my oversized target. Catching him off guard, I managed to knock him into a nearby table as he flailed about and hit his head on a nearby chair. I heard the woman with him call out in alarm as she dove out of the way.

Bridget stood up in front of the booth and placed her hands over her mouth as even Cathy stopped what she was doing long enough to watch the brawl play out. Since my larger opponent was down on his back, I threw a few quick punches directly into his face before clipping him hard with my right forearm. Had we both been upright, I would've moved constantly back and forth on the balls of my feet so I could easily change directions if I needed to...but this thickheaded dumbass looked far too slow for me to even show such concerns. I'll probably come off as a conceited jerk for saying it this way, but this country bumpkin was the kind of imbecile I could've outsmarted with one hand tied behind my back.

"Stop!" The woman who had been with the large man called out. "He has a bad heart!"

After one more quick jab, I did indeed climb off my larger rival...but I wasn't done yet. Once I was on my feet, I noticed a salt shaker on the table we had fallen toward...so I grabbed it and sprinkled some into my right hand. I clamped the granules tightly as I looked down at my victim and sternly told him, "You have two choices: Apologize to Bridget and leave, or I can have this salt in your eyes within two seconds flat...and if you think I'm lying, please give me a reason to prove it to you."

Almost a full minute passed as the frantic woman helped her man up. The bulky man stumbled about as he staggered to his feet, and when he was mobile once again, the first step he took was backward. As he took a second one back, he lifted a shaky hand and told me, "You watch yourself around her, boy. She's nothing but a no good, dirty..."

Before the large lout could finish his sentence, his better half cut him off and started pulling him toward the exit of the diner. After the sound of the bell, the couple disappeared into the night.

I brushed my hands together in order to get the salt off them and could clearly see that Cathy was staring directly at me. I had been expecting her to be upset and to possibly kick me out, but she genuinely looked impressed. She then realized my burger was still cooking and made sure to focus on it so it didn't burn.

Unable to predict how Bridget would react to what I had just done, I slowly turned to face her and tried to prepare a hasty explanation. If there was one thing I had learned in all my years, it was that women typically don't tend to like when men lash out on their behalf. Sure, there are some who love it when a man stands up for them and acts like a macho barbarian to defend their honor, but I find that most are completely turned off by such a display of violence. I always did my best to not resort to my fists, but when that bastard had called Bridget a whore...

"Holy shit, Marcus!" The brunette called out as she finally moved her hands away from her mouth. "What kind of journalist takes out grubs who are the same size of a bull and make it look easy?!"

I scratched the back of my head as I told the marvelous woman, "I may have picked up a thing or two about self-defense when I was out on the road a few years ago."

"You don't say?" She followed up in an incredulous voice. She gave herself a few more seconds to calm down before she glanced past me at her co-worker and called out, "Did you see that, Cathy?"

"I'd take him home tonight if I was you, hon."

I would've laughed in response if I had known what was going through Bridget's head at that very moment. I still wasn't sure if she was thankful for what I had done, or if she had become a little leery of me.

The well-endowed brunette took a step forward and pulled out one of the chairs at the table the large bastard and I had nearly knocked over. She took a seat and appeared to be thinking things over as she replayed everything in her mind that had just gone down.

I didn't want to be a burden to the beautiful waitress, so I gently placed a hand on her right shoulder while standing a couple of feet away from her. "I'm really sorry about that. I'm not a violent person at heart...I just didn't like what he said about you." I then looked toward where Cathy was going about her job before placing my eyes on Bridget once more and telling her, "If the two of you would like me to leave so you can close down early..."

Without looking at me, Bridget motioned with a hand for me to pick up the chair that had been knocked over and have a seat with her at the table. I did as I was told and remained eerily calm while I waited for her to say something. In that moment, I was sure I had terrified her with how I had reacted even though I had done so for her. To my surprise, the distance she seemed to be suddenly displaying had nothing to do with what I had done.

The befuddled waitress finally looked up and met my eyes as she confessed, "He called me a whore because there's a strip club next door called the Treasure Chest."

I pretended like I hadn't noticed it as I let the gorgeous brunette speak.

"I work both here and there for tips." There was a short pause before she went on, "I was one of those girls who grew up with big dreams...but when the time came to leave for the big city, I was too scared to do so. When I was twenty years old, the best I could do was start working here as a waitress for tips...and since that wasn't enough money, I also started dancing topless next door for a little extra coin. It's the only thing I could do around here to earn any money." Her eyes started to grow misty.

Seeing that there was a napkin dispenser on the middle of the table, I pulled a few out and handed them to the saddened female. She thanked me while accepting them...and used the first one to blow her nose. It broke my heart to see her go from the spirited woman I had been talking to only moments earlier to nothing more than a defeated waitress who felt like she hadn't accomplished anything in life.

Acting like Cathy wasn't even in the room, Bridget went on, "It's not like I want to shake my tits for the hicks around here...but what else am I supposed to do? I can't afford to live on a waitress's wage, and I'm not qualified to do anything else in this dead-end town! Rutger always gives me shit because he gets mad that I won't do anything other than dance topless! He approached me one night and tried to get me to perform some 'favors' for him, but since I wouldn't, he treats me like shit...just like all of the other horned up hillbillies around here!"

From the beautiful brunette's explanation, I assumed the man I had taken down was this Rutger she spoke of...and I wondered what the woman who had been with the bastard would've thought to hear Bridget's words. I let her continue on as I warmly placed a hand on one of hers that sat atop the table.

"Oh, Marcus! I'm sorry to sound like such a crybaby! You came in here for a meal...not to hear some uneducated waitress go on about her woes in some backwoods village in the middle of nowhere!"

Completely oblivious to Bridget's pain, Cathy suddenly walked over and set a plate in front of me. "Here ya go," she bluntly said, and then returned to her place behind the counter. As she did so, I heard her mumbling something about how she should be the one receiving the tip I would be leaving since she was doing Bridget's job.

Wondering what kind of relationship the two of them had, I thanked Cathy for the food before turning my attention completely back to the beautiful brunette. I didn't even realize I was doing it, but I was running my thumb over the back of her hand in a soothing fashion as I told her, "Honest work is hard to come by no matter where you go. You shouldn't be so down on yourself for what a bunch of dumb slobs say about you because you have something they'll never have: Morals. Pardon my language, but they're just dicks to you because you won't touch theirs. It seems pretty hypocritical, but they place labels on you that should actually be on them...well, at least the male equivalents of those labels."

Bridget actually let out a slight laugh through her bouts of snivels. She wiped at her nose with one of the napkins I had given her as she pulled away from my hold so she could reach over and grip my left wrist. Her other hand pulled the necklace she wore out of her shirt so she could grip the amethyst stone I now saw on it. "Do...do you really think that, Marcus?"

"Absolutely," I told the stunning woman. "I've met a lot of people like ol' Rutger in my time. He talks a big talk and tries to bring other people around him down because he has nothing better in his life. He's a dimwitted brute who speaks ill of others if he doesn't get his way. I'm sure if you had done what he asked, he'd still treat you poorly because he probably feels more trapped here than you do."

Bridget thought about my words for a minute. I could tell that she appreciated my explanation for more reasons than one.

I looked down at the burger on my plate. It smelled delicious, but it didn't feel right to eat in front of my new friend. She may have been working, but that didn't stop me from grabbing the knife from the set of silverware off to the side and cutting the burger in half. I took part of it and then slid the plate across the table toward Bridget. When she met my eyes, I smiled at her while saying, "You said yourself that Cathy makes a mean burger, so why don't you have a bite? When I'm upset, I find that food really cheers me up."

"Oh, Marcus! I can't eat your dinner!"

"Go ahead," I told her as I took my first bite. I was so hungry that it didn't take me long to chew what was in my mouth and swallow it. "I'm telling you, you'll feel ten times better if you eat." I glanced back in Cathy's direction and noticed her rolling her eyes as she went about her work and pretended like I wasn't even there. I think she thought I was coddling her co-worker too much.

Bridget finally accepted my offer and we sat there enjoying our burger together. I tried to slow down a bit, but I was ravenous since I was so hungry. I devoured my half before the beautiful brunette even had three bites down, and then I did my best to share my fries with her. She motioned with a hand that the burger was enough as she chewed some of the food. I couldn't bring myself to mention that the over-easy egg she had mentioned had obviously been forgotten.

When we were finally done, I placed my hands on my thighs and let out a loud sigh before raising my voice and saying, "Cathy, you make a helluva mean burger. That was by far one of the best I've ever had." I then reached into my pocket and placed enough money to pay for the burger thrice over on the table. "I appreciate the food and company, ladies."

Bridget looked at the payment and informed me, "That's way too much, Marcus!"

I played dumb by looking down at the money and saying, "No it's not. There's the cost of the meal, and the rest is for you. If you want, maybe give a coin or two to Cathy." I then leaned closer to the dazzling waitress and playfully put a hand up to hide my mouth from the woman behind the counter as I whispered loud enough for her to hear, "Contrary to what we may believe, she does do decent work."

Bridget placed her hands over her mouth and giggled. Without looking in my direction, Cathy just raised a hand and waved me off.

I turned to take Bridget in one last time. It felt good to do something nice for such a wonderful woman. I had known her for no more than twenty minutes, but I felt some kind of connection to her. I didn't want to leave, but I needed to find a hotel or something so I could crash for the night. I had plenty of work to do in the morning...even though my job was the furthest thing from my mind. All I could think about was the woman I'd be leaving behind.

Ignoring the money I had left on the table, Bridget bolted past it and grabbed one of my hands in order to stop me from leaving. "Marcus!"

I turned and met the radiant woman's amber eyes. I was caught in them momentarily before finally finding the words and asking, "What is it, Bridget?"

"Where will you be staying tonight?"

"I don't know. Is there a hotel around here?"

"The All the Way Inn is on the other side of the village," Bridget answered with a straight face. I wasn't sure how she was able to do so since the play on words had me fighting the desire to crack up. "But if you'd like to save some money, you could always...come and crash at my place."

I was taken off guard by the offer. Not only was it unexpected, but it was extremely kind. I hardly knew this woman, but she was going to allow me to stay in her home. I was honored...and I couldn't find the words to answer.

"There ya go," Cathy spoke up as she continued to go about her work behind the counter with her back to us. In her own bizarre way, I think the old bat was happy to see Bridget ask me. Maybe she could tell that the brunette had something for me...and that I had something for her as well.

Since I hadn't said anything right away, I could tell that Bridget assumed she had crossed a line. "I just thought that if you didn't want to waste money on a dingy little room..."

"I would love to crash at your place, Bridget," I finally found my voice. "I really appreciate the offer. Are you sure, though? I mean, you hardly know me! Maybe I'm nothing more than a crazy guy..."

"Oh, you're crazy all right!" The splendid brunette spoke up as she latched onto one of my arms and leaned her head against my left shoulder. "You'd have to be crazy to drive all the way out here for a story and eat at a diner like this!" With her energy returning, Bridget let out her beauteous laugh. I was glad to hear it again.

Laughing with the marvelous woman, I couldn't help but think, Oh, I feel like I'm crazy all right...crazy for you, Bridget! How have you enchanted me so fast? The last time this happened, it was due to Lilith...

"Would you mind maybe hanging out here for a little bit while Cathy and I close down?" Bridget's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Unless you had something to do in the village for a bit and wanted to kill some time out there, of course. It's totally up to you."

There was nothing I could do at this time of night...and even if I could be working on my investigation, I wasn't about to let Bridget out of my sight. "Naw. I'll stick around here with you ladies if Cathy doesn't mind. Hell, I can help close down shop if you want to give me something to do. Do you want to put a mop or broom in my hands...?"

Cathy let out a single sigh that I could've mistaken for some kind of laugh. "It's about time somebody wants to do something for me!"

Bridget and I had a good laugh thanks to the grouchy old cook.

* * *

I stepped through the entryway after Bridget unlocked the door and led the way into her home. Upon walking in, I instantly started looking around and was surprised by what met my eyes. The house was rather small, but it was immaculately decorated.

For whatever reason, I hadn't been expecting such a fancy setup. I was standing in the living room and could see the dining room directly beyond since it was a wide-open area, and directly to my right was a staircase that turned and followed the wall up to the second floor. The wallpaper in the living room was a pine color with vertical, intertwined designs running up the wall, and there were landscape paintings hanging all over the room that matched the green theme that was prevalent throughout the area.

There was a couch along the wall directly to my left under the front window, and a coffee table sat in front of it with a few books and small knickknacks on it. Pink curtains were drawn in front of the window that actually matched the greens throughout the room quite well, and a recliner sat against the far wall with a two-foot statue of a mermaid next to it. There were a few other statues sitting throughout the room, but before I could look them over, Bridget turned to me and sarcastically asked, "Are you ready for the grand tour?" The sarcasm was obviously due to the fact that she found her home to be insultingly tiny.

I removed my shoes and kindly replied, "I would love to see the place, Bridget. This living room is amazing...so I can only imagine how nice the rest of the house is."

The brunette set her purse down on the coffee table and led me into the dining room. From there, we turned to the right and there was a little kitchen that was basically a hallway. It led to a door that went back outside, but hidden off to the side was another door that I couldn't see until getting closer to it. It was basically a closet for a washer and dryer combination.

"That's pretty much the first floor!" Bridget tried to sound cheerful as she turned around and skimmed past me. "Hope you're ready for the upstairs!" As the brunette walked by me, I felt her breasts brush up against me, but I remained mature as I followed her.

We made our way up the staircase that had a bay window off to the right about halfway up. The steps were covered in a burgundy-colored carpet, and there were more paintings placed impeccably around the window on the wall that was a pale salmon color. I complimented the brunette's decorating abilities but only received a laugh in return. I hoped she didn't think I was joking since I was actually being quite serious.

At the top of the stairs, there was a room immediately to the left, and then a hallway led down to a closet and one other smaller room. The larger of the two rooms was obviously Bridget's bedroom, and the other was a frilly bathroom. I did have to joke around with my new friend as I pointed out that she might've gone overboard with the pink colors.

Bridget responded by playfully sticking her tongue out at me and then blowing a raspberry. The action made me laugh. I was finding that it was a lot of fun to be around the fantastic brunette.

After receiving the tour of the modest residence that I was extremely jealous of, I thought about everything I had seen and told Bridget, "I'll go get comfortable on your couch. I think I noticed a few pillows and a blanket down there, so if it's okay with you, I'll just use those."

The brunette nodded that it was indeed okay and then told me, "I'm going to jump in the shower real quick and wash the ick from the diner off me."

The plan sounded good to me, but I had another sudden thought when I asked, "Do you work tomorrow? I certainly don't want to keep you up or wake you in the morning if I leave while you're still sleeping..."

Bridget was quiet for a moment and her eyes went to the floor as she answered in shame, "I work at the strip club tomorrow night."