Page 14 of Falling for the Enemy

I looked again at the two-inch heels and told him that he was being dramatic. He was the boss though, I reminded myself, and I went back in and grabbed some flats. That wasn't good enough either, because I needed to protect my feet. Apparently, things could fly around and hurt me. This factory job was getting more dangerous by the second.

“What do you mean things are going to fly around?” I asked, trying not to be funny. I really didn't understand what he was talking about. What kind of job had he given me where things were going to have to be ducked and dodged?

“Factories are dangerous, Amber. You have to pay attention, you have to make sure that if something flies your way, you get out of its way. You have to keep your wits about you.”

We were already on the way there before I asked him what exactly I was going to be doing. He told me that he had found the safest job on the shift, so that made me feel a little bit better. It also made me feel like he was treating me like a child. After the safety talk that we’d had, maybe that was for the best. It sounded like if I made a wrong move, I was going to get my arm chopped off or something. That definitely had my attention. That was not something that I’d had to worry about in the PR firm. It could get murderous in there, just not physically. Everyone was stabbing each other in the back, but it wasn’t really a physical worry. In the factory, it sounded like it was.

Frank must have seen the worry on my face, and he assured me that everything was going to be okay.

“Are you sure? You are making me wonder if I can do this.”

“You can,” he assured me. “You just have to pay attention. I don’t want anything to happen to you, so just pay attention.”

“It will look bad to have someone get hurt on your shift, huh?”

He didn’t answer me right away. Finally, he agreed that it was what he was talking about, but I really didn’t think that it was. There was something he was keeping from me, something he was going to say, but we were there, the factory looming ahead of me. I had no more time to think about what wasn’t said or done. I didn't know why, but I had a really bad feeling about this. I wanted to chicken out. I told myself though, that I would get used to this type of work. It wasn’t that I thought it was beneath me, it was just so foreign I couldn't even imagine it. He turned his vehicle off and Frank started getting his stuff together. He hadn't said too much on the way, probably didn't realize that I was completely freaking out.

“You need to hurry up, Amber, you don't want to be late. You have to clock [SS5] in, so when you're late, they know it.”

“Don't you mean, you know it?”

Frank nodded his head in agreement. “Yep, and I have to treat you like I do everybody else. You have to be on time, and you have to pull your own weight.”

I nodded my head, like I had an idea what he was talking about. He had been quite elusive when I asked for details of what I would be doing, and it became clear quite quickly what it was.

The factory produced parts and pieces for cars. It wasn't at all what I expected and my job, my official job, was to count the number of packages of metal pieces that were put into a large crate. When the number reached 1500, we put a top on that crate and did another one. That was my job. I was honestly ready to walk out a few minutes after I started, especially when I had worked for a while and only fifteen minutes had passed. This factory was not like any job I'd ever had before, thankfully. I was looking around at the other people, wondering how they managed it, but maybe the answer lied in the fact that nobody was looking around like I was. They were in their own little world. The music playing overhead on the speakers did not cover up the sounds of the machines clanking and carrying on. There was a lot of big machines with fast moving parts that I just wanted to stay away from. I was grateful for the job, but I was like a fish out of water as well.

At break time, a whistle blew, and everybody got to take their time off. There wasn't much around, so most people packed some kind of meal. It was 2:00 o'clock in the morning when I had my first break, and I was tired. I was glad that Frank had said something about my heels because I didn't think I would have made it this far. I looked for him during break, but he never showed up. I didn't ask about him because I didn't want people to know that he had given me the job as a favor. I didn't know how long I was going to be here, but I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot.

Another whistle blew and break was over. I did really feel like another cog in a wheel and as the machines roared back to life and everyone got back to work, I forgot for awhile that my life had been so much different than this before. I was still debating if I could handle a year in this town, and by the end of the shift, I didn't think that I would be able to do this job for a year. It was probably one of the most mind-numbing experiences I'd ever had, although I didn't see Frank anywhere. I really didn't know how he did it.

Another thing that I noticed was it was 6:00 o'clock in the morning and even though I’d barely had any sleep the night before, I was wide awake. No wonder he went home and worked outside to wear himself out. I had to imagine that it was hard to work this sort of schedule. It also made me wonder what he thought about the whole time. Maybe that was what I liked about my old job. It made my problems go away because I had new problems to conquer. Other people’s problems are always easier to conquer than my own.

Frank was out about ten minutes after the final bell whistled and I was happy to see him. I was ready to get out of there. He had a grin on his face, talked to a few people, and asked if I was ready to go. He asked me the obvious question of how it went, and I thanked him again for setting the job up for me. I wasn't going to lie and say that I loved it, but I had come to the conclusion that it could be worse. I could work there for a little while, until I figured out something else.

It was silent on the way back. I didn't know what to say and I didn't think Frank did either. He looked tired through the eyes, and I did finally ask about his sister and about Alice. Alice was a sweet girl and I wondered how she was doing. Frank said they were fine. There was a bit more silence and then we were almost back to our neighborhood. He finally asked me if I really liked the job and I just kind of shrugged. “I'm not going to say that it is something that I will look forward to doing every day, but I do need the money.”

He nodded and I asked him what he does. “I didn't see you on any of the machines. Were you somewhere else? I guess there's probably more to that place that I realize.”

“I work on the upper level since I’m in management. I hardly ever work the floor anymore.”

I told him that he was lucky, and he said that I didn't know what I was talking about. “I was happy at first when I got the promotion, but I think I liked it better on the floor. There's more time to think.”

His words made me scoff, and I looked away, hoping that he hadn't noticed. He had and he chuckled. “That bad, huh?”

I told him that I wouldn't say it was bad, it was just different. I didn't know why I didn't want to tell him the truth. I was grateful that he had helped me secure the position. I meant that, but it definitely wasn't my ideal job.

I thanked him again when we got to his place. He parked in the driveway, and I started to walk over to my place. I asked him if he wanted some coffee and he said that he did. I got the feeling that Frank was going to take time to fully understand. I think I finally realized then that I wanted to know him.

14

Frank

Iwas a bit surprised that Amber asked me over. I still wasn't even 100% sure how she felt about me. Well, if nothing else, she liked my niece. That was a starting point I supposed, one that I had never used before. “I’m going to go jump in the shower and change. I will be back in a minute.”

Amber agreed and went in her house. I felt a little nervous as I made my way back next door a little while later. I had always come over for a reason, never had it been just to hang out. I didn't know why, but that seemed so much more intimate and made me nervous.

I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to get involved with Amber, even though I was pretty sure I had a good chance. It would just be a complication, but damned if I didn't put cologne on and make sure that my appearance was just right. I knew exactly what I had in mind. I could tell myself all I wanted that I wasn't going to do it, but there was no need to lie to myself.

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