Chapter 8
That evening, Pat went to the corner drugstore after eating supper, and she called the number on Michael Fesschlocker's card. When Fresschlocker answered she thought he was a girl, at first. She told him she was willing to do what he wanted, but she wasn't satisfied with a thousand dollars.
"I don't know if I can go any higher," he told her.
"Don't kid me," she snapped. "If it's worth a thousand dollars it's worth two thousand, and even that's cheap. If you must know, I need the extra thousand because I'm going to employ a little help. I feel the girl with me deserves a thousand, as well. So give me a yes or a no right now. Don't leave me hanging."
"You drive a hard bargain," Fresschlocker told her.
"Well men like you and Mr. Vane have made me what I am. All we're quibbling about now is, for how much will I continue being that kind of a female."
"All right," Fresschlocker agreed.
"I want it all up front, tonight," Pat told him. "Don't try telling me you can't get it. I have every faith you can."
"All right," Fresschlocker agreed. "Where do I meet you?"
Pat told him about the drugstore, and hung up. She went to the soda fountain and ordered an ice cream sundae, and waited.
Long before Fresschlocker arrived, a close friend of hers, Erin, come in, and walked over to her, saying, "What was so important that you had to call my house at dinnertime to tell me to meet you here?"
"A thousand dollars," Pat said to her friend.