Chapter 11
Earl was full of anticipation of profits when he called for her the following evening, chattering cheerfully, full of appreciation for the way Amy looked and generally pleased with the way things were going for him. He told Amy that he had the full staff back as before the shutdown and felt safer than ever now that he had been closed once and come through it in good shape. Amy was sure she was not wrong when she read into his remarks a vague promise of more money for her if things worked out as Earl foresaw. She could not help but wonder how he would feel if he knew what had transpired over the weekend.
She did not tell him that she had quarrelled with Clem, not believing that it would do her any good. She felt that Earl would surely find it suspicious that their relationship should have reached the point where they could quarrel. Therefore she contented herself with telling him jokingly that she had gone swimming with Clem and that he had asked her to quit her job.
"Just like I told you," Earl boasted. "He thinks he's got an inside track and he don't want anybody else to come near you. He's playing the reform angle, but he's just nervous he can't hang onto you."
It was, crudely put though it was, pretty much what Amy herself thought about Clem's demand. She did not take his proposal of marriage seriously. While she did not believe it was out and out trickery on Clem's part, Amy did not think either that he actually had meant to go through with it. It was her idea that he had proposed because her indignant anger had put him against the wall and he was forced to do something to justify the proprietary attitude he had taken toward her.
Of her weekend with Clem she had no regrets, save that it had ended the way it had. If she had thought that their quarrel was final she would have been dismayed by it and forced to think more deeply about her feeling for him. As it was, however, she was so sure that he would come round. Despite her quarrel, when she thought of Clem it was with a real tenderness-and she thought of him often.
She had to ask herself if she loved him. It was a question she could no longer evade, especially since she had acted in a way that could prove fatal to their contact. There was an intensity of emotion aroused between them that the slightest spark could set them at each other in anger.
Yet it was not the anger that broke out between them that was-uppermost in Amy's mind. Rather it was the inexpressible hunger that existed when they were together. It was not an accident, she was sure, that this magic was between them, that the marvel she found in his arms was of a quality that made her grow weak even now when she recalled it.
"You cold?" Earl asked.
She looked at him with surprise.
"You shivered," he explained.
"Not me," she said.
"You're pretty quiet."
"What's there to talk about?"
He grinned wolfishly.
"Me and you, baby."
Coming as it did after her brief reverie about Clem, Earl's sudden show of affection and possessiveness spread a cold feeling in Amy's stomach. The contrast between the men was too sharp for her to accept at this moment and she would rather have taken from one love and from the other the material things that seemed as important as love.
"What about it?" she said carefully.
He looked away from the wheel for a moment and grinned at her again.
"Let's see how things work out, baby. I got ideas on the subject, though."
She breathed easier and felt herself relax. It was the last thing in the world she expected that it would be Earl who would upset the applecart, especially in view of the difficulties she was having with Clem. What the end of the affairs would be, she did not know, but she had hopes of working things out to suit herself.
The tavern had been spruced up while it was closed and had a shiny look. The people too had a fresh look about them, as if they had used the period of their layoff for an opportunity to scrub themselves and lie in the sunshine. The bartenders did not look so sallow and the girls, still hardlooking and cynical, did not look quite so jaded as they had before. Earl, surveying the scene, rubbed his hands together with pleasure.
Amy drifted over to the girls, who were sitting together waiting for the doors to open and their night's work to begin. She had not been friendly with them, . but now with nothing to do she felt easier with them than with the men.
"I guess the joint's going to be jumping tonight," one of them, a brunette named Jean, remarked.
"Yeah," said another, "them soldiers sure must have missed us."
"And we missed them," said Jean with a grin. "I ain't used to the quiet life no more.
"They must have been saving their money," a third girl said. "That's what I like to see, guys with plenty to spend."
Their cold-blooded talk repelled Amy, who sat quietly not joining in it. Jean, the first girl, gestured at her with her head.
"She don't care," she said. "She don't bother with GIs. We got to take it from them and she takes it from the boss."
Amy flushed.
"That's all you're good for," she said coldly.
"Yours don't wear a uniform, that's all," Jean said with malicious relish. "You get your dough the same way we do, honey, don't kid yourself. Only you get it second-hand."
The other girls laughed at this sally and Amy flushed again. She looked around and would have liked to make her escape, but she did not want to show any weakness before these girls. She rose and stood before them and then smiled at them maliciously.
"We, make sure you do a good job tonight," she said. "Since you're working for me, I'll be keeping an eye on you."
From the angry looks that showed on their faces, Amy knew that she had achieved her revenge and she walked away slowly, switching her hips with an exaggerated motion with each slow step. Despite her being able to turn the tables on them, she was still upset by what they said. It was not that the girls had showed their dislike of her that bothered Amy. In fact, that by itself would not have bothered her at all, would, in fact, have pleased her. Rather was it what they had said that had reached through to her and she tried to tell herself that it was untrue, that she was not at all like them. But no matter how fiercely she asserted this to herself, she could not altogether destroy the effect of their words. Coming on top of what had been the topic of her quarrel with Clem, the short exchange with the girls was more disturbing to Amy than it would have been ordinarily. The word "decent" was in her mind and she heard it as Clem had said it and now it stirred her to a repressed fury as she paced through the tavern.
The anger imparted a tautness to her, added a spring to her step that heightened her loveliness. She was wearing a gown that was daringly cut. As the doors opened Amy caught sight of herself in the mirror and the vision was not one to give the lie to what the girls had said. Her mouth curled with anger and she was prepared to welcome the soldiers in a fury that would strip them of their last cent. She felt now no pity for any of them, just a desire to avenge herself on anyone who might have the slightest idea of questioning her place in the world. It was about half an hour later when Amy, wrapped in her own anger, came out of it sufficiently to notice that the expected crowd of soldiers had not materialized. The tavern was virtually empty, with just a few civilians at the bar. The gambling room was empty and the girls were standing around disconsolately, talking to each other and waiting for something to do.
Earl came out of his office, ignored her and went to the bartender. She could not hear what he said but she knew it was about the absence of customers. She saw the bartender shrug his shoulders with a gesture obvious in its meaning and went back to polishing glasses. Earl looked around, his face vicious, and came over to her.
"I can't understand it," he said.
"Maybe they think we're still closed," Amy suggested.
"Nah, I tipped off the bus drivers," he said. "Gave them ten bucks each to pass the word around."
He stopped and thought for a moment.
"That's funny," he said. "I could have sworn I heard at least two buses stop outside since we opened. I'm going outside to have a look."
He walked out quickly and was back almost as quickly, his face twisted with anger. He came straight at Amy.
"What's with you and that lieutenant?" he demanded.
She looked at him, startled.
"What do you mean?" she stalled. "What's that got to do with it?"
He glared at her suspiciously.
"Plenty," he said. "Take a look for yourself."
She went to the door and looked out. A strange sight greeted her and she stared at it in disbelief. Clem's jeep was parked about twenty feet from the door, the white M.P. placard clearly visible. On either side of the door stood two uniformed MPs and scattered about were several others. Clem was seated in the jeep. A group of soldiers, more than a dozen were milling around, but none were coming into the tavern. Amy came back inside.
"What's he pulling?" Earl raged. "What's going on between you two? You giving me the double-cross:
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said coldly. "I told you I went swimming with him and that's all. And what's he got to do with the place being empty?"
He gave her a withering look.
"With all them cops out there none of the GIs are going to come in here," he said angrily. "They figure something's cooking and they're keeping their noses clean. He's trying to put me out of business."
She stared at Earl, the pieces falling neatly into place in her mind. She realized that this was what Clem had meant when he said that he would have to do something himself to get her out of the tavern. Now her anger flared up wildly at him and if it would not have betrayed her to Earl she would have rushed outside and told him off. She was outraged that he was trying to blackjack her in this way, that he felt himself free to insist on what he wanted and to risk what she wanted to gain his ends.
"Did you talk to him?" she asked Earl.
"What's the use?" he said tightly. "He knows what he's doing and I guess he's got his orders. The Army couldn't close me down, so they're handling it their own way."
"Let me try," Amy said coolly. "Maybe I can handle him."
"What can you do if it's the Army?"
"Maybe it's not the Army," she said.
His eyebrows went up and he stepped close to her.
"Baby, you didn't play around, did you?" he hissed.
She laughed softly.
"Maybe that's what the lieutenant wants," she said. "Let's find out what the score is, Earl. I'm going out to have a little talk with Lieutenant Erskine."
She told herself as she went that she must keep herself under control, but the anger was boiling up within her and she was determined to settle it with Clem right then and there. As she came out the door the air was cool on her bare shoulder and she saw Clem before he saw her. He was sitting up straight in the jeep looking at the soldiers who were waiting for the next bus to take them into town. She could not see his face.
Glancing up at the two MPs, she gave them each a smile, but they kept their faces frozen, glancing at her without interest. She went out toward the jeep, her high heels sinking slightly into the soft earth. Clem heard her coming and turned around and his face showed surprise, but nothing more. There was a determined set to his appearance that told Amy that her hopes of accomplishing anything were slight indeed.
His eyes took in her gown and she knew that this did not please him either. He made no attempt to say hello or anything, just sat in the jeep and waited for her to speak first. This angered her and she cast aside her restraints and let her face show her anger.
"What are you trying to do, Clem?" she asked in a low voice.
"Hello, Amy," he said coolly. "Aren't you chilly in that dress?"
"You didn't buy it for me," she snapped.
That hit home and she saw his eyes narrow.
"And I never would," he said.
"Or any other dress for that matter," she said. "Do you mind if I buy my own?"
He didn't answer, but looked stonily at her.
"It won't work, Clem," she said at last. "You can't force me to do anything I don't want to do. You're just making a fool of yourself."
"You're wasting your time." he said.
"It looks like I've wasted a lot of time."
That also hurt and he could not hide it.
"Go on inside and tell your boss that I'm camping out here with my men till he goes broke," he said, raising his voice a bit. "I'll see to it that this place is closed down."
"If it closes," she said harshly, "I'll leave town within twenty-four hours. That's all you'll accomplish."
"I'll take my chances on that." She already knew his stubborness and it had showed again.
"If a girl is broke she can do worse things than I do," she said.
"It's up to the girl." He was not buying her hidden threat.
"Of all the stubborn, arrogant men I've met in all my life," she exploded, "you're the worst. You're just spoiling everybody's fun. So why don't you pick yourself up and beat it?"
She had raised her voice in her irritation and several soldiers had gathered around to listen to the conversation between them. Clem noticed them and flushed angrily.
"You'd better go inside now," he said tightly.
They glared at each other for several moments longer and then Amy turned and went back into the tavern. One of the soldiers wolf-whistled at her and the others laughed loudly. Earl was waiting for her when she came back in. She eyed him disgustedly and then said:
"Looks like your little trick back-fired, Mr. Smart Guy," she said. "This is the lieutenant's idea of reforming me. He's going to park outside till I quit."
Earl stared at her as if he didn't believe what he heard. Then he cursed loudly.
"That little punk," he said. "I'll take care of him."