Chapter Three Mr. Warner

 I turned to face the man I had saw on the train. Locking eyes with him, I straightened myself up, bumping my knee on the corner of the chair. "OW," I cried out, stumbling backwards eventually falling to the ground. My skirt falling around my thighs, I quickly covered myself up, shy of revealing my underwear. Oh, I've made a fool of myself. How'd he get in? My heart... It's racing. Owie, my knee, it's throbbing. I found myself stunned, I couldn't move. My eyes darted around the room before spotting Charlene running from the back, "Oh my goodness, Aileen, sweetie, are you okay," she yelled. Still on the ground, I managed to position myself into a squatting stance, hoisting myself up into the chair. Charlene approached me swiftly. "Mr. Warner, I didn't notice you come in, this is Aileen, the new hire," she said.

"I believe we have already met, Aileen, is it? Daniel Warner," he said, reaching his hand out towards me before giving me a wink.

An angry voice called down the hallway, "Dan! Where have you been? Did you get those deposits in?" The man stood there for a moment, tensing his jaw before putting a smile on his face. Turning around, in exasperation, he said, "Yes, dear!"

I could tell he was annoyed by his reaction and the tone of voice. I stared in awe at the way he pivoted on his heels so smoothly. His left hand tucking into the pocket of his jacket. Wearing a grey jacket and dark blue jeans, he had on brown loafer shoes. Formal in a way, he had slicked back hair, silver streaks running through the sides. A well groomed man, he was with light grey and black stubble spread svross his strong jaw line. He shifted his body weight from one leg to the other while those muffled voices came into coherence.

"I had other errands to run, Amy. You forget I have more responsibilities than you do here," Mr. Warner scolded at his wife. "I was needing to know if you got the deposit in, so I can complete my job for the night," Mrs. Warner snobbishly said.

I felt awkward sitting in the middle of what appeared to be a fight. They must fight like this often. I assumed they have a lot of marital problems.

"Aileen, are you okay?" Charlene was standing in front of me. I must have been in a daze because I didn't know how much time had passed. I look up at the wooden clock hanging above the coffee bar. It had now read 6:34pm. Crap, I have to get home to feed the goats. I hope I hadn't missed the train. I looked up at Charlene, "What time does the train leave at night?" She glanced at her wristwatch and sighed. Looking at me with a worried expression, "The train already left for the night, I'm so sorry. It leaves at 6:30pm." Charlene rustled through her purse to pull out a set of silver keys that dangled from a purple, fuzzy ball, "I can give you a ride if you want, I'll show you how to clock out then we can go out the back." I quickly nodded jumping to my feet, forgetting the sharp sting on my knee. That is going to bruise I am sure of it.

I retrieved my bag from under the counter and continued to the back with Charlene. We walked out a huge steel push door, while she put a cigarette to her lips, lighting it with an inhale. A big cloud of smoke blew out of her mouth with her exhale as she spoke, "So when Amy and Dan start arguing like that, that's usually our cue to go home. I heard from Paul, our dishwasher that he saw Dan at a strip club just last weekend! I mean I can't blame him. Amy is always nagging and negative."

We walked to a station wagon that was parked by the dumpster. I climbed into the passenger seat, looking around. It smelled of stale cigarettes and cheap perfume. I watched Charlene as she took a long drag of her cigarette, blowing smoke out of the window. The seats were dressed in cheetah print covers, her steering wheel was a fuzzy cheetah print pattern as well. Her vehicle was relatively clean other than the smells that lingered in the fabric.

The sounds of the keys clinking into the ignition drew my attention to her watch. I hope I can get home in time. I don't need grandma worrying. "I live outside of town," I said anxiously tapping my foot. "Not a worry," Charlene said with a smile. "I don't mind driving, honestly." "Thank you, Charlene, I really appreciate it," I said. "Please, call me Char," putting the car in reverse, she turned her head and drove out of the parking lot onto the busy main street. It seemed particularly busy right now as everyone seemed to be getting off work. This small town closes down early or every establishment closes at five.

"Is there anything that stays open past five," I curiously asked. Nodding, Charlene looked at me, "Of course, the gas station is opened until midnight," letting out a light giggle. "The town is small and there isn't really a need for many places to be opened past that. This is a great family town, and it's been this way since I moved here." I looked at her for a minute before nodding. "When did you move here," I asked. "I moved here when I was in highschool. So quite a while ago. My family and I came from New Jersey," she said while flicking her ash out of the window. I smiled back at her, turning my eyes to the gravel road in front of us. The sun was low in the sky and casting a pink, orange and blue hue to the clouds. The grassy fields on both sides of the road were home to many cattle.

As we approached the end of road to a sign pointing left and right, "My grandmas farm should be this next turn," I said pointing left.

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