Pepper's Penance Ch. 05
Pepper's Penance is a slow burning romance that unfolds over the course of twenty-three chapters. This is not a wham-bam story. But, if you're into that sort of thing, I think you'll like this one. Check my profile page for other chapters.
Chapter 5: Natalie
I got smart. I bought a cheap Styrofoam cooler that I tucked away under the counter, behind the register. That and a bag of dog treats. My plan was to stock it every weekend with a six pack of Diet Coke bottles and a ten pound bag of ice. It was cheaper than buying drinks from the deli all the time and kept Pepper sufficiently caffeinated that she stuck around for more than her usual ninety minutes. The treats made Trixie my best friend.
And as word got around that the woman who played every weekend at the park pavilion had not gone into hibernation as suspected, but had instead moved her act to A to Z Music downtown—well, that drew about half the usual crowd. I'm not sure what the rest were doing to entertain themselves these days, but it was a start. It kept the cash register ringing.
Pepper would never admit it, but I think she liked having an audience. It seemed to perk her up a little. I noticed the happy bits of her improvisation stretched for longer than sixteen bars at the end. Her improved demeanor also encouraged her to stick around after closing sometimes and, when she was in the mood, let slip a few more details about Natalie.
"I was a real piece of work back when I first met her," Pepper said. "She was amazing. A good teacher. Kind.
"And hot." Pepper grinned.
"Natalie's the one who taught you how to play?"
"Ash," Pepper tucked her chin and stared, "My piano teacher was a dude. Pay attention."
"Oh, I thought—"
"I had him wrapped around my finger though. College professor. Bookish. I'd flirt every now and then. Not that I'd ever swing that way, but he didn't know it, and I figured as long as he thought there was a chance... well, it gave me leverage. For what reason, I don't know. That's just how I operated. Always looking for an angle. He ignored me for the most part, but I kept it up anyway."
"Was he the first to support your Diet Coke habit?"
Pepper grinned. "Funny. No. But, yeah, I used to do this thing where I'd fake a minor meltdown, claiming a vending machine took my last dollar and refused to give up the goods. Nine times out of ten if a guy was hanging around, free drink for Pepper. Girls were about fifty-fifty, probably less."
"You're a trip," I said. "Little Miss I've got a Steinway at home, scamming people for free soda. And she's still doing it."
Pepper shrugged. "It's the way I'm wired. And, I haven't always been the nicest person in the world."
"No. Really?"
Pepper showed me her middle finger.
"I was barely holding down a job cleaning hotel rooms at the when I met her. That was a job, let me tell you. Not enough hours in the slow times, but mandatory overtime during the busy season. Three of us girls sharing a crappy little apartment in a neighborhood where you didn't go out after dark if you had any sense.
"Or maybe, even though you did know better, you went out anyway, because that's when you could find the little something you needed to keep you going on those twelve hour shifts. A little chemical assistance to help with the overtime hours. And I'm not talking about Diet Coke.
"I managed well enough in the beginning. That's what I told myself. Besides, I wasn't the only one who needed a little pick me up to get through a stretch of twelve hour shifts. It took my roommate, a long time user, almost dying of a pulmonary edema before I woke up and decided it was time for a career change.
"In a fit of self-righteous 'si se puede', I enrolled myself in the General Equivalency Degree program at the community college. It was during the slow season, so I had the time. And I was able to get financial aid, which was good, because I had no savings and my mother made it very clear that my eighteen birthday present was that I was no longer her problem.
"Anyway, that's when I first met Natalie."
"Wow," I said. It just sort of slipped out. It was like someone opened the valve between Pepper's brain and her mouth, and it was on full blast.
"Yeah. Natalie was teaching the class. She wasn't a teacher for her day job, but I guess somebody at the school decided she had the qualifications to instruct a bunch of dropouts looking for a second chance. I found out later it was her own penance for past sins, but that's a long story in itself."
Pepper sighed.
"Natalie was gorgeous, as I mentioned. I had begun second guessing my decision to enroll, particularly as I sat in that classroom the first night, watching people trickle in, not knowing a single face. I remember wondering, was I really cut out for this or was I just lying to myself that I had what it takes?
"But that all changed when Natalie walked in. She had this confidence about her. And legs for miles. Sad, I know, but that's actually what kept me in my seat that first night instead of skipping out during the break like I wanted to. Her legs were amazing.
"I always figured she came to class straight from work, because she was always dressed up in a suit coat and skirt, but her blouse was a little rumpled, like she'd been wearing it all day. And she had this habit of frequently kicking off her pumps after strutting around for the first thirty or so minutes of the night.
"I liked that aspect of class probably more than I should have. I would sit and stare for hours at her stocking-clad calves as she parked herself on the corner of that battered old teacher's desk in the front of the classroom—legs crossed and toes wrapped up in nothing but reinforced nylon.
"That was one of my favorite parts of working at the hotel, too, watching the business women, all dressed to the nines, with their power suits and lean, stocking clad legs. With their soft-sided leather briefcases or valises if you want to be fancy, off to deliver some important high-power presentation while I stayed behind to make up their beds and tidy the complementary lotions on their bathroom vanity.
"I've always loved a woman in a business suit, maybe because it's a look I could never attain in a million years. That, and Natalie wore the look so well.
"Ash," Pepper said. "Am I boring you with my career woman fetish? You haven't said a word."
"Hmm? No. I'm just listening is all."
"Okay. Would you mind grabbing me a Diet Coke? I'm parched."
I chuckled. "At your service, my lady. Anything else, my lady? Perhaps her ladyship would like another corned beef on rye? It is coming up on dinnertime after all."
"Diet Coke." She stuck her tongue out at me.
"I saw that. Get you're own Diet Coke."
"You deserved it."
I wandered off toward the front counter and rang up a no sale. "You don't have to keep playing, you know. I'm just going to count out the register and—"
"If I stop playing, you'll throw me out."
I paused my counting of bills, forgetting what number I was on.
"I... Pepper, I don't know what—"
"I'll buy you dinner," she said. "Doesn't have to be corned beef."
I started counting the stack of bills again, from the beginning, and more slowly this time, and hiding the smile creeping over my face. "Something near the bank?"
"I know a place."
"What about Trixie? Is she going to tear up the store while we're gone?"
"Ash." Pepper shook her head. "You've seen how fast she moves. Does she look like a threat to your store?"
I chuckled. "I guess not."
"I'll take her out back while you're counting and I've got treats to tide her over."
"I've got a bag up here." I pulled the bag out from under the counter. Trixie raised her head.
Pepper reached into her pocket and produced enough that Trixie decided it wasn't worth the effort of coming over to see what I had.
"Don't worry," Pepper said, "they're not cat treats. Trixie and I, we worked that out one day at the pet store. Found something she likes just as much in the dog aisle."
"Okay," I said, "Just give me about ten more minutes."
"You were right," Pepper said when she returned. "I think she was allergic to something in the old batch."
Pepper sat back at the keys and began playing something that sounded familiar, but just out of reach. Whatever it was, it sounded quite a bit more cheerful than her usual repertoire.
I counted out the rest of the cash drawer on autopilot, stopping twice because I let my mind wander and forgot what number I was on. I couldn't help but wonder about Pepper and Natalie. I assumed they were a couple at some point, but where was Natalie now? Had the relation ended badly? Is that why Pepper had such a morose playlist?
Pepper's playing stopped. She and Trixie wandered up to the front just as I zipped up the bank bag.
"Ready, Ash?"
"Yep."
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