Marlene and Berri, Part 5

MARLENE AND BERRI
PART V

Marlene went to the register where Cory was getting ready to pay for his
coffee.

"She going to be OK?" Cory asked, with his thumb pointed at Berri.

"We'll see," Marlene replied. "I've never seen her like this. Must really be
something bad." 

Cory gave her a peck on the cheek and headed out to his truck. While Tammy
was seeing to the few customers in the restaurant and preparing for the
breakfast rush, Phyllis, the cocktail waitress, sat at Berri's booth keeping
her company while waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up. Respectively a
couple of Pall Malls and Virginia Slims had run their course while Berri sat
sobbing into her napkin.

After ringing up Cory's purchase at the register, Marlene walked over to the
booth and sat down beside Phyllis, who was opposite Berri. She told Tammi
she'd be back on the floor in just a few minutes. In the meantime she lit a
salem and held Berri's hand.

"I hate that son of a--I hate him! I hate him!" Berri exclaimed, while taking
repeated drags on her Pall Mall.

"Stan," Phyllis said, as she raised a Virginia Slim to her lips and flicked
her lighter.

"What happened," Marlene asked. "What did he do?"

Berri wiped another stream of tears from her cheek with the napkin. "I had
just finished up some homework, and decided to surprise him. But I got the
surprise!" She took another drag, and a deep breath without the cigarette,
then went on.

"I'm driving right up to the complex, and not only is his car parked there,
but a green Kharmann-Ghia which looked oddly familiar. And I was right!"

"It belonged to someone you know?" Marlene asked.

"You bet it did. It belongs to TRACY!"

"You mean your best friend?"

"Well, I thought she was. I introduced her to Stan earlier in the semester
while we were in the coffee shop between classes. Well, I pull up to the
apartment, and they're walking out his front door and they're...smooching and
hugging! And Tracy is standing there buckling up her belt!!"

"Oh, Berri!" Phyllis said, stroking her free hand.

"So I get out of my car and confront them. They've had a little thing going
on for a MONTH now! No wonder Stan has been so casual about what I do and
where I go. He's only been making time for me when Tracy is unavailable!"

Marlene set her Salem in the ash tray shared by the three women, and
disappeared for a moment. 

"Anyway, they threw it in my face that she had seen me driving Dill home on
his birthday, and lied to him that we'd been passionately smooching while
driving! Dill kissed me on the hand, but that was it. And that was when we
parted!"

"Stan knew though, didn't he, that you and Marlene were taking Dill out on
his birthday, didn't he?" Phyllis asked.

"Oh, sure, but that didn't keep him from using it as a justification for
bedding Tracy. And then he went and said that at least when he's kissing
Tracy it isn't like licking an ashtray! Stan's been telling me all this time
that he didn't care that I smoked, and he never complained about my breath.
Not to my face, anyway. The bastard!"

Marlene came back and sat down while Berri finished her story. "I've never
been so angry in my life! My fiancee and my best friend." She started crying
again and reached for another Pall Mall. Marlene lit it for her.

"Just calm down, honey," Marlene said. "You don't need to be driving right
now, upset as you are. I need to get back on the floor, but you just stay
here and get it out of your system."

It was about half an hour later. Marlene kept looking outside the front door
as she tended to the slowly increasing stream of customers. Berri and Phyllis
sat filling up coffee filters. Suddenly, Phyllis' boyfriend came in and just
two or three seconds later, Dill entered. Berri smiled for the very first
time since she had come to the coffee shop. Phyllis stood up, told Berri she
had her phone number if she needed to talk, and as she left with her
boyfriend, Dill sat down opposite her. Marlene poured him some coffee. 

Nobody said anything, but it was all understood. When Marlene disappeared,
she had gone to the phone to call Dill and insist he come ASAP.

Berri put another Pall Mall up to her lips as she filled the last coffee
filter. Dill immediately extracted his lighter from the pocket of his Levi's
jacket. He took a quick sip of coffee.

"Just happened to be up studyin' for this exam, but heck, that won't be until
tomorrow. I got lots of time, and I ain't got a class until the afternoon,"
Dill said. Berri just smiled. Dill's easy going manner was enough to calm her
down right away. Dill was just glad to see the smile on Berri's face, which
remained while she exhaled.

It was approaching 6:00 a.m. and McConnell, the boss, was expected to be
making an appearance shortly. Marlene went back over to the booth and said it
might be good if they took off, so that he wouldn't ask a lot of nosy
questions. 

"Dill, you don't need to be anywhere, right away, do you? Berri asked,
looking up at him with her doe eyes.

"Can't think of anyplace important," Dill replied, then with a sly smile
crooking out of one side of his mouth, "Not if you ain't there!"

With that, they stood up, and Berri put another cigarette up to her lips,
which Dill quickly lit. Marlene gave Berri another hug and told her to call
her later. Dill held the door open for Berri and they went out to Berri's
truck. She gave him the keys, and he drove. Berri gave directions.

TO BE CONTINUED

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