What About My Forever?

Chapter 4 Car Ride

Louise's POV

There is only one way to find out and, by the curious looks sent my way, plus knowing them well, they will need to know what happened in there, or they will be harassing me until they figure something out to satisfy their uneasy minds. Time to see how they will react. My mouth opens but I don't even have a chance to start this conversation off before the vocals of my closest friend are heard.

"Did you get in trouble? I don't know what you could have possibly done to warrant any ill will from that grumpy geezer. But he has always looked at us as if he hates every last bit of us." Mary states without hesitation, showing the genuine worry for me along with her irritation for him, which gets the girls besides her to start frantically nodding.

That is until Margaret pipes up from beside her. "No, he doesn't hate us, just jealous of us.. He is a fuddy duddy geezer that doesn't know a fun time even if it were to tap him on the shoulder and ask him to cut the rug." She stated that comment with so much humor while twirling her hand around, so much so, that we couldn't help but to smile in response before chuckling with her, as Margaret adds on. "He will always be judgmental of anyone who doesn't agree with him. I got in trouble for smoking while working, as if he doesn't agree with it at all."

Margaret is throwing her arms up in the air before she continues, "Which we know is not true when I see him lighting up in that office and even the smoke that bellows out from the door frame while he is trying to hide it. Even Beautrice was doing it the entire day in front of his office, but he didn't care about that. And I told him that, and how unfair his treatment can be." She declared with so much sass that her head and hand couldn't help but to move in unison with the words.

That's before Eloise elbowed her. "No ya didn't. If you said that to him, you probably would have been canned. Besides, you shouldn't be smoking at work. I will ALWAYS wait until we are on break, and you should too. It's not safe, Margy." she declares in a know-it-all tone that gets Margaret's eyes rolling, as if she had the lever in her hand and doing it herself. Margaret looks her way, staring over at her with a judgmental eye as she glares her way.

Before Eloise had time to respond to the looks that were being thrown in her face, Margaret is blowing some of her cigarette smoke into her face and then retorting, "You're just a little miss perfect, huh? Why don't you go marry Mr judgmental geezer, and we will see if your tune changes about when to smoke and what is appropriate." Her eyebrows raise as us girls giggled at her absurd comment. What a thought? Not one I would like to think about again.

"I would probably do it all the time in that scenario. And probably even start tipping the bottle on top of the smoking if I married him. That would be implied to survive and not want to put myself ten feet under." Eloise retorts, as if it should have been obvious before she shook her head in response, then turning back to me. "So tell us, Lou.. What happened? Did ya get canned?" She asks me as they all wait with more anticipation for my answer.

Mary elbowed her before glaring, as if they weren't supposed to say that just to spare my feelings or to give me a chance to respond on my own, to let them know what happened in my own time. She is the thoughtful one out of the group, at least when it comes to me and my feelings, which I greatly appreciate. We have always been very close, ever since we met and are getting closer as others seem to come and go.

Mary and I have had plenty of friends come and go, mostly because they were single, then found their significant others by my hands, which is frustrating for myself. On the other hand, it gives the other girls hope that if they just stayed near me, in my general vicinity, that I might find them their perfect match.... by chance. That is not Mary though. She seems genuine in her friendship and, because of that, it will be cherished forever in my heart. She cares about me and my family, not just what I could help her out with.

Apparently, since I have had a streak of introducing friends to men that have been great for them, I have somehow turned into a good luck charm for anyone who is still single. Which is silly in my eyes, but when you're lonely you seem to hold onto any type of hope to help you get everything you might want, even if it seems silly to most. So no judgment here. They can believe and think what they want, but as I have told them many times, I have had nothing to do with everyone getting paired with their perfect matches. It must be just a coincidence, but somehow they don't seem to believe that.

Because of all of these coincidences, it's sometimes hard to tell who my real friends are when most single ladies like to hang out with me because they want to be my friend supposedly, but I later find out that they only wish to discover that partner for them just by being by my side. Then, after getting paired up by me and being happy with their decisions, they end up leaving, and I don't hear from them again except for occasionally getting a wedding invitation.

Mary and I have been so close these past years that I honestly think she would stay my friend and still hang out with me even if she found a perfect match. She and I are just that close and I love our relationship. It is something I have appreciated and cherished since appearing in my life. She makes my feelings seem normal, since she apparently feels the same, or at least that's what she says and that's all I guess I needed to give me some peace of mind in this hard world. Validation is a very strong thing. Who knew?

Nervously, I watched Mary's eyes soften when they meet up with mine before I decide to smile over at her, matching her sincerity. "I'm sorry I told the girls to have respect for you and if you wanted to tell us what happened, then you would.. but I reassured them there is no way you would get canned." Mary declares in my defense still sending them heated glares as I smile liking the help she is providing by keeping the girls, their curiosity and blunt thoughts at bay because that is harder than you may think.

"It's ok.. Thanks though Mary.. But.. Well, no... I didn't get in trouble.. He said that I show dedication and hard work every day I'm here.. So he is sending me to the base. They have requested for some hard-working people to be sent there for new job opportunities in the airfield. Still putting together the aircraft, but as far as I understand it will be slightly different then what I would be doing here." I casually gammin', just bragging about my hard work, loving that this is what I have been seen as, and finally, my hard work is appreciated when I thought for so long that I was starting to blend in with the machinery.

"What? really? You're just cookin' with some gas, aren't ya! That's swell for you to get out of this sh*t hole." Mary declares being happy about the good work I am putting in and actually going somewhere with, as Eloise elbows her. "Don't say those words, besides it's just outside of town, it's not like she is traveling across the country.. But yes, this is a pleasant surprise for all your hard work, Lou." Mary glares over at her for that comment, obviously not caring if she or anyone else is saying such words.

"I can talk how I want to talk El.. You're not my momma. Also, I know that she is not going incredibly far.. At least she is on her way out, even if it's just a little bit, it is further than any of us have been.. and I would bet that before any of us know it, she will be running one of these factories and traveling around the world like a flight attendant or something." she says with so much confidence and hope for me as she shoots her another glare before she cuts the glare short just to look back at me. "So Louie, when do you start?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat before replying. "I start on Monday." They smile and nod as they start climbing into Mary's car. "Ok, so that means you're still coming out tonight with us, right? We could celebrate this by cuttin' the rug while buzzin', sounds swell, right? And besides, we don't know when we will have another time to do this with you again, especially since you will have a fancy new job and probably new friends." Margaret states with a tinge of jealousy laced through her words. I can feel the smile creeping on my face as I nod, making the girl's smiles even bigger.

"Ooooh I can't wait, I have been khaki wacky lately.. Maybe Lou can send some of her good vibes to finally find me a good anchor cranker sailor before she leaves us. I have been needin' to go fishing if ya know what I mean.. But I don't want a crumb though, remember that." Eloise declares, hopping in the back seat as she claps her hands together in excitement before I look over at her while Mary looks back just to hit her arm.

"What Mary? Don't snap ya cap.. Everyone around here knows Lou is the best at setting up everyone else with a good partner. Why not me?" she explains, as if we didn't already know that I had the worst luck finding someone for me, but the best luck setting everyone else up. Eloise leans forward and over my shoulder to look into the mirror as she fixes her make-up, wiping away the grease stains before Mary lightly hits her arm again to get her attention, since she almost helped smear the dirt across her face.

This gets Eloise sending her a glare now as Mary clears her throat, saying through grit teeth. "I am just wantin' ya to be grateful to have time with Louie before she leaves for this new job.. Because this night will be about her and not you. It's sad that I even have to explain that." Mary defends me with these words, sounding irritated as Eloise shrugs her shoulders before retorting, "why not try for both?" as she starts putting on her bright red lipstick across her puckered lips as she continues to stare into the little mirror.

"Fine.. Let's just head to my place." Mary declares for all of us to hear as the others in the car nod their heads, but it is easy to see that I am shaking mine, which is getting their attention. "I'm sorry, but I have to head home and make my mother something to eat.. Then I can walk over to your home to finish getting dolled up with all of you before we head out." I explain this to them as they sadly nod, knowing I won't ever have full independence because my mother needs me, and I won't let her down. Nothing will change my mind about that ever.