dinner hour. We served eighteen dinners, and we were all kept on the go until eleven o'clock.
It was my night shift, and Jenson went off to bed soon after eleven, leaving me to look after the pumps and Lola to finish up in the kitchen.
Around eleven-thirty, as I sat in the basket chair by the pumps, smoking and looking at the evening paper, Lola came over to me.
"What were you doing in Tropica Springs?" she asked, pausing by me.
"What do you imagine I was doing?" I said, staring at her. "I went out there to book a seat on a plane for San Francisco."
"Is that where you are going?"
"Why should you care where I'm going?"
She lifted her shoulders indifferently.
"I don't: so long as you open the safe."
"I'll open it."
"Yes, you'll open it," she said, and walked away towards the bungalow.
I leaned back in the chair and| looked the place over. One more day, and then I would never see it again. I had grown to love it. I took as much pride in it as Jenson did. I was going to miss him too.
For the rest of the night I sat and brooded. I felt depressed. I wondered what I would be doing in a week's time. It was a joke to think I would have a suitcase crammed full of money that didn't belong to me, and which I was determined to send back to Jenson. With that kind of money I could go anywhere and do anything. I could buy a place like this somewhere on the Florida coast, get married and settle down in comfort and safety for the rest of my days.
But I couldn't do it to Jenson: Not after the way he had treated me. I had to send the money back to him. I could never live with myself if I didn't.
Around six o'clock on Saturday evening, Jenson came out of the lunch room and joined me in the garage where I was working on the outboard motor.
"Going to wash now, Jack. You okay?"
"All fixed, Mr. Jenson."
"I don't reckon I'll get back much before two o'clock," he said "These Legion shindigs get a little wild after the business end of it." He winked at me. "Don't tell Lola that."
"You have a good time," I said. I couldn't dig up a smile for him, I was feeling too bad. In an hour he would walk out of my life and I would never see him again.
When he had gone, I went over to the station wagon we used to collect anything too heavy for the Mercury and not heavy enough for the truck. I made sure the gas tank was full and checked the oil. It was in the station wagon I was going to make my getaway.
For the next twenty minutes we had a stream of cars going through Tropica Springs and I was kept busy. I didn't encourage any of the drivers to stop off for a meal. As soon as Jenson had gone, I wanted to get at the safe.
There was no sign of Lola, but I could hear her clattering dishes in the kitchen. Around five minutes to seven, Jenson out of the bungalow. He was wearing his best suit and he had cigar clenched between his teeth. He looked pretty good. He went into the lunch room to say goodbye to Lola.
I was getting the jitters now. I wished he would go so I could tackle the safe. This hanging around was tearing my nerves to shreds.
Finally, just after seven, he came out and I joined him in Mercury.
"Well, have a good time," I said, looking at him and thinking this was the last time I would see him.
"Take care of things here, Jack. I don't really want to go, but you know how it is."
"Sure. You don't have to worry your head. Mrs. Jenson and I will handle it"
"Yeah." He got into the Mercury.
I would have liked to have shaken his hand. Instead, I could only give him a casual wave.
The evening sun was just beginning to sink behind the mountain: in another half-hour it would be dark.
"So long, Jack."
"So long, Mr. Jenson."
I watched the Mercury drive off in a cloud of dust. I stood there until I had lost sight of it as it entered the foothills, then I started towards the bungalow.
Lola was already there, waiting at the door. She looked pale and her eyes were glittering.
"Where is it?" I said as I joined her.
"In the sitting-room
It was my night shift, and Jenson went off to bed soon after eleven, leaving me to look after the pumps and Lola to finish up in the kitchen.
Around eleven-thirty, as I sat in the basket chair by the pumps, smoking and looking at the evening paper, Lola came over to me.
"What were you doing in Tropica Springs?" she asked, pausing by me.
"What do you imagine I was doing?" I said, staring at her. "I went out there to book a seat on a plane for San Francisco."
"Is that where you are going?"
"Why should you care where I'm going?"
She lifted her shoulders indifferently.
"I don't: so long as you open the safe."
"I'll open it."
"Yes, you'll open it," she said, and walked away towards the bungalow.
I leaned back in the chair and| looked the place over. One more day, and then I would never see it again. I had grown to love it. I took as much pride in it as Jenson did. I was going to miss him too.
For the rest of the night I sat and brooded. I felt depressed. I wondered what I would be doing in a week's time. It was a joke to think I would have a suitcase crammed full of money that didn't belong to me, and which I was determined to send back to Jenson. With that kind of money I could go anywhere and do anything. I could buy a place like this somewhere on the Florida coast, get married and settle down in comfort and safety for the rest of my days.
But I couldn't do it to Jenson: Not after the way he had treated me. I had to send the money back to him. I could never live with myself if I didn't.
Around six o'clock on Saturday evening, Jenson came out of the lunch room and joined me in the garage where I was working on the outboard motor.
"Going to wash now, Jack. You okay?"
"All fixed, Mr. Jenson."
"I don't reckon I'll get back much before two o'clock," he said "These Legion shindigs get a little wild after the business end of it." He winked at me. "Don't tell Lola that."
"You have a good time," I said. I couldn't dig up a smile for him, I was feeling too bad. In an hour he would walk out of my life and I would never see him again.
When he had gone, I went over to the station wagon we used to collect anything too heavy for the Mercury and not heavy enough for the truck. I made sure the gas tank was full and checked the oil. It was in the station wagon I was going to make my getaway.
For the next twenty minutes we had a stream of cars going through Tropica Springs and I was kept busy. I didn't encourage any of the drivers to stop off for a meal. As soon as Jenson had gone, I wanted to get at the safe.
There was no sign of Lola, but I could hear her clattering dishes in the kitchen. Around five minutes to seven, Jenson out of the bungalow. He was wearing his best suit and he had cigar clenched between his teeth. He looked pretty good. He went into the lunch room to say goodbye to Lola.
I was getting the jitters now. I wished he would go so I could tackle the safe. This hanging around was tearing my nerves to shreds.
Finally, just after seven, he came out and I joined him in Mercury.
"Well, have a good time," I said, looking at him and thinking this was the last time I would see him.
"Take care of things here, Jack. I don't really want to go, but you know how it is."
"Sure. You don't have to worry your head. Mrs. Jenson and I will handle it"
"Yeah." He got into the Mercury.
I would have liked to have shaken his hand. Instead, I could only give him a casual wave.
The evening sun was just beginning to sink behind the mountain: in another half-hour it would be dark.
"So long, Jack."
"So long, Mr. Jenson."
I watched the Mercury drive off in a cloud of dust. I stood there until I had lost sight of it as it entered the foothills, then I started towards the bungalow.
Lola was already there, waiting at the door. She looked pale and her eyes were glittering.
"Where is it?" I said as I joined her.
"In the sitting-room
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