Seed of a Pine

Chapter 9

I wanted nothing more than to be done with my part time job the next week. Between Voldov's insistences and the situation of the whole thing, I really just wanted out. But I was determined to make the money I was hoping for. Just six more shifts ought to do it. I was no stranger to unpleasant jobs, despite what Voldov might have thought. During the one month stretches in between classes back home, I would return to my hometown and apply to just about every temporary position there was. Office attendant, check out at grocery shops, waiter in a coffee shop, janitor, attendant at old folks homes, I had seen it all. This was perhaps the most sexually humiliating job I had ever had, but there were far worse ones out there, so I didn't complain.

I headed to work on Saturday with determination. It was busy tonight. I was about three hours into the shift when the door chimed yet again. I was currently serving a table, so I set the food down and made sure the customers had everything they needed before I turned back around to attend to the new guest. I nearly dropped the empty glasses I was carrying. Voldov was standing there, this time unaccompanied, waiting patiently to be attended to. He was wearing one of his night casual suits, which classed the place up about ten times compared to what everyone else was wearing. What the hell?

I hurried over as fast as I could, cutting off one of the other girl as she beelined to attend to him, looking hopeful. When I got there, I dragged him right back outside as my coworkers stared at me.

"What they hell are you doing here?" I asked, the familiar humiliation coming over me as Voldov examined my outfit curtly.

"I need to work on my pool game. Thought I'd take the table if no one was using it," he said, shrugging.

There was no way he was here to play pool on our crappy table. I glared at him for several seconds before he cocked his head and smiled at my obvious frustration. "Are you refusing me service?"

I let out a long breath and then stood back so he could reenter the restaurant. I led him over to the pool table and he ordered a beer and some fries, so I got these for him. I watched him rack the balls and break, at a loss for what to say. But I couldn't linger. There were other customers to be attended to. By the time there was only an hour left in my shift Voldov was still there, patiently shooting solo game after solo game of pool, apparently totally ignoring everyone else. When I was done with my shift, I was seething. Who the hell did he think he was? What was this, some sort of way to keep an eye on me? Or was he still trying to get me to go home with him, despite his insistence that he respected my decision not to go out with him?

I left as soon as I had closed out, intending to head home alone. But Voldov was outside waiting for me. "All finished?" he asked as I stopped to button up my coat. "Let's walk home together."

"I don't know what you think you're accomplishing here," I said, breezing past him.

"Becoming a far more adept pool player for one," he said, catching up to me.

"You can shoot pool in almost every bar in this town," I said, glaring at him.

"Yes, but the ambiance just isn't the same."

"If you're still trying to get me to come home with you, you can forget it," I growled in irritation.

Voldov paused. "I'm not."

"Then what the hell are you trying to do? Make my life more annoying?"

He actually looked kind of offended. "I figured I could make sure you weren't getting into any difficult situation again," he said, scratching his head. "It doesn't seem like you have much back up in there."

I glanced sideways at him. He looked like he was telling the truth. Anyways I couldn't see any other motivation. But it was the motivation behind the motivation that concerned me. "Why?"