Chapter 5
The interaction with Kerrie hadn't left the back of Bette's mind as she pulled into the parking lot of The Main building for her first official day. She had had every intention of calling Tyler and telling him she would not be taking the job after all, but Zoe's encouragement and her mother's screeching about using the wrong dryer sheets in her pristine electronic luxury machine convinced her to give it a go.
That Kerrie woman had been so rude. She had never met Bette and was already expecting her to be an issue. Like she would be more work than help. Incompetence and Bette Cooper were not two things people would relate together. She was a hard worker and knew she was overqualified for the position, but without the degree, she was stuck. Plus, everyone else had been kind to her. The clients made her feel a little weird, but she thought it wouldn't be so bad once she was in her own building.
She sat in her car for a few more minutes, wishing she could go home, when she noticed a hand waving at her. It was Elaine, with a boho bag over her shoulder and a long, flowy black dress with a hand-crocheted pink and orange scarf around her neck. Her lime green glasses were gone, replaced with a frame split down the middle, one side white and one black. Bette smiled back at her as she grabbed her purse and left her car. Just seeing the happy, sunshiny woman lifted Bette's stormy mood.
"Good morning, Bette," beamed Elaine.
"Good morning. It's really nice out today, isn't it?" Bette turned her face towards the new morning sun. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day.
"Yes, too bad we have to go into a stuffy portable instead of enjoying it." Elaine made a face, and they both laughed. Bette liked Elaine immediately. She seemed like someone Bette could be friends with, which was an odd thought since Bette couldn't remember the last time she’d made a real friend.
Bette glanced down at the bags. "Do you need help?"
"Nah, I got them. We needed a few things, so I had to run to the store."
They entered The Main building to find ten or so men scattered around the front desk, some with duffel bags and backpacks, while others seemed to have their belongings in black trash bags.
"What's going on?" Bette asked quietly.
"Oh, these are guys leaving. We have vans that go out to different parts of the state on certain days of the week. This should be the east vans this morning."
"I didn't realize we gave rides."
"Oh yeah. Transportation can be hard to find. This way, we can pick up the majority of clients at the door. We also pick up from jails, but sometimes they deliver."
Bette's forehead creased. There seemed to be a lot of information to take in. At every turn, there was something new. She pulled her phone from her purse and created a new note. She would start jotting everything down.
Elaine bid goodbye at the cafeteria and reminded Bette to go straight to the end of the hall. She would join her in a few minutes but needed to unload her bags first. Bette nodded her head at people as she passed. The halls were full of life, chatter filling them. Men milled about, some heading in different directions. She had been told they had a strict schedule every day. It was part of learning how to get back into routine. Tyler had said some men came from regular everyday life with jobs, but many did not. Jail or the streets, he said.
Pushing the back door open, she was greeted with a much quieter scene. Some people wearing lanyards and smoking were gathered in front of the portable. A round man shorter than Bette called her over. His face was red, and it matched his thin hair. His smile was infectious. "Hey, you must be the new lady working up at The Church."
Smiling with more confidence than she felt, Bette nodded as she stepped up to the group of three. "Word gets around. I am. I'm Bette Cooper."
"Hello, Bette Cooper. I'm Terrance Collier," the red-headed man motioned to himself, then to a woman to his left with a pinched nose and dozens of deep frown lines. "This is Tina Bell," he said, then motioned to the tall, lanky man to his right who wore glasses, "and this is Pete Randall."
Bette tried to remember all the names: Terrance, Tina, Pete, Terrance, Tina, and Pete. "It's nice to meet you all. Do you work here at The Main? "
Tina nodded, taking a puff of a cigarette before blowing it out the side of her mouth away from everyone. "We do. We're counselors."
"Have you been here long?"
"No, I just hired on yesterday. I got a tour of the place, and that was about it."
"You'll probably spend the next couple of days doing trainings. It takes a while to get through them all."
They chit-chatted for a few more minutes, Bette trying her best not to cough whenever she got a good whiff of cigarette smoke. Tyler hadn't been joking when he said most everyone smoked.
She bid them farewell when Elaine popped around the corner, clipboard in hand. She led Bette into the cool, crisp, air-conditioned portable. The room was large, with a few conference tables in the middle, computers on desks lining three walls, and rolling chairs of different colors tucked underneath. It was clear that it was used for staff meetings and training.
"Sit over here with me," Elaine directed, motioning to a desk with a black cushioned rolling chair and a gray plastic one with metal legs beside it. Elaine took the red one, slapping her clipboard down on the cheap, scratched desk before tugging what Bette assumed was her underwear up. The woman was a hoot.
Unfamiliar faces trickled in along with the three new people she met. They greeted her, some with nods and others with their names and occupations. By the time Tyler came in and called for everyone's attention, there were around 15 individuals in the manufactured building. Kerrie the Irritated was nowhere to be seen, and that made Bette feel a smidge bit less apprehensive.
Tyler formally introduced her and then launched into what she assumed was the usual morning meeting routine. They discussed client changes and any issues that happened overnight.
About 15 minutes in, the door opened and the large frame of Kerrie Matthews ducked in. Her face was tinged with red. She nodded at everyone. "Sorry about being late, guys. Kenny fell in the bathtub last night and broke his arm, and we were at the hospital till about 3:00 this morning. I knew better than to lay back down, and I overslept."
Sympathetic nods ran around the room as Kerrie took a seat at one of the tables. She dwarfed the chair she was sitting in and Terrance beside her. She had a to-go coffee and a peanut butter sandwich—an odd choice.
"Do you need to go back home?" asked Tyler, genuine concern in his voice .
She shook her head. "No, he's fine now, and I've got things to get done here."
"If we can help in any way, just let us know," said Tyler.
An older woman with long, dyed jet black hair reached across the table to pat Kerrie's hand. Bette thought she helped run the front of Main. "I can swing by and help with him this evening if you need it."
"Thanks, y'all. I think we'll be okay, but I'll keep the offers in mind. You know Kenny; he's in pretty good spirits even when he's in pain. They doped him up really good, so hopefully he'll sleep through most of the next few days."
Did she have a child?
"Well, you don't need to be tugging on him alone. I know you're the same size, but his dead weight would be hard even for you," Thomas, a counselor from another location that was on its own like The Church, said. He was a large man with tattoos all over his arms and hands. "If you need any help getting him moved around, don't hesitate to call."
"I may have to do that, actually. We'll see. Thanks, man."
Bette frowned. Clearly, it wasn't a child. If this Kenny person was the same size as Kerrie, she sounded like she was a caregiver for him and not his mother or partner. It warmed her heart to hear the others chiming in to offer help. It would appear that they were a large family. Even working with her ex, she never felt like there was a jovial, found-family feel at the law firm.
The rest of the meeting went off without a hitch. Counselors were given papers with their current caseload, and any new clients were discussed. New clients would have to go see medical. Elaine said she needed recommendations for two more kitchen helpers. Apparently, that was a coveted job in the facility, and if you worked in the kitchen, you didn't have to do chores and were given extra portions. Bette listened intently to everything and made sure that she was writing it all down.
Even if she didn't plan to stay at the job long-term, she wanted to be the best she could be while there.