Chpter 5- The Big House

“The lady I live with wont like this!” Cried Mildred from behind the jail bars. Anne patted Mildred’s shoulder, “We’ll be out by dinnertime once they process our bail.” “Said the rich girl! That was a week’s wages for me, no dinner tonight.” The girl with the fat bottom sneered. Anne straightened, “Come now! This is the stuff that change is made of.” “Change! Sure, change of apartment for her and a new job for me. I should have been at my shift an hour ago.” The fat bottomed girl started pacing. A lazy officer on the other side of the bars leaned back in his chair and pretended to read a magazine. The fat bottomed girl hissed, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself locking three girls up for no reason.” “Ashamed? You came in wearing nothing but bathing suits!” He raised his eyebrows at the memory of it. “The female form is nothing to hide!” Fired Anne. The officer stood, leaning against the bars, looking Anne up and down “Why don’t you take off your coat and prove it!” “How dare you!” Stomped Anne. “Come on now! You girls like to dress like that, I like to see it. We agree, now let’s have another look.” He snickered and stuck his Billy club into the cell lifting Anne’s coat. A door opened from behind the officer, a familiar voice. “Anne! Good heavens!” A young man a bit older than Anne rushed over to the bars. He wore a bowtie suit, and his hair was parted down the middle. He was tall and lanky wore wire glasses. He was handsome but didn’t seem interested in showing it. Anne looked relieved to see him at that moment, “James? What on earth are you doing here?” “What am I doing here? I’d ask you the same thing.” A clerk walks in and hands the officer some papers. The officer stands flipping through them, walking over to the cell he fumbles with his keys. “Well looks like you girls are free to go if you like.” The fat bottom girl bats her eyelashes, “If we like? What are we going to do stay here with you?” She cackles at Mildred links her their arms and they trot out of the jail cell together without waiting for Anne. She calls after them, as if to keep up, “Remember girls, next week in the park!” “So long as you’re posting bail rich girl! C’mon, walk me to work, I bet I can make it…” They take off out of the building out into the city streets. Anne starts to chase after them, James takes her arm, looks at her sincerely, “Your father has been trying to get ahold of you. Sending letters for weeks!” Anne is unmoved. She continues walking down the street. He catches up to her. Anne walks next to James, her face forward, “So that’s what this is about. You’ve come on his behalf. Shame on you James.” James stops, takes both of her arms, and looks at her squarely. “He’s sick. Pneumonia. That on top of his condition, the doctor says it’s serious.” “Serious.” She chuckles to herself “John Hibbert always gets his way.” She trails off in memory for a moment. Then, all at once she is decided. “No, I have a life here people depend on me.” She motions ahead of her as if toward the girls who have just left. She turns back to James, she rolls her eyes slightly, she can feel him imploring her to come with him back to her father’s house. She crosses her arms, “No! Stop looking at me like that! I’m Absolutly not going James!”