Chapter 10: Work First, Lonely Later

My second week was different from week one. I had a pretty good idea of what was needed and it was a matter of setting priorities. I had hired Charlie Whitestone after an interview that gave me the impression he was a lot like Ben, eager and willing to work. I assigned him to bakery products. We didn't have an in-store bakery and I wasn't happy about the meagre range of products we handled.

Our customers were largely blue-collar from what I could see. When I thought about it, that was the main difference between the West Van store and this one. There wouldn't be much call for Brie or Truffles, so I had to think about what fit our customer's needs for this area. We sold more white bread, for one thing. It was a resort and vacation area, so hamburger and hot dog buns always sold well.

When I looked over Dave's meat counter, I could see a lot of basics like steaks, pork chops, bacon, and the like. I didn't see any racks of lamb or Cornish game hen. It was a meat-and-potatoes kind of display and I needed to think along those lines in future.

I had Charlie pick up the slack in sundries, as well. Every store had a few shelves dedicated to miscellaneous things from light bulbs to toilet brushes, and they needed attention just as much as the other departments. Charlie was pleased to have the additional responsibility and I was pleased that he had shown the initiative to make some changes that he talked over with me first.

I was still looking for a dairy man when I had a call from one of our dairy suppliers. The local co-op had been closed and amalgamated with its larger parent operation in Penticton. The manager had taken early retirement but was looking for something to do with his time. Arnold would be in next week and I thought it would be a good thing for both of us to interview him. I asked our supplier to have the man contact me first thing next week.

I'd picked up three summer students with the help of our staff and they all had part-time jobs. It made no sense to put them on full time when I only needed them for five or so hours a day. Unloading trucks, moving product into the store and general clean-up would now be looked after without taking the full time people away from their regular jobs. I had discussed it with Arnold and he agreed with my plan without reservation.

I had phoned Dory on Sunday evening and talked to her for a while. She seemed quite subdued and not very talkative. I asked her where she had been the night before and she said she had been out with some friends and gone to a movie. Pretty much what I expected. We didn't talk for long and when I hung up I was a little concerned. Perhaps she wasn't feeling well. I'd call her on Tuesday and see if she was okay.

Arnold and I interviewed Ted Miller for the dairy position. He was overqualified, but wanted a job that he could handle without the pressure and stress of running a business. He was happy with the pay and hours, so Arnold approved his hiring. He would start the first week of July and it would be one more person that we could rely on. Ted was almost sixty, but looked healthy and had a lively personality and a sense of humour. I liked him and he was well aware that I was the manager for the summer until the new man came along.

I was phoning home and Dory about every three days, usually Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. I think I spent more time with Pam and Nana when I phoned home. Both of them were interested in what I was doing and how I was making out. My calls to Dory were a little less lively. She admitted to being lonely and she sounded very quiet and not very talkative most of the time. I was getting an uncomfortable feeling.

"Are you all right, Dory? You sound down."

"I'm okay, Steve. I'm getting used to you being away. I'll be fine."

"What are you doing with your spare time?"

"Nothing much. I might go out with friends again this weekend. Probably to a movie or something."

"Good idea. Don't sit around and do nothing. The only reason I don't go crazy up here is because I'm working all the time."

"I know. I'm sure you're lonely. I feel sorry for you. I wish you were here."

"I do too, Dory. But this summer will be over before you know it and we'll be back together again."

"Yeah," she said, but it didn't sound enthusiastic.

We talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. And then it hit me. She had called me Steve, not Stevie. What the hell did that mean? I almost picked up the phone and called her back, but decided it might have just been an oversight and maybe the next call she would be back to calling me by her pet name.

It was Friday before I called her again and when her father answered, he said she had gone out for the evening with friends. No, he didn't know where or when she would be back. Perhaps if I phoned back tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow. He didn't sound like he was trying to get rid of me or anything, so I just took it as a normal response.

I tried again on Saturday evening, but once again, she was "out with friends" and no, Mrs. Paulson didn't know where she went or with whom. It would appear that Dory's social calendar was quite full. I wondered with whom.

I finally caught up to her on Sunday afternoon. It took her a while to answer the phone.

"Hi, Dory, it's me. Glad I finally caught you at home."

"Oh, hi Steve. Sorry I missed you. I was out."

"Yeah, so your parents told me. How are you?"

"I'm okay. How about you?"

"You know, the same. Missing you."

She didn't respond, but I could hear something on the other end of the line so I knew she hadn't hung up.

"You still there, Dory?"

"Yes, I'm still here."

"Is this a bad time to call?"

"No ... well ... maybe."

Now I knew something was going on and I didn't like the sound of it. I didn't like it at all and I felt myself getting angry for the first time in a very long time.

"Tell you what, Dory. I don't want to interrupt or bother you, so why don't we do this. Instead of me calling you, why don't you call me? I'm always in my room after seven thirty, so you don't need to worry about me not answering. You can even reverse the charges if you like."

She couldn't have picked up on the irritation in my voice because her answer told me so.

"Yeah. Maybe that's a good idea. I'll call you. That way we won't miss each other."

I let my breath out and I'm sure she must have heard it.

"Okay, Dory, that's what we'll do. You call me when you need to talk."

"Okay, Steve. I'll call you ... next."

I thought she might have said soon or something like that, but she must have changed her mind. As I hung up, I had a feeling I wouldn't be hearing from her any time in the near future. Once again, no mention of me being "Stevie."

I was a miserable S.O.B. the next day and it was all I could do not to bite the head off anyone who got in the way or gave me bad news. It was out of character for me and at the end of the day, when I had cooled down, I went around and apologized to everyone I had snapped at or been short with. I got a few smiles of thanks and a couple of knowing looks. I'd talked enough about Dory to some of the people that they might have guessed that was the source of my irritation.

Arnold showed up on Tuesday and I was immediately on my best behaviour, although maybe not in the best frame of mind. Being the perceptive guy he was, he asked me about it when we were across the street having lunch.

"You seem a little uptight today, Steve. Anything I can help with?"

I shook my head. "No, unfortunately, but thanks for asking. I think Dory and I are drifting apart. It's probably the separation, but it seems awful soon considering I've only been here for four weeks. Right now, our relationship is in her hands. I can't control anything from up here."

"Do you want a couple of days off to see what you can do about it?" he asked.

"No. It's really up to her. Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on her. Maybe we're not ready for a long term thing. It's not like we're engaged or anything, but I thought we had an understanding. Now ... now it seems to be all falling apart."

"Be patient, Steve. She's young. How many boyfriends did she have before you came along."

"I don't think there were any, to be honest."

"She might be feeling pressured, as you suggest. She doesn't have anything to compare how she feels about you. She doesn't know how good she's got it," he grinned.

"I hope so, Arnold. I guess, like you say, I'll have to be patient and hope for the best."

That hope went up in flames on Tuesday night. I had called home to check in and see how everyone was. Pam answered and she wanted to talk to me in private. I waited until she got on the phone in my room.

"Hi, Steve. How are you?"

"I'm okay, Pam. Getting used to being on my own."

"Steve, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Yeah ... I guess."

"Did you and Dory have a fight? Did you break up with her?"

"No. No fight. I could feel that she was drifting away, though. She quit calling me Stevie and you know she's the only person I allow to do that. I don't know what's going on, but we're not talking right now. I told her to call me if she wanted to call, but that was two weeks ago. I haven't heard a word. So ... maybe we did break up and she forgot to tell me."

"I doubt that. I thought I knew Dory, but last Saturday I saw her out with some guy I didn't recognize and they were hand-in-hand and awful friendly."

"Just the two of them?"

"Yeah. She doesn't come over here any more either. She used to do that just to hang out sometimes, but not lately."

"Well," I sighed, "I guess that tells me what I need to know. I've been replaced. I wish she had the guts to at least tell me instead of going behind my back."

"I'm really pissed at her, Steve. You didn't deserve that after all you went through with her. You were her best friend when she didn't have any friends. How could she do this?"

"Don't worry about it, Pam. This kind of thing happens all the time. I'll get over it. There'll be other girls. God knows there's enough of them on campus. How about your love life? Who are you dating?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it a love life, but I've been seeing Pete Tyrell. He's nice and since Mom and Dad approve, I don't have to worry," she laughed.

"Oh yeah, but has he got Nana's seal of approval?"

"So far. That reminds me, I told Nana that I saw Dory with some guy and she was very upset. She didn't want me to tell you at first, but when we talked about it, she knew you needed to know."

"Okay, I'm glad you did tell me though. I'd hate to go through the whole summer thinking I had a loyal girlfriend and then find out it wasn't so."

We talked for a bit longer before I hung up. I was angry all over again, but I wasn't surprised any more. Her volatile behaviour during the time I knew her should have warned me about something like this. My anger was directed at her inability to be honest with me. For all the things that I thought were going right for me this year, losing Dory was bigger than anything else. Maybe I couldn't have prevented it, but I'll never know. Now, all I could do was serve out my time up here and wait to go back to college. It looked like I would be driving to campus on my own this year.

July came and went with Ted Miller fitting in nicely in our dairy department and helping us with finding some cut-wrapped cheese that we could sell. The computer system was upgraded by Arnold and although the programs were the same, the speed and an improved laser printer were a big help. We also installed a closed-circuit TV system to keep an eye on the back loading door, the front of the store and the parking area. All of this mirrored what the West Van store featured.