Page 8 of The Devil's Revelation
Ray huffs out a sigh. “You some newbie out of school or what?” he asks darkly.
“Graduated top of my class last year and worked at Austin’s for six months for my practical. Then worked in a shop back in Missouri for about nine months before I moved here.” I see the recognition on his face at the name drop, but other than that there’s no reaction.
“This isn’t some fancy shop, so I suggest you get used to being covered in shit before you go home. First job is change the oil on this fucker while I go and take a smoke break. Tony, make sure she doesn’t fuck it up.” Then he walks away and heads out the bay door, pulling a packet of cigarettes from his breast pocket.
I eye Tony for a moment, who just watches me, before I get to work. Tony says nothing while I do the job, but I can feel his stare. If he’s trying to intimidate me, he’s going to have to work a hell of a lot harder. I’ve been watched by some of the best, with attitudes nastier than hell, and this is a cake walk in comparison.
When I finish, Tony finally says, “Don’t think that because you can do an oil change it means you’re in, bitch.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I reply mildly.
I see annoyance flash on his face, probably because he can’t get a rise out of me. “You think you’re gonna get far in this job? I have a newsflash for you, honey. This is a man’s world, and no man is going to take too kindly to hearing a woman bitch at him at work as well as at home. You keep your mouth shut or we’ll have a problem.”
I know better than to poke the bear, so I turn and walk back to my bay and start organizing my tools. I don’t need a crystal ball to know that Tony is going to be a problem. He thinks he’s top dog around here, and he’s going to make sure it’s damn hard for me to work here until I prove my worth.
Which I have a feeling will be never. Hopefully Ray will be a bit easier to work with.
I figure out pretty damn quickly that was wishful thinking. The man runs ragged all day, giving me jobs he thinks will trip me up. Either they’re complicated, or he tells me the job is one thing and it’s actually another. After the first time I screwed up because he told me one thing when the job was another and listening to him curse me out because it was wrong, while the other guys smirk at me, I figure out his game really quick.
I don’t say a word. Never once complain while I work through my lunch, not even getting to stop for a bathroom break. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before, and I force myself to let their words and actions roll off. Really, did I expect anything different?
Their mistake is thinking I’m weak because I don’t say anything. Every time Ray tried to trip me up, I checked the work order before I touched the car, and then I worked from that. Ray got more annoyed with each vehicle, trying to find things to call me on. When he finally banished me to my own bay to do an oil change, I was relieved.
I had my own little corner, and it also meant that often when the guys were working, they ignored me. It was almost like they forgot I was there until I did something that would remind them, like drop a tool on my bench or walk by them to get something from the part’s closet.
Now that I’m finally home, I’m utterly exhausted and starving. I manage to get a quick shower, washing off all the grime and dirt, before I make myself a quick meal of frozen pizza and a beer. After today, I’ve earned it.
I have to be to at work by eight, so it’s going to be an early night. I just hope that tomorrow is better, but I know that’s probably a fool’s wish.
In the back of my mind I briefly wonder if I would be dealing with this if I had taken Torque’s offer, but I quickly push that away. I’m no quitter, and I’ll work this job until I can’t anymore.
