Chapter 1 #2
“I have no intentions of moving anytime soon. I’ve lived there for the last ten years and I’m going to be living there for the next ten.
” After getting a second bowl of salad, she declined the breadsticks.
She thought that they were all right, but she didn’t care for them on the whole.
She wasn’t a bread eater to begin with. “What’s going to happen to you this winter, as you no longer have a car?
I thought that you liked driving everywhere. ”
“I hated having to keep up with the rules all the time. And twice, the condo place that I’m living in said that I was to be fined if I parked my car illegally again.
It’s cheaper for me to have someone drive me around than it was for me to keep a car.
Without having to pay for insurance, I save myself money for as much as I use the driving service that is part of the place I live.
They even go to the grocery store once a month so that I can hitch a ride on one of the buses they use.
” She told her that would get old fast. “Not for me. I love not having to worry about things like that. It’s just one more thing to get in the way when I’m trying to do something.
I kept forgetting where I parked my car and had to walk home anyway, so this is saving me the heartache. ”
Once their dinners were brought to them, it was Justine who suggested they have desserts before they left.
Since she never counted calories or bothered with carbs, Sammy said it was fine by her.
She could take it home and eat it tomorrow for breakfast if she was too full to enjoy it tonight.
However, once they were finished with their dinner, they both had room for some of the cheesecake that they had in store.
It was a great ending to a nice evening out with her sister.
“I had fun tonight.” She told Justine that she’d had fun as well and was glad that she’d bullied her into it. “You blackmailed me, but I find that I’m all right with that tonight. Thank you for dinner, little sister.”
“You’re so very welcome, big sister.” They parted ways at the restaurant parking lot and made their way to their homes.
Neither one lived far from the place, which was one of the reasons she’d thought of it, and it was a perfect night for walking home.
Just as she was leaving the lot, she saw her parents as they were sorting through the dumpster at the place they’d only just eaten at.
Looking around for Justine, to make sure she was safe, Sammy hid behind one of the larger trees on the lot and made sure they couldn’t see her.
Sammy had left home one night when she was sixteen years old.
Justine had stayed; she couldn’t get her to leave home for any amount of persuasion.
To this day, she still didn’t know what had happened to her sister when her parents were released from jail.
When the two of them had been put in prison for eight and a half years, later that same year, Justine had stayed at the house like she was still terrified that they’d come home and find her gone.
That was when she made a life for herself without them around.
It took Justine another five years of never leaving the house—with her bringing her food and water to live off of, before she finally left.
The house was torn down the following year because of gentrification going on in the neighborhood.
It was the best thing that had ever happened to the street that they’d grown up on, if anyone were to ask her.
When her parents moved on, obviously finding something to eat in the dump, she made her way carefully to her home.
She didn’t know what they’d do to her after all this time, but she wasn’t going to take the chance of her having to find out either.
Having them out of her life made it so much better than it was even as a child.
Sammy didn’t care if they were her parents; she didn’t like them at all and had no respect for them either.
Once she was home, she locked up and began sorting her own laundry.
Her sister had never ventured beyond her living room, not even to go into the kitchen when she was over.
But Sammy not only had a washer and dryer set of her own, she had also read up on the washing of her washer and did it when it was time.
Sammy loved just what her sister said about washing her own clothing, to not have to share her things, but she also liked being able to know that her things hadn’t been rooted through while she was gone from them.
Putting in the last load, she was ready for bed when her house phone rang.
“It’s Storm again. I have a question for you.
I’ve asked you this before, but does your sister know that you won the lottery?
Or that you own the complex where you live?
” She asked her why it should matter to her.
“Because I’m trying to make you distracted while my son goes to your door.
I’m afraid I can’t wait for the fates to try again.
He knows what you are to him and is slightly pissed off at me because I told him. ”
Her front doorbell rang, and she was just pissed enough to hang up on the other woman.
But she kept her on the line so that she could hear what she had to say to her son.
She wasn’t slightly pissed but royally pissed off and didn’t care who knew it.
Opening the door for him, she was surprised to see not just him but her parents were on the sidewalk right outside the door.
Dragging him in and shutting the door, she looked out the peephole to see if they had noticed her standing in the doorway.
They didn’t seem to know she was right there, and now she had to contend with a man that she didn’t want in her life.
“Is everything all right?” She kept watching for her parents when she told him no, everything wasn’t all right. “I’m sorry to barge in like this…Well, that’s not what happened; you dragged me in here. I’m assuming that you don’t want the people to know that you live here.”
“They’re my parents, and you assumed correctly.” She turned and looked at him as he made his way to her couch. “Don’t get too comfy here. I’m tossing you right out as soon as I know that they’re gone.”
“My mom sent me here. While I don’t care for the way she put the two of us together, it sounds to me like you need someone to protect you.
Will they hurt you if they find you?” She said she didn’t want to give them the chance of hurting her.
“I understand that. If it helps you any at all, you’re immortal from the moment that you touched me. ”
“Why would that be helpful to know that I can’t die from them?
I’m betting that I can still be hurt, however.
” He said that was true, but hurting wasn’t dead, and he thought that she’d like that.
“I don’t know what to do about them hanging around.
This is the second time I’ve seen them tonight, and I don’t like it.
And what did I tell you about getting comfy around my place? ”
“This is a very comfy couch. I bet the chairs are too.” He got up to test his theory about them and smiled at her.
“They are, aren’t they? Where did you get them?
When we get a house, you’re picking out the furniture so that we can have comfy stuff in the living room.
” Rolling her eyes at him, she looked out the door again to see if they were out there.
When she didn’t see them, she relaxed a bit, but then realized that she’d have to deal with the man.
“Melbourne. That’s my name. Melbourne Walsh. You’ve spoken to my mom.”
“She’s very pushy.” He laughed like that was an understatement or something. “Did she give you the long version of what happened as to why we didn’t meet?”
“Yes, she told me about the interview that you had in your place.” He looked good sitting on her chair and decided that she’d had enough excitement for one night.
She needed to go to bed. “I only came to meet you and to see where you lived. This is a nice place but a little cramped, don’t you think? ”
“What I think is that it’s time you went home.
And don’t come back.” He pouted, and she found that she wanted to suckle his lower lip into her own mouth to see if it tasted as good as she thought that it might.
When that thought entered her head, she decided that she was more tired than she thought she was and stood up to have him leave.
“I really have a long day tomorrow, and I need to get into my bed. Alone.”
“I’m not going to bother you at work, but my mom told me where you work right now.
It’s very commendable that you hire ex-cons to work for you to give them a much-needed hand up in the world.
” She said it was time for him to go again.
“I’m leaving, but I wanted you to know that if you ever need me, you need only to think of me, and we can talk.
We have a link that only the two of us share. ”
“Why would I want to talk to you?” He said that she could be in trouble.
“I’m forever getting myself out of one mess or another.
It’s what I live for. But don’t hold your breath in looking for me to contact you.
I don’t need anyone in my life at the moment.
I have enough going on as it is.” He said that he’d reach out to her when he needed her then.
“Whatever floats your boat. As I said, I’m a very busy person who doesn’t like to hang on the phone at all. Nor do I want your mind tricks.”