Suburban Cyborg

by Gloria Martin

  “I wish my hair would stand up like that.” The little girl’s face was full of awe, and Tessa couldn’t help but laugh.

  The mother opened her mouth, her face turning red with embarrassment, but Tessa held up her hand.

  “No worries. She’s just curious. She’s not the only child to say something about my hair. The natural look isn’t really in right now.”

  Tessa winked at the little girl, “I like your hair too. When I was little, I wanted to have blond hair and blue eyes just like you.”

  “But your eyes look like chocolate. I like your eyes.”

  “We always want what we can’t have, but I’m going to tell you what my mom told me; you are beautiful just the way you are and that’s something to be celebrated.”

  Jenny sat back in her seat, smiling shyly at Tessa over her doll’s head. Jenny’s mom mouthed “thank you” to Tessa before looking out the window and watching the scenery pass by.

  And just like that, they’d dissolved to the Californian default; preferring to look out windows rather than connect with their fellow man.

  Tessa looked up and saw a large public library as the trolley pulled to a stop. She jumped up, careful to keep her hand in her pocket and waved good bye to Jenny. The little girl blew her a kiss and Tessa blew one back. Her heart melted.

  She walked quickly down the platform and had to force herself not to run into the library. The woman at the information desk greeted her and directed her to the computers in the back. Tessa chose one that was in an empty row and quickly looked up the location of the nearest lottery office.

  Relief flooded through her when she saw that it wasn’t far. Maybe another thirty minutes on the metro bus line and half a mile on foot. She could be there in an hour.

  She checked her back pocket, making sure her wallet was still safely zipped inside. These jeans weren’t exactly in style, but Tessa didn’t care. In a neighborhood where people lifted wallets all the time, she liked the added security of an extra step to get to hers.

  She closed the computer screen and left the library, stepping up to the bus stop right outside a few moments before the bus pulled up. Pulling out her wallet to flash her pass, she gave the driver her biggest smile. He was driving her to the beginning of her new life. Even if he didn’t know it, she was still beyond happy to see him.

  *****

  “You’re a winner, Ms. James.”

  Her entire world changed in an instant.

  Tessa played the words over and over in her head as she rode the trolley back home. After taxes, she was just over fifty million dollars richer, and she was riding public transportation. It would take up to twenty-one days for them to deposit the money in her bank account. Until then, she was still living the way she always had.

  The next few weeks would be hard, but Tessa knew she could get through them. All she had to do was keep her good fortune to herself and she would be out of Alta Loma in no time at all.

  Or so she thought.

  Within a week of winning, the news had spread like wildfire.

  Her phone started ringing off the hook from morning to night. The diner where she worked was suddenly packed with customers; all wanting to see the girl that had won millions. She was constantly harassed.

  On the twenty-first day, Tessa sat on her couch, trying to remain calm. She had splurged and bought a new cellphone. The bill wasn’t due for a month, but she was nervous nonetheless. She couldn’t afford the high-end smart phone otherwise, and she had locked herself into a contract.

  She had checked her bank account several times already since midnight, but it still showed the same balance. Six dollars and sixty-three cents.

  Tessa took a business card out of her wallet and dialed the number of the lottery office. She asked to speak with Morton Phillips, the man who had confirmed her winnings. She was connected almost immediately.

  “How can I help you, Ms. James?” His voice was cheerful and friendly.

  “It’s been twenty-one days and I’m wondering when my winnings are going to post.” She tried to keep her voice light, but panic was setting in.

  “It’s twenty-one business days. You have about a week before your payment will process.”

  Her heart sank. She couldn’t wait another week. There was no way the money she had would last that long. Fighting back tears, she looked at the stack of overdue bills. It was Friday. Monday morning her electricity and her water was getting cut off. She didn’t have a week.

  “I can’t wait that long.” Her voice caught and she tried to hide her fear.

  She heard Morton sigh on the other line and she waited, hoping he had the answer.

  “If you take your lottery documents to a bank, you can probably get a personal loan.”

  Tessa looked at the clock. It was a little after one o’clock. She could get to the bank in time, if she hurried.

  “Thank you, so much,” she said and hung up the phone.

  She looked around the room, wondering if anything there was worth keeping. Her furniture had been in the apartment when she had moved in, and other than that, she hadn’t really accumulated much.

  She grabbed a worn backpack and stuffed her meager personal effects in it. Walking through the entire apartment, she didn’t see anything else to bring along.

  Tessa didn’t know why, but she found this sad. Twenty-six years old, she had been in the apartment for almost a year, and all of her prized possessions fit easily into a backpack.

  She turned the lock behind her and left the key on the hook beside the apartment manager’s door. If the bank didn’t give her the loan, she didn’t know what she was going to do. But she wasn’t going to come back here again.

  The sound of the main door closing was heavy, full of symbolism and marking a new chapter in her life. She vowed that once this door was closed, she was never going back.

  *****

  In the months since she had left her old neighborhood, Tessa had fallen into an easy rhythm with her life. Being a millionaire wasn’t what she expected it to be, but she didn’t have any complaints.

  The waiter arrived, handing her a strawberry daiquiri and waiving away a tip as he walked away.

  Inundated with requests from former friends and people she knew she had never met, Tessa had been hiding out at the resort for almost three months. As much as she wanted to spend the rest of her life enjoying mixed drinks by the spa overlooking the ocean, it was time to get back to reality.

  She had a meeting with a realtor in two hours to look at a house she found online. After that, she would have to start figuring out what direction her life was going to take. She’d fumbled a bit there, wondering at how many choices she had now that her world didn’t revolve around making enough to get by and paying just enough to keep the wolves at bay for another week.

  Worse than the random callers at her home and her former job were the suiters here at the resort. Her milk chocolate skin and wild curly hair were a novelty here, and she was exhausted by the attention. Like the people begging for a handout back home, these men were no different. They were looking for their next meal ticket, a woman with more money than sense to invest in their next big scheme.

  But Tessa was streetwise, and she knew a hustler when she saw one. She was ready to make a living for herself somewhere where she didn’t stand out like a sore thumb.

  Checking the time, she left the spa and got ready for the meeting. It was time to get back to reality.

  The valet brought her car around, and she smiled as it pulled up. It had been parked for most of the last few months and Tessa hadn’t had much time to enjoy it. She’d gone modest, choosing a Mercedes Coupe in champagne beige, and soft leather beige interior. The dealer had tried to talk her into something more extravagant, but she had laughed and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t interested in broadcasting her presence wherever she went. Mercedes were common enough in southern California that she didn’t have to worry about calling too much attention to herself.

  She slid into the s
eat, loving how the soft leather felt against her legs when the skirt of her business suit rode up slightly as she sat down. She tipped the valet and drove off, speaking the address of the house aloud so the GPS could guide her.

  There was already a car at the large, wrought-iron gate when she pulled up thirty minutes early. A friendly woman in her fifties got out of the car, extending her hand and introducing herself.

  “I’m Cherie. You must be Contessa.”

  “Please, call me Tessa.”

  Tessa took in the beautifully landscaped yard beyond the gate. The house wasn’t visible from the paved easement, which was already a plus. Cherie got back into her car after typing in a code for the gate.

  Tessa followed her in the Coupe, staring in awe as the property stretched before her. It was a full three acres, which was a large plot of land in affluent southern California. The property had a side gate that met with a series of public jogging and hiking paths. For Tessa, who had always enjoyed the outdoors, it had looked like the perfect home on paper.

  Hopefully the property lived up to her expectations.

  Cherie parked in front of a large garage, leaving space beside her car for Tessa to park. Cherie opened the garage door and Tessa stared in disbelief at the four car garage before her.

  “There are two entrances. You can take the steps through the courtyard to the front door, or you can enter through the garage. Only the garage is on the lower level, with the rest of the house being on the upper level.”

  Cherie led the way through the garage, stopping to show Tessa a small wine cellar tucked underneath the staircase.

  “You can’t have an actual cellar in this part of the country with the earthquakes, but this is the next best thing.”

  Tessa nodded, eager to get upstairs and see the rest of the house.

  The stairs led into an open family room with a wrap-around balcony and large bay windows in each corner. The view was breath-taking.

  “Wait until you see the master bedroom.”

  Cherie opened the French doors and revealed an almost identical room that was completely closed off from the house. The outer corners featured floor to ceiling windows and the wrap-around balcony continued from the family room. The master bath featured a heated jet tub and a separate shower. The shower had a waterfall option as well as the standard shower head. The wall opposite the tub had a large, mirrored vanity and a small door to the side of it.

  Tessa opened the door and gasped. The walk-in closet was massive, with a gliding step ladder built in to access the second story. She had never seen such a thing, even in the movies, but she could imagine it would take her all year to buy enough clothes and shoes to fill the space.

  Eager to see the rest of the house, she tore herself away from the closet and allowed Cherie to lead her through the rest of the house.

  The white, stucco building made a horseshoe around the courtyard. From the window in the dining nook, she could see across the courtyard to the guest rooms. Across from the dining nook was a large office, which could be made into another bedroom.

  The kitchen was open and almost as big as her apartment had been. Beyond it, the den, another large bathroom and a hallway that led to three more rooms.

  Tessa’s head was spinning as she took it all in.

  Cherie waited patiently, letting Tessa look around to her heart’s content.

  “Do you have any questions, Tessa?”

  “Yes. Where do I sign?”

  *****

  The last of the furniture deliveries came, and Tessa finally shut the door on hopefully the last stranger that would trudge through her house for a while.

  Lacing up her running shoes, Tessa took one more look at herself in the mirror. Her purple track suit was sharp, with zippered pockets to hold her keys and her cell phone securely while she jogged. She was excited to hit the trails today, and the weather couldn’t have been any more perfect.

  She popped her headphones in and turned on her playlist before heading out the back door and through the locked gate.

  Her home was at the top of a hill, which meant that she started her jog with a steep downhill slope. She tried to ignore the fact that she would be coming back up the hill when she finished. She’d climb that mountain when she got there.

  The trails led to a large footpath that circled a lush golf course and the local saddle club’s arena. Tessa toyed around with the idea of buying a horse, but she wasn’t sure. She’d never had anything bigger than a fish, and a horse was a big responsibility. She’d start with a dog first.

  Or maybe a hamster.

  She eased into a jog at the base of the hill, enjoying the bite of the crisp fall air and the feel of the sun’s warmth on her skin. She followed the signs, heading for the golf course and the community foot path.

  She was alone for several minutes before she encountered another jogger. The man waved at her as he passed and she returned the gesture. Within a few minutes of crossing paths with the man, she came upon another small group of runners.

  The footpath was another half mile away, but the closer she got, the more people there were. Some were on bikes, but most were on foot. She took in the sights and enjoyed the fresh air as she ran, cutting a loose path for the horse barn and the arena.

  They didn’t have horses in the ghetto.

  She slowed to a walk as she neared the paddocks, pulling her headphones out and turning off the music. The arena was abuzz with activity and the area around the arena and the paddocks was no different. She would have to pick her way through rows of riders atop their mounts to get to the benches so she could watch.

  Tessa briefly considered turning around but pressed on.

  You’ll never fit in if you don’t step out of your comfort zone, she chided herself. Her stomach flopped around inside her as she moved forward, looking for the easiest path to the seats and out of the crowd.

  She walked by a group of horses, scooting around them quietly. The horse nearest to her caught sight of her, shying to the side and nearly dumping its rider when she stepped from between the horses and appeared at its side.

  “Are you stupid? My horse is obviously green. Why would you sneak up on him like that?”

  “He looks brown to me,” Tessa shot back, and immediately wished she hadn’t. “Sorry. I didn’t know your horse was skittish.”

  She turned, trying to get away while the man continued berating her. But she was stuck, groups of horses everywhere she turned.

  And the man was still yelling, his voice rising higher even though his horse had recovered and gone back to standing quietly like the others.

  Tessa was in a quiet panic, trying to find a way out without startling more horses. They lived in the city, but this community was tight-knit and she didn’t want to burn bridges before she had even met her neighbors.

  A hand rested on her shoulder and she turned and stared into the bluest eyes she’d even seen.

  “Lost?” he asked simply.

  “I’m not a horse person. I didn’t know how big they were until they were everywhere. I just want to watch the show without getting stepped on.”

  “Let me help you.”

  He was about thirty, tall and muscular but lean. His jeans were snug on his hips and his shirt tucked in casually, revealing a modest belt buckle that she couldn’t quite read.

  He gestured to the crowd of horses and riders. “Head that way and I’ll guide you through.”

  He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her along, weaving in and out of the clustered riders and their mounts and bringing her to the low bleachers just outside the ring.

  “Here you are then.”

  He smiled at her and Tessa’s heart skipped a beat. His short, light brown hair fell forward when he leaned towards her, and sun-kissed skin framed a handsome face that lit up when he smiled. His ball cap was dirty, as were his jeans and boots. Unlike the man with his shiny boots and perfectly polished appearance that had yelled obscenities at Tessa as she fled, this ma
n looked like he’d actually put in an honest day’s work.

  “Thank you,” she held out her hand, “I’m Tessa.”

  He wiped his hand on his jeans and took hers in his calloused hand. His grip was firm yet gentle, though Tessa fought the urge to yank her hand out of his when electricity shot through her.

  Did he even realize how handsome he was?

  “I’m Mike.”

  He held her hand as she stepped onto the bleachers and slid in beside her.

  “Have you ever been to a horse show before?”

  “No. I’ve never even seen one in real life until today.”

  “Well, let me explain everything that’s going on.”

  “That would be lovely.”

  He leaned close to her, talking softly so he didn’t disturb the other spectators. Tessa listened to him talk; the smooth, even sound calming her nerves as she watched intently. There was so much she didn’t know, and he patiently explained things no matter how many times she asked.

  The first rider finished the course after expertly guiding her mount over all the obstacles.

  Mike sat up, waving to a young girl on a dark brown horse as she entered the ring. The little girl, who didn’t look to be more than ten, was tiny on the massive horse. She beamed when she saw him, her sweet face filled with excitement. A moment later, she was all business, focused on the fences before her as she moved the giant gelding into an easy canter.

  “That’s Emma. She just turned eleven last week.”

  “Is she your daughter?”

  Mike didn’t take his eyes off the girl as she went over each obstacle in order.

  “She’s my niece. I’m not married.”

  Tessa nodded, but didn’t say another word. Mike sat close, squished against her in the tight space. She wanted to say something witty, to let him know she was available and interested in getting to know him better but she was shy.

  She sat in silence, listening to him whisper encouragement to his niece under his breath as she went through her steps. When she completed the round, Mike stood abruptly.

  “Time for me to get back to work.” He put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “I hope to see you around.”