by Kira Ward
“Excuse me,” she said to the man closest to her. “What’s going on here?”
“Place is being remodeled,” he said, gesturing to the sign. “They’re turning it into a something else.”
“What?”
“I heard it was going to be a payday loan office.”
“I heard it was going to be a beauty salon,” another man said.
“What about the diner? Where’s the woman who owns it? Where’s Martha?”
The guy shrugged his shoulders. “We work for the construction company. We only know what they tell us.”
Emma stepped back, nearly falling off the curb. This diner had been there for as long as she could remember. Martha inherited it from her father who started it when he was newly home from fighting in World War II. It was something she swore she would never sell, let alone allow to be turned into some beauty salon.
What was going on?
Martha lived a few blocks away in a squat house that was nestled among other squat houses in a neighborhood that was no longer as middle class as it once was. Emma half walked, half ran the distance, her heart filling with dread. What if something happened to Martha? What if one of her kids was sick or her husband? She knew they had problems, knew they were struggling. What if the struggle had just become too much?
It never occurred to her to worry about her job.
She rounded the corner and could see immediately that Martha’s car was parked in her driveway. That seemed to be a good sign. She walked up to the front porch and knocked.
Martha opened, laughter exploding around her from somewhere in the depths of the house. Laughter even danced in Martha’s eyes until she realized who it was she had just opened the door for. Then the laughter disappeared as the color drained from Martha’s face. “I tried to call you.”
Emma stepped back slightly. “I assume everyone’s okay.”
Martha opened her mouth, then let it snap closed again. She stepped out onto the porch and pulled the door closed behind her.
“Some lady called last night, said her boss wanted to buy the diner from me.” Martha shook her head. “I’ve never gotten a call like that. I told her no, that the place wasn’t for sale. But then she dropped this number…this incredibly huge number.”
“It’s fine, Martha. I get it.”
“No, Emma, you don’t. It was more money than I could ever imagine, let alone see in my bank account. They transferred half of it into our bank account first thing this morning as an act of faith.” She rolled her eyes up to the sky, a sigh of pure bliss slipping from between her lips. “If I never see the other half, my family is set for life. We will never want again, never have to worry about debts or collection calls or having to get up at three o’clock in the morning to get to a job that barely covers the health insurance that will never be enough to cover my mom’s medications.” She focused on Emma again. “This is life changing money. I couldn’t say no.”
Emma smiled, joy rising inside of her for her friend. “I’m happy for you.”
Martha tilted her head slightly as she studied Emma. “That’s the thing about you. I know you are.” Martha came to her and pulled Emma into her arms. “I’m sorry for what this does to you. I know you and Sophie can’t afford to be without an income right now.”
“I’ll find something else.”
“Let me give you some money, something to tide you over until then.”
Emma pulled away. “No. We’ll be okay.”
“Emma—“
“Really, I’m happy for you, Martha.”
She walked away even as Martha called after her.
***
“What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too.”
Emma slid her arm around Sophie’s shoulders and led the way toward home, a sigh slipping from between her lips when Sophie’s cellphone began to chirp even though her friends were just feet behind them.
“Can’t they wait until you’re out of sight before they start texting?”
“It’s just Jill. She wants to know if we can hang out this weekend.”
“Probably not.”
“Why?”
Emma took a deep breath, not anxious to make her little announcement. “I lost my job this morning.”
Sophie laughed. “Yeah, right.”
“It’s true. Martha sold the diner.”
Sophie stopped, her thoroughly lip glossed mouth hanging open. “You’re joking! I thought it was her dad’s, that she would never sell because it was a family legacy she wanted to leave to her kids.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.”
“What are we going to do now? The rent’s due pretty soon, and I have an appointment with Dr. Sanchez next week…”
“I know. I have a little put away. If we’re careful, it’ll cover those things and maybe a trip to the grocery store.”
“But what about homecoming? You promised me a new dress.”
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be out of work. It could be a while.”
“You promised.”
Sophie stared at her with big, rounded eyes that were filled with tears. Emma felt sick to her stomach. Her own fears had been churning there for hours and now, mixed with Sophie’s disappointment, it was just a little too much.
They walked home in silence. Emma forwent checking the mail in favor of locking herself in the bathroom the moment they were in the silence of their apartment. She hadn’t eaten all day, so there was nothing to come up, but that didn’t stop the painful dry heaves that wracked her body for the better part of ten minutes.
They’d been through so much…It wasn’t fair.
Chapter 4
No one really knew the truth of Emma’s past. Martha knew a few things, things Emma hadn’t been able to hide from her over the past three years. But it went so much deeper than even that.
As she lay in bed that night, worry gnawing at her belly, she reminded herself that things had been much worse once. At least they had a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, and they were safe.
She couldn’t say the same thing three years ago.
It started when she was about five. She was playing with the new puppy her dad had brought home the night before and accidentally knocked into the china cabinet where her mother kept her collection of small, porcelain angels. One fell and broke. When her dad asked that night, she said she slipped in the bathtub.
It continued like that for three or four years. She would make little mistakes and her mother would lose her temper. And then came the drinking. Her mother no longer needed excuses after that. And then the men. She never told, but she got the belt anyway. It was about a month after Sophie was born when her father left. Emma had hoped he would take her with him, but he didn’t. Even when she finally told him the truth, he left her behind. Said he didn’t have room in his life for a little girl.
And then things got bad.
Emma climbed out of bed and went to the window. She could see cars in the distance, speeding along the interstate. There was once a time when she would watch traffic and wonder where all those people were going, what they did when they got there, and who they were with along the way. Did other people live their lives the way she did, or were they all like the families on television, always able to heal their differences before the hour was up?
She still wondered that. But now, she was more content to let them live their lives as long as they could do the same for her.
***
“You don’t have a high school degree?”
“I have a GED.”
“But you didn’t graduate high school?”
“You don’t have to graduate high school when you get a GED.”
Silence.
The man was staring at the application Emma had filled out, as though he believed he could make it say what he wanted if he stared at it hard enough.
“I’m in college,” Emma offered. “I’m studying pre-med.”
“You want to b
e a doctor?”
“Yes. A pediatrician.”
“That’s a pretty lofty goal for someone who never graduated high school.”
Emma looked down at her hands where they were twisting in her lap. This interview might as well be over. He clearly wasn’t going to get over the fact that she got her GED after leaving school in the eighth grade and spending less than a month with the study guide.
No one ever wanted the details. All they ever wanted were the cold, hard facts.
A few minutes later, she thanked him and politey shook his hand as he promised to call her in a few days. She knew that wasn’t going to happen.
She walked to her next interview. It was for a cashier’s job at the same grocery store where she and Sophie had been shopping for the last two years. It mortified her, having to apply for a job at a place where people knew her face, but she was hoping it would help her land a job. At least it would be convenient to the apartment.
The manager was nice, polite despite the fact that his eyes kept dropping to the front of her thin blouse. Even when she crossed her arms over her chest, his eyes kept searching for just a peek of her barely visible cleavage. And here she thought she had dressed conservatively when she left the apartment.
By the time she pushed open the front doors of her apartment building, she was exhausted. So exhausted, in fact, that she nearly missed the pretty pink envelopes that were taped to the front of each of the mailboxes.
She grabbed the one stuck to hers along with the mail, and began the slow climb up the stairs. She kicked off her shoes as she tore open the phone bill, mumbling under her breath as she did the math in her mind, trying to decide if they would be able to pay it with the little bit of savings she had. But then the water bill was there, too, and she realized she wouldn’t be able to pay both.
“Sorry, Soph,” she said to the empty room.
Maybe they could get prepaid phones sometime down the road. Or a miracle could happen and she might get one of the jobs she’d interviewed for today and they would, by some miracle, pay her the same twelve dollars an hour Martha had paid.
And maybe she would meet some billionaire who would sweep her off her feet and steal her away to his castle.
Emma poured herself a glass of tea and picked up the pink envelope. It didn’t say anything on the outside, just her name and apartment number. That meant it probably came from the management company. Maybe they were changing the dumpster policy again. Or maybe, just maybe, they were finally going to fix the elevator.
She tore the envelope open and pulled out the single sheet of paper.
Dear Ms. Allred,
South Plains Village has been bought out by DJC, Inc. As a result, all tenants will be asked to leave when their leases come to an end. According to our records, your lease ends November 30. We will expect you to vacate your apartment before this date. If you have any questions, please call the management office.
Emma couldn’t believe what she was reading. Not only had she lost her job, but now she was getting kicked out of her first, real, paid-for-by-herself home. And a month before Christmas.
Could things get any worse?
But, again, maybe she shouldn’t ask. Because maybe it could.
She folded the letter back up and stashed it in the top drawer of her dresser. The last thing she wanted was for Sophie to see it. They had almost two months. Maybe she could get a new job and find a place to live…maybe.
Maybe she should have let Martha give her money. At least then they’d have security and first month’s rent on a new place. But she couldn’t let herself do that. Once she started taking money from people, she was afraid she would start to rely on it. And that was one thing she was determined not to do. Never again would she rely on anyone for anything.
She’d figure it out.
Chapter 5
Emma went on another round of interviews the following day. She was discouraged. She’d been almost positive the guy at the grocery store would call, but he didn’t. And when she walked into her last interview of the day, she found out why.
“You showed up.”
“I’m Emma Allred. I have an interview scheduled—“
“I know who you are.” The woman stared at her over the length of her desk. She was the head of personnel for a local department store. Emma was interviewing for another cashier’s job.
“Is there a problem?”
The woman snorted. “If I had people calling all over town, warning perspective employers off of me, I think I would have a big problem.”
“I’m sorry,” Emma said, gripping the back of a chair as her head began to swim. “What are you talking about?”
“We got a call this morning. This person said that if we hired you, we would regret it. They said you were uneducated, unprofessional, and hot tempered. They said if we hired you, we would lose key investors.”
“I see.”
“You’ve made yourself a serious enemy, Ms. Allred.”
“I suppose I have.” Emma turned, her shoulders almost too heavy to hold up.
“Where are you going?”
Emma paused, her hand on the doorknob. “I don’t want to waste any more of your time.”
“Well, it’s my time to waste, isn’t it?” There was a look of determination on the woman’s face as Emma turned to face her again. “I don’t like to be threatened.”
A small seed of hope ignited in Emma’s belly as she took a seat and settled in for the interview.
***
Emma felt like she was being watched as she made her way home. She stopped once, bent to tie a shoe that didn’t have laces, and looked behind her, but she didn’t see anything. Still, she felt the hair’s on the back of her neck stand as though someone was breathing too close to her.
She made an elaborate dinner that night, complete with fresh baguettes and a chocolate cake for dessert. When Sophie came through the door, dragging her feet as she had been doing for days, she looked on the spread with suspicion.
“What’s going on?”
“I got a job.”
“Really?”
Emma gestured to the couch. “See what you think.”
Sophie turned and squealed when she saw the full length, red gown Emma picked up at the department store at half price. When the cashier heard she’d just been hired on, she gave her another twenty-five percent off, so the dress was practically a steal. Sophie snatched if off the couch and held it to herself, dancing around with the skirt outstretched like a proper lady at a fancy ball. Emma laughed, glad to see the color blossom on her sister’s cheeks. She only wanted to give her everything.
“There’s nowhere to put your pump, but I thought we could sew a pocket inside of the waist, or maybe get one of those pouches that lady at the doctor’s office told you about.”
“We can work it out.”
“Your sugars were good today?”
Sophie groaned. “Don’t ruin it, Em.” She twirled one last time. “I’m gonna go try it on.”
Emma turned back to the stove, checked the stew to see if it required any more seasoning before she left it to simmer. It was perfect. She settled the lid on it and wandered into the living room, flipping on the television to see if Sophie’s favorite show—something about little liars—was on tonight. As she was flipping through the channels, she saw a familiar face on the local news.
“Dante Caito, CEO of DJC, Inc., announced the acquisition of several new properties on the east side of the city today. Caito did not say what these acquisitions would be used for, but business insiders suggest he might be planning a renovation of the area. This would not be the first time DJC, Inc. embarked on a renovation project in the cities in which they do business. Last year, they renovated an entire section of downtown Decatur where they had, the year before, located one of their regional offices.
“This news comes on top of DJC, Inc.’s announcement that Caito plans to unveil his company’s next project at next week’s technology expo downtown. Large cr
owds were already expected to attend the expo, but this announcement has led to an increase in projected numbers…”
Emma stared at the television, at the images of the boarded up diner and her apartment building, at the face smiling from a stock photo behind the newscaster. She knew that face. Not the smile. But she knew those green eyes, that olive skin. She could hear his voice grating at the back of her mind.
You will regret this.
It was the business suit from the diner. The man who suggested he could buy and sell her a million times over, that he could ruin her life without lifting a finger.
She felt a sensation, like cold water rushing over her body.
It suddenly all made sense.
It was him. He was doing this to her. He bought the diner. He bought this apartment building. It was probably even him who had someone call all of her prospective employers and warn them not to hire her.
Why? Why would a man like that bother with a girl like her?
The picture disappeared as the newscaster moved on to another story, but it was still burned in Emma’s mind. She didn’t understand. But she was determined to get some answers.
Chapter 6
Emma tossed and turned all through the night. By morning, she was more exhausted than she’d been when she first went to bed. She showered, let cold water wash over her body and work out the knots that called her shoulders their home. When she was done, she called down the hall for Sophie, then dressed in the dark slacks and white oxford that would be her uniform at the department store.
“Come on, Sophie,” she said, kicking her door open with her foot. “You’re not going to have time to eat at this rate.”
“Not hungry.”
“Need to eat anyway if you want to avoid a midmorning low.”
Sophie groaned, still dressed in nothing but her bra and panties. “I can’t find my t-shirt.”
“Which t-shirt?”
