Maneuvering around the room, she turned from one side to the next, giving me different views of her curves. She obviously worked for me, but had no business in a place like this. Her face full of makeup wasn’t fooling anyone. Her inner beauty shone through in the way she moved. Even with the tight shirt and short shorts, she stood out. She was a bright, white beacon of beautiful innocence amongst all the sin swimming around the club.
She was pure perfection, with flawless, ivory skin and round hips that begged for my touch. She was exquisite, she was timeless, and little did she know, she was as good as mine.
Two
Rosslyn Harris
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Ms. Ellen took my hand. Her skin was paper-thin, allowing me to see a grid work of purple and blue veins. “She’s in a better place now, my dear.”
I stared at her age spots in a daze, nodding, but unable to speak.
Ms. Ellen sang in the choir at my grandma’s church. I’d met her when I was ten, and my one-year-old brother, Kyle, and I had gone to live with my grandma. That was twelve years ago—right after the world had come crumbling down around me.
My world was once again falling apart. Gran had gone to be with the Lord. She’d put up a good fight, but in the end, her body was just too old to hang on anymore. I’d taken care of her for most of my life, and she always provided for me and Kyle. But now she was gone, and I was left with a thirteen-year-old to support, with no job in sight.
After the funeral, and once everyone left the house, it was just me and Kyle.
“Are we going to be okay, Roz?” Kyle was helping me pack large amounts of food into the refrigerator.
Bringing food to the house after a funeral was what people did. I didn’t understand it, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with three big bowls of potato salad, but the people kept coming with their arms full of covered dishes. I mean, how many people did they think lived here, exactly?
“We’ll be fine. We meet with the attorney tomorrow. I’m sure Gran left us a little something to keep us afloat until I get a job.” I wiped at the counter with a wet cloth and sighed. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get ready for bed? I’ll be up in a bit.”
I could barely look at him. I knew what I’d see if I did. Brown hair that he insisted on keeping in his face, and green eyes full of worry. No matter how many times I’d assured him we’d be okay, the truth was, I wasn’t so sure.
“Okay.” He moved toward the stairs and turned around. “Hey, Roz?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I sleep in your room tonight? It’s going to be weird with her gone.”
My heart shattered. I’d gone the entire day without crying, to be strong for Kyle, but I could slowly feel my façade fading. I nodded my head and held the tears back, knowing they would fall the minute he was gone. “Sure, kid.”
As soon as I heard him hit the top of the stairs, I let the tears go. The lump sitting in my throat cleared as the tears continued to fall and the weight on my chest lifted a bit.
“Miss Harris, I hate to tell you this, but there’s nothing left in your grandmother’s estate,” Ms. Brighton said.
In my opinion she was too young to be a lawyer. Yet for such a young woman, she was dressed like a sixty-year-old. Her gray suit was outdated and her pants were too high. When she sat, the bottoms rose up, showing off hose with runs in them and scuffed heels.
She clicked the top of her pen over and over again, making me want to pull my hair out.
“Excuse me?” I was sure I’d heard her wrong.
“As per your grandmother’s will, all monies remaining will go to paying off her debts. Anything after that was to go to you and your brother. However, there wasn’t even enough to pay everything off.” Again, she continued with the incessant pen clicking. “You are getting the Oldsmobile, though. So that’s good, right?”
The Oldsmobile, which was almost as old as my grandma, was all mine. Joy. I got to keep the rust bucket that sucked up too much gas and threw out white smoke when pressure was applied to the gas pedal.
My eyes were locked on Ms. Brighton’s pen. The clicking ran through my brain and pushed away all the thoughts coming to consume me.
“What about the house?” My voice was a broken whisper. My legs were trembling with nerves, letting me know I was going to have a hard time leaving. If I could even stand.
Ms. Brighton’s expression spoke volumes. “Unfortunately, the bank will take possession of the house in thirty days. I’m so sorry.” Finally she set the pen down and crossed her fingers. “Is there a family member you can stay with until you get your affairs in order?”