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2
Mare
“Did you find everything alright?” The cashier’s tone was bored, flat, and uninterested while she scanned the few items on the conveyor belt as they reached her hands.
“Yeah,” I murmured, giving her a strained smile. Exhaustion weighed me down; after the events the night before, my mind hadn’t been able to calm enough to get any restful sleep. So here I was, standing like a zombie in the middle of the grocery store, pretending I was a personable human being.
Thankfully, the clerk didn’t continue with any kind of small talk, focusing on tossing my items into the bag as quickly as she felt like moving. Paying, I made sure to double check the amount I had on me.Barely enough for an emergency Uber ride or a few last minute groceries if I needed,I noted with a frown. It was still a few months off until the check from the feds would come in, so I wanted to save every cent I could. With the rainstorm last night having turned briefly into sleet and ice, though, I was limited to walking only to the store and back. If it kept up, I’d be taking more Ubers until the weather calmed.Fucking debt,I grumbled as I grabbed the bags.
If Donny hadn’t been cutting my shifts by an hour here and there, I may have had enough to feel a bit more comfortable, but unless someone quit or fucking Armageddon rained down, that wasn’t going to happen. A prickling formed at the base of my neck once more, the sensation creeping over my shoulders and back. I tried to be discreet as I glanced around and scanned the slush-covered streets, but there was no one. There never was.
My shoulders slumped. I didn’t know why I ever expected any different. Wishful thinking? The hope of one day being able to have a piece of my old life back maybe. The truth was, I couldn’t. I couldn’t risk it. The men I’d been with before could never see me again. It was too dangerous. The ‘what ifs’ of what might happen, though, if they suddenly appeared like I kept constantly thinking swirled like a storm in my head as I hurried down the road. Despite everything that had happened, when the prickle of awareness didn’t disappear, that tiny bead of hope grew brighter.No, I told myself,they were safer away from me. I was safer staying away from my old life. But my repeated mantra still wasn’t enough to squash the thought, the hint that it may be them.
Well, if it is them, then why the fuck can’t they just come talk to me?I nearly growled, shoving the thought away. Anyone paying too much attention to me was no doubt someone to be worried about because until I knew for sure, it could be anybody.
With that renewed sense of self-perseverance, I hurried as quickly as I could along the final portion of my block. It wasn’t until I was almost there that I saw Mrs. Hanson standing at the top of the stairs that led to my rental, and I knew my day was about to get worse. Plastering a friendly grin on my face, I bit my tongue to keep my smartass comments from escaping as I reached her.
“Hey, Mrs. Hanson—”
“Starting at the first of the month, your rent is being increased to a thousand dollars.” The prim and proper note to her cold demand only grated on my already thin nerves.
“What? Why?” I sputtered, my exhausted brain slow to process this blindside.
The longer I stood there, the more my shock grew as the gravity of the situation weighed down on me. The first of the month was only four days away. There wasn’t enough time for me to come up with an extra two hundred and fifty dollars by then, and I certainly didn’t just have that kind of money lying around.
“We’ve had an offer for the apartment for that much. Unless you’re able to match that person before the end of the month, you can kiss that studio space goodbye.”
“It’s not worth that much,” I argued with a barely restrained growl. “Hell, it’s barely worth the seven-fifty I pay now!”
“Regardless”—her nose turned up to glare down at me—“that was the offer we received, and it’s the offer we’re going with.”
“You can’t just give me four days notice!” Seething with rage, I felt the skin over my knuckles stretch as I squeezed my hands into fists, gripping the grocery bags so tightly my fingers began to tingle, and I was sure they were leeched of all blood.
Mrs. Hanson’s perfectly sculpted brow lifted, lips pursed. Try as she might, she would never portray a ‘put together woman.’ Her clothes were too old, often stained, and her attitude too abrasive to be someone of money and high-class. The home she lived in with her husband was rundown, barely kept up to the city standards, and their fighting was loud enough for the entire south side of the city to hear, which certainly didn’t help matters. If I wasn’t so pissed off, I might have been able to appreciate their attempt to bring in more income.
“As there’s no physical contract of lease, we can do whatever we like,” she informed me haughtily. I ground my teeth together. Fucking duh, we hadn’t signed a legal lease—in this part of town, no one did. I was under the radar, flying solo. I needed to keep it that way; the debt I’d accrued since I’d been dropped off here had painted enough of a target on my back for my father to possibly find me as it was, but doing so came with all kinds of disadvantages. Such as this one.
I am so fucked.
Opening my mouth, I planned to argue my reasoning: I was a model fucking tenant, always paying on time even if it meant forgoing breakfast for a few weeks; I never complained about the noise level, nor did I have any parties or guests.This is fucking bullshit.I fumed, my chest heaving with each angry pant breath. She didn’t even give me that satisfaction of ‘winning’ the argument, choosing instead to turn and stomp away back to her rundown home on the main level.
What a bitch. I scowled after her for a moment before storming down the steps and letting myself inside. Slamming the door closed, I strode into my apartment with a huff of anger and sense of purpose seeping into my bones. I had barely been home for a few moments, and I was already trying to think of any way I could to come up with the money. Maybe I could pick up shifts from the other waitresses, knowing Donny couldn’t say no if they arranged it prior to their shift. Borrow from the Brutello’s, maybe? They were a nice family. Well, Donny’s father, Rupert, was a good man at least. He’d been the one to hire me, but as soon as I had that thought, I decided against it. There was no way in hell I’d borrow from the Brutellos. Donny was in charge now, and the only pay he would be interested in was me on my knees. I’d rather cut out my own tongue than let him slide his dick across it.
Was there something of value to sell? Glancing around, I realized there wasn’t much. The minuscule amount of belongings I had accumulated over the years was the only thing littering the space. None of it was worth much, if anything, so I scrapped that idea. Swallowing the lump that had built in my throat, I started to put away my groceries. Thoughts whirled in my head, options of what to do ricocheting at lightning speed as I unpacked the bags quickly. What could I do? What was I going to do? I tried to convince myself that I’d figure it out, that everything would be okay. Unfortunately, that lead weight that had started to solidify in my stomach as soon as I saw Mrs. Hanson standing at the top of my stoop, told me the one thing I didn’t want to acknowledge.
I was up shit creek, and I’d forgotten a fucking paddle.
* * *
“What’s gotyou so irritable, Mary?” Rita asked, her gum smacking as she talked.
Grinding my teeth, I kept my irritable thoughts and rapidly increasing desire to punch something—or someone—to myself and tried to answer her truthfully.
“Rent’s going up, and I need to convince the boss to fit me in on the schedule to cover the difference.”
“When’s it due?”
“Monday,” I grumbled, wiping the table down before replacing the designated items. Salt and pepper shakers next to the condiment caddy, new stack of napkins, and freshly-rolled silverware.
