Page 31 of Humility

“Thank you, Captain. I will need to arrange transportation. Where should I tell them to pick me up?”

“This is Port Hook, and you can wait at the guard station of Croc Docks. Wendy will take care of you with some coffee, and you won’t have to stand out in the rain while you wait.”

I nodded and used the large cloak to hide the envelope of money I was handing over. “If you should need me again….” He gave me a mischievous smile.

“I know how to reach you, thank you.”

The captain whistled as he wandered the massive deck of the Lost Boys. I found the name fitting for the freightliner. I wasn’t a boy, but I did feel very lost and a long way from home.

This was my new beginning. I was out from under the thumb of the families and the watchful eyes of my four ladies. I didn’t have guards hovering around, and the best part was that I could do what felt right to me. I didn’t know what that was yet, but I was excited to find out.

Chapter Fifteen

JASMINE

“I hope you’re not paying a lot for it.” I looked at the driver and then back out the window to the house I’d chosen to rent. To say it was a fixer-upper would’ve been the understatement of the century, but it was still my place.

“I think it’s beautiful,” I said, feeling defensive.

“I guess if you like the run-down, crack house look.” I turned my glare on the driver, and he swallowed hard. Fifer hadn’t been the friendliest driver, and I wasn’t sure why I expected anything different now. “It does have a quaint look,” he quickly added.

“Here.” I handed him the cash and got out of the vehicle. He scampered out of the driver’s seat and yanked my suitcase out of the trunk. I hated to think this, but he reminded me of a pig. He was short enough to make me feel tall, with a robust build, a round face, small ears, and an upturned nose. But it was the snorting as he laughed that sold it for me.

“Good luck, you’re going to need it,” Fifer said as he got in the car and drove away without another glance.

Fifer was right. I was paying way too much for this place. It looked rough in the ad, but it was worse in person. That was fine, though. I needed to learn to care for myself and some projects to occupy my time. Getting this place fixed up was a great way to do that while I figured out what to do next.

The stairs up to the front door squeaked loudly as the suitcase thumped against the old wood. Lifting the welcome mat, I found the key where the realtor said it would be waiting for me. My hand shook a little as nervousness set in. A gust of wind lifted my hair from my neck, and I shivered with the sudden blast of cold. Mama used to tell me that it was the boy in blue blowing his horn whenever the wind suddenly picked up like that.

“Moment of truth,” I mumbled as I pushed open the door. It creaked so loud that I almost turned around and walked away. It felt like I was walking into the middle of a horror movie of my own making.

When I poked my head inside, the house was shrouded in shadows, and I expected the power not to work. Shockingly, the lights flicked on, and everything instantly felt more inviting.

“This is as good of a time as any to get started. So what do I start on first?”

The food and cleaning supplies I requested were in the kitchen, which seemed an excellent place to start. Leaving the suitcase out in the hall, I stripped down to my traveling pants and shirt, rolled up my sleeves, and grabbed the bucket.

It was getting dark when I finally decided to stop and have a snack. A distinct rattling sound when I walked into the kitchen made me pause and listen hard.

I searched the room to figure out what was in here with me. When the bag of potato chips moved on the counter, I squealed and jumped back. The noise scared my little thieves because three mice ran out of the bag, knocking it to the floor, and scampered along the counter.

“Get back here,” I said, running after the tiny creatures. I managed to capture one as it ran between my feet, and when I picked it up, I couldn’t find it in me to hurt it. The little white mouse was blind and had no tail, as if someone or something had cut it off.

“Poor little thing, were you hungry?” It didn’t squirm in my hold, and instead rubbed it’s head on my hand like it wanted to be pet. I decided to keep him as my thumb stroked back the soft white fur on it’s little head. I couldn’t put him outside, and allowing him to wander in and out of my food was so not happening.

I had seen an old empty fish tank in the living room and placed the mouse in his new temporary home before setting off to find the other two. They proved to be more challenging, as I ran up and down the stairs chasing them and just missing them when they ran under furniture or into a hole in the wall.

“Gotcha,” I said, jumping off the couch like a cat. The mouse was far faster than it should’ve been for something that couldn’t see where it was going. “Don’t you get all squeaky with me. I think I’ll call you Dick,” I said teasingly, lowering him into the tank with his friend.

Squeak. I jumped as the third mouse ran over my foot and took off down the hallway. I would’ve sworn this was a game for them. The chase was on, and we must have sounded like an entire herd of elephants with the number of times I thumped through the halls and flipped over furniture.

He rounded into the dining room, and instead of chasing him, I waited in the hall. Getting low, I was ready as soon as his little white nose poked out of the room. I made my move and jumped for him.

“Yes,” I cheered as someone knocked at the door.

I stared up at the entrance from where I was lying on the floor. It was impossible, but I couldn’t help thinking my father or Ciro had arrived to drag me back.

“Who is it?”