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Elsa sighs.
“Well, actually that’s a complicated question,” my mom hedges, swallowing thickly. She still refuses to meet my eyes, now picking at her fingernails rather than the duvet. “Mason and I have a special arrangement when it comes to the rent. I pay in a special kind of coin, you could say.”
I stare at her.
“What kind of special coin?” I demand as confusion creeps up on me. “What am I missing?”
Elsa clears her throat, shrugging her shoulders a little. “I don’t actually pay Mr. Richards withmoney, you see. There isn’t a monthly rent check or anything like that. Instead, he prefers that I pay him with another kind of currency…”
I stare, waiting for her to go on, but Elsa seems stuck.
“What? What are you talking about, Mom? What kind of currency? You’re not making any sense.”
My mother sighs, back to picking at the duvet.
“Well, you know when I moved in, I didn’t have much. I was on medical leave from my job, and really, the only money I had was the money you sent me each month. So instead of rent, Mr. Richards let me pay him with my body.”
I stare.
“But that’s not so bad because you were in a relationship, right? Boyfriends and girlfriends sleep together, so it seems okay.”
Elsa sighs.
“Yes, but you know that I’ve been suffering from Lyme disease for a while now, so the sex thing kind of petered off. I just couldn’t, honey. Look at me! I’m thin as a twig, and my joints hurt all the time. I couldn’t accommodate Mr. Richards anymore, and as a result, I actually haven’t slept with him in a long time. For ages,” she clarifies.
I swallow.
“How long?”
Elsa waves her hand airily.
“Maybe a year or two.”
I go utterly still.
“Okay. So would you say you’re still dating?”
Elsa shrugs, her bony shoulders like blades.
“Probably not,” she acknowledges. “And it’s likely why he wants to kick us out now, because he’s not getting that physical satisfaction he’s come to expect.”
I stare.
“But still, it’s been two years since you were last together, physically at least. So what’s gotten his goat now?”
Elsa shrugs.
“I don’t know, but he told me about the eviction last night. You know how I said I had to run to the store for some detergent? Well, I didn’t go, actually. I went over to the big house, and Mason spoke with me then.”
My form sags as these revelations run through my mind. Holy cow, my mom was sleeping with a man in lieu of rent money? Again, I suppose that’s not so weird if they were in a relationship, but now, it turns out that Elsa and Mason Richards haven’t been together for a long time, and that he wants us out too.
Despair floods my chest because this couldn’t come at a worse time. I’m pregnant and unemployed at the moment, and totally dependent on Elsa for food and lodging. Of course, I have savings from my time as a call girl, but still, this isn’t ideal.
“Don’t worry,” my mom says in a wan voice. “I’ve been a secretary for ages, and I have a long work history and stellar recommendations. We just need some time to look for a new place, and I’m sure we’ll find it. There are lots of apartments in New Jersey.”
I stare at Elsa.
“Yes, but New Jersey is expensive, Mom,” I say in a brittle tone. “I’m not working at the moment, and not only that, but your salary as a secretary isn’t exactly huge. How are we going to make forty times rent on a place as nice as this?”
