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“I hope so. I brought you your favorite – coconut macaroons,” I said, hefting the duck egg blue box.
“Now you’re talking!” Gladys made a beeline for me and my bag while I looked for my mother.
She was sitting in a wheelchair, staring out the window. It was a little high for her, so she couldn’t see the gardens—not that they were much to look at in the middle of the city, but she could see the sky. I was unsure if she could see anything now, but I liked to imagine she could.
“God bless the Blue Rabbit and Rafael’s diet for his dancers,” Gladys muttered.
She pulled out the expensive packet of La Duree macaroons and opened it. I snagged one before sitting on the bed.
Rich men showered the dancers at the Blue Rabbit with gifts. It ranged from expensive chocolates and beauty products to fine wines and lingerie. Little did they know it all ended up in a bin at the door, where staff members, male and female, could pick through it and take what they wanted. Dancers were discouraged from eating the fattening stuff.
“Hi, Mom. How are you doing today?” I pulled a chair up to sit beside her.
Mara Madison, once the wealthiest woman in Woodhaven and heiress of a massive fortune, was now reduced to a penniless invalid in a nursing home her equally penniless daughter could barely afford. How the mighty had fallen and fallen hard. Sometimes life did that. Scratch that. More often than not, life did that. We’d all seen the photos and inspirational stories online of people who’d lost it all and, with a bit of luck and hard work, managed to claw their way back to where they were and even surpass it.
Hallelujah, it’s a miracle!
Whether those stories were real or not, the downtrodden usually stayed down in this world. If life punched you hard, the follow-up was a kick to the face that knocked you out cold.
I stroked the papery skin of my mother’s hand. I pulled a moisturizer out of my bag. It was an expensive brand and only for faces, but today, it was a hand lotion for my precious mother. I doubted that was the intention of the man who’d gifted it to one of the dancers, but I didn’t care.
“How’s the job going?” Gladys asked.
“It pays the bills for now. I’ll find have to find something extra for the increase. You know how it is,” I muttered, feeling guilty for complaining about the cost when Gladys was on minimum wage.
“I do know, sweetie. I swear, one day, with that face, you won’t have to worry about money anymore. I’m sure of it, Lori. If nothing else, you’ll find some rich guy to marry, and he’ll adore you so much, he’ll take care of all your worries.” Gladys smiled, no doubt believing she was reassuring me, but it had the opposite effect.
“I met someone. Or, rather, reunited with him. An old friend,” I confessed, rubbing the hand lotion into my mother’s skin as she sat silently beside us.
“Don’t tell me, the one and only Kirill?”
“Yes, the very same,” I confirmed.
Gladys whooped and slapped my knee.“See? I told you, Lori. Your luck is changing.”
“It might be a bit early to decide, but I hope so. Sometimes love can make everything better. And sometimes . . . so much worse. My mother loved and trusted my father,” I pointed out.
Gladys was quiet. She knew enough about the whole, sordid story not to press the point. Happy endings were not for everyone. They were rare, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t hoping for one of my own.
“Anyway, I wanted to stop in. I have to get across town for four.” I pushed myself to my feet.
“Honey, that’s so short a time. Take a cab,” Gladys said.
I raised an eyebrow at her, and we both laughed. It was sad that to Gladys, a hardworking medical professional, taking a cab was out of the question. For me, it was probably about right. I had little to bring to the table, so it made sense that I couldn’t find a job that paid anything.
Nothing to give, nothing to get.
Gladys walked with me to the door. “Stay safe out there. I worry about you, a young girl, pretty as a picture, all alone.”
“I’m not alone. I live with my father, remember?” My tone was bitterly ironic, considering I was in more danger from my father’s fists than anyone else.
Gladys nodded, her dark eyes sad.“Oh, I know, honey. I know.”
* * *
I jerkedto a stop as I hustled out the door and saw Max’s car at the curb. He stood as I made my way toward him.
“Don’t tell me I have a chauffeur again?”
