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Kris lifts her gaze from a Yorkshire Terrier and shoots me a smile. “Get me a vaccine shot while you’re here, will you?”
I scrub my hands in the basin and enter the small backroom where she keeps the vaccines. She’s in over her head, so I stick around and help out where I can.
After seven, she pats my shoulder and jerks her head toward the door. “Go on. Charlie’s in the house. I know you’re anxious to see him.”
“Thank you.” I offer her a grateful smile and hurry through the back to the house.
Charlie sits in front of the television in the lounge, wearing a Superman T-shirt and shorts, his fringe falling into his eyes.
When he sees me, his eyes light up. “Va–Val!”
He jumps up and grabs me into a hug, almost crushing my ribs. Sometimes, he forgets his strength.
“Hey.” I brush the hair from his face. “How are you? Is Kris taking good care of you?”
“Loo–look.” He points at a stack of comic books on the coffee table. “Kri–Kris gave me money to ex–exchange th–them.”
“That’s great,” I say, even if I worry. The comic store is across the road. Charlie has to cross a very busy street to get there. “Have you eaten?”
“Kris is a good coo–cook. She’s making ma–macaroni and chee–cheese to–tonight.”
“Sounds good.” I tie an apron around my waist, and set to work cooking dinner and cleaning the kitchen. Dirty dishes are stacked on every surface. The trashcan needs a good scrub and the floors a wash. Kris has never been tidy, but she spends every free second in the practice. An hour later, the kitchen is spotless, and the lounge and bedrooms vacuumed. I’m busy putting clean linen on the beds when Kris enters, looking shattered.
“Dinner’s ready.” I pull out a chair by the small table in the kitchen where Charlie is already seated.
She looks around and shakes her head. “You didn’t have to.”
“Are you kidding? After what you’re doing for Charlie?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes are probing. “We need to talk about that.”
I glance at my brother and give her a pointed stare. “After dinner.”
“Okay.”
Later, when I’ve tucked Charlie into bed, I take the clean laundry from the dryer and start folding it. Kris takes two beers from the fridge, cracks the cans, and hands me one.
She leans on the counter and props a foot on the cupboard door. “So, care to tell me about this new job of yours?”
I take a long swig from the beer before I face her. “There’s nothing more to tell.”
Her eyes narrow on me. “How long?”
“Nine.”
“Nine months?”
“Years,” I say from behind the beer can.
She sprays the swallow of beer she’s just taken over the clean floor. “Jesus, Val.” She shoves a hand into the pocket of her jeans and stares at me with an open mouth.
“I know. It’s not like I have a choice.” I don’t go into the gritty details.
“Hold on. Are you telling me you’re his live-in maid for the next nine years?”
“Yes.” I dab up the spilled beer with a paper towel.
She starts pacing the floor. “What about your studies?”
“I’ll still carry on.”
She stops. “Will you manage?”
“I’ll have to.”
“It’s a lot of studying. A fucking lot of studying.”
“I know.”
“Did you sign a contract?”
“I don’t need a contract. Paper is worthless to men like him. His word is enough.”
“How does this agreement work?”
“The salary he would’ve paid me goes to settling the debt.”
“How could he approve a loan for Charlie? I mean, Charlie. Of all people. There must be a law that prevents institutions from granting loans to disabled people.”
“I never declared Charlie incompetent. A big oversight on my part. In any event, fighting him with the legal system won’t work. You know every judge in this country is corrupt. The man with the most money always wins.”
“Fuck, Val, there must be something we can do.”
“Look, I can’t change it. I have to make the best of it.”
“If you’re working for him for nothing, how will you afford your studies?”
“He’s giving me an allowance. It’ll be enough to pay the portion the bursary doesn’t cover, and I was kind of hoping you’ll keep me on for Sundays.”
“You’re going to burn yourself out.”
“That’s rich coming from you, Miss Workaholic.”
She smiles. “You know I’ll do whatever to help.”
“I’ll pay for Charlie’s food and expenses. I don’t expect you to put him up for nothing.”
“Forget about it.”
“It’s not up for negotiation.” I hesitate. “Nine years is a long time.”
“Don’t worry about Charlie. He’s welcome here for however long it takes.”
“Thank you, Kris.” A heavy weight lifts off my shoulders. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“What about your flat?”
“I’m selling it. There’s no point in keeping it if it’s going to stand empty.”
“Good luck. You’ll battle to give it away for free.”
I sigh. “I know. Listen, about Charlie.” I twist the tip of my trainer on the floor. “He told me about the comic store. It’s a busy road, Kris.”
