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She had a thing for fairy tales, storybooks, and escapism.
The judge watched intently as she silently counted out the money. Three thousand, four hundred dollars, as agreed. She nodded briskly with a tiny smile before stuffing the cash and both pairs of her heels into a big tote bag. Staying silent, she followed him out of the room to the front door of the guest house on his property.
Hearing the muted steps of her shoes on his expensive hardwood floor, she briefly let herself admire the layout of the home.
Pausing as she did every week, she stopped and stared at the imposing oil painting of him in his robes staring down at her from its place at the top of the foyer wall. The expensive crystal chandelier illuminated his eyes that seemed to glint ominously down at her from his seat at the bench.
Olivia shivered against the icy feeling of dread that had suddenly slid down her spine and enveloped her uncomfortably.
His having her meet at his guest house had been a relatively new venture, the first three years of their partnership she'd met him in a hotel. But he offered to pay more to meet at his home.
“See you next week, Judge?” Olivia asked quietly, allowing herself to give him a small smile as he nodded his head yes. His shrewd eyes giving her another once over. She tilted her head and considered him quizzically. His expression seemed more withdrawn tonight as he walked her out. Noting the difference in his attitude, she relented and gave him a little wave as she disappeared into the greenery of the side yard. She kept her pace brisk, letting herself through the white vinyl fence to the residential street where her car was waiting.
Olivia scanned her surroundings quickly for any intruders before getting behind the wheel. She started her old beater vehicle and drove off into the night.
***
Wearily descending the outdoor steps, Olivia let herself into her plain and sparsely decorated one-bedroom apartment. She lived on the basement level; it being all she could afford.
She quickly latched the lock and deadbolt before leaning tiredly against the door and looking around the place with appreciation. Nice and clean, small, hers. Yet, it didn’t quite feel like home.
It never had.
Olivia limped inside and threw her clutch down onto the small side wooden table, kicking her shoes off one by one. Leaving them haphazardly on the rug in front of the door as she carried her tote to her bedroom, turning on lights as she made her way through the small space. Glancing at her intricately made bed enviously, she dropped her tote on it before digging out the heels and the money. She turned and opened her closet door, pulling out a shoebox that was hidden inside of a box underneath some old scarves.
Out of habit, she reached forward and grabbed a white handkerchief from the bundle of scarves. Holding it to her nose, she closed her eyes and let herself breathe, trying to remember the scent that was no longer there.
Dad, Olivia let herself feel grief for a split second before putting the handkerchief to the side. Sighing, she pushed the other scarves aside as well and grabbed up the top, her green eyes scanning the hundreds of hundred-dollar bills nestled neatly inside.
Olivia quickly dumped it all out onto her bed. Counting the bands quickly as she had them wrapped in thousand-dollar increments, she placed the money she'd made today in with the loose bills. Making another solid band. She sighed with relief, her left-hand curling behind her hair and rubbing the back of her neck. She had just barely made the money she needed by the deadline, same as last month.
Stuffing the bills back into the shoebox and replacing everything neatly, Olivia turned to walk into her bathroom. Seeing the makeup brushes and makeup placed haphazardly all over the vanity. She’d worked late at her day job at a local diner and barely had time to come home earlier, make herself up and dress before her appointment with the Judge.
She began cleaning. Quickly closing make-up compacts and putting away brushes, before reaching under the sink for a disinfectant wipe. She winced as she gave her vanity a good scrub with her right arm before throwing the wipe in the bin.
Breathing a sigh of relief at her bathroom coming to order, Olivia undressed and stepped into a steaming hot shower. She groaned as she closed the rubber duck shower liner too hard, tearing it from one of its clamps on the rusty rod it was attached to.
She hummed a small tune as she relaxed, scrubbing the day away.
Though at midnight it was almost a new day, and Olivia knew she couldn't look forward to getting anywhere near a good night of sleep. Especially with her arm pulsing and burning the way it was.
Stepping out of her bathroom naked and into the comfort of her bedroom, she didn't bother to put pajamas on. Olivia crawled wearily beneath the green silky sheets and texted her sister Vanessa that she would be at her house before the bank opened in the morning.
Yawning, she set the alarm on her phone for seven in the morning and went straight to sleep, not even bothering trying to find a pain pill.
She was that exhausted.
Rusty Red Stress
Olivia smiled brightly as she let herself into her elder sister Vanessa's tiny two-bedroom house on the north side of town.
Vanessa was currently bending down into her daughter’s face, pleading with her to swallow her medicine. She had tears in her eyes as the little girl stubbornly shook her head no, her cheeks puffed around the medicine and water she was holding in her mouth.
“Ally, just tilt your head back and swallow,” her sister pleaded with her little niece.
At four and a half years old, the little girl was not as vibrant as a normal girl her age, however, her spirit was just as strong and stubborn. And she had no problem demonstrating her attitude with her mother today. Allison’s green eyes flashed at Vanessa defiantly as she sputtered, trying not to choke on the medicine.
“Hey sis, hey lil' bit!” Olivia said, closing the door behind her as she walked into the outdated yellow kitchen. She took a small carton of apple juice out of her bag, threading the straw through before bending down to plant a sloppy kiss on her niece’s cheek. The little girl quickly swallowed her medicine before squealing with happiness and throwing her arms around her aunt. She snatched the apple juice out of her hand and sucked it down, making happy slurping noises.
