Family Business

Deadly Sins

6:00PM Mercer Street Medical Centre, New Jersey Friday May 24th 2019

Prudence Sternwood has an enemy she forgot she has, but her enemy didn't forget her. Doctor Alvin Kelly turned off the lights in his consultation room and locked the door behind him. He enters into the reception area, the only individual remaining is his head receptionist thirty nine year old Pamela Beard "It's Friday Pamela, go home, have a great weekend"

Pamela lost in her own thoughts, jumps in her seat startled "sorry, I was in my own little world, just a bit of administration to finish up and I will be done"

He hands her the keys of his consultancy room "Surely it can wait until Monday" she places them into a wall key rack by her computer "We serve the needy and their needs must be addressed"

"Well I'm going to serve my needs with a glass of wine, see you Monday Pamela".

"Have a good weekend Alvin!". He leaves the reception and walks out of his consultation department area leaving the door open behind him. She sighs with annoyance, yet again he left the door open, she gets up from her desk and walks briskly towards the door. Slowly she closes it over but left it slightly ajar while she peers behind it and watches him walk down the hallway past the other consultant room areas. Towards the main lobby he stops and chats with two nurses. She listens anxiously at their distant laughter as they exit the main entrance. She closes the door over and takes a few deep breaths, she had never done before what she is about to do.

Her heart pounds, She sat motionless at her desk momentarily to compose. She shudders at the thought that she could be a sinner but Prudence Sternwood was worse, in her mind, a gluttonous usurer, the name consumes her with contemptuous hate .The words of her Pastor, Pastor John came to mind, she visualizes his angry red face red as he pounded the pulpit with his right fist spitting out the words "There is no greater leech on the downtrodden and poor than the usurer who sucks them dry for everything they have and everything they will have"

Her blood boils, her hands curl tightly into bony fists, she mutters to herself "Your day of reckoning is approaching Prudence and no amount of penance can save your sinful soul from the darkness that awaits it"

Her doubts vanish, she hops up from her swivel chair, peers out into lobby area, it was now six fifteen pm and cleaners were beginning to arrive, gently she closed the door over, she has no more time to dillydally. She rummages through a security box until she finds the key labelled "STU". Her adrenaline pumps she hums "Amazing Grace" to herself , she takes a cell phone out of her Brown handbag and then unlocked the secure filing cabinet with the key. She knew where the file was, she watched it like a hawk all day, all week. She pulls out a light brown file "Sternwood, Prudence" and began capturing photos of each file page into the phone. Outside she could hear the sound of mop buckets and vacuum cleaners powering up.
She quickly checks the images are good then locks away the file.

At six thirty eight pm, Pamela exits the medical centre and turns left towards her bus stop. She is still buzzing, in her mind she had done the right thing. A few yards up the orange neon sign of the "Every Hour Internet Cafe" on the opposite side of the road caught her attention, it never did before, "Could it be a sign, it has to be a sign" she thinks. She power marches to the next pedestrian crossing and continued the power march into the internet cafe. She is given computer number twenty six and sits down. She completes a search for a social media feed for Sternwood Hospitality & Financial Services She finds the social media platform she is looking for.

She logs into her online cloud file account and retrieves a full bodied photo of Prudence she took discretely at a New York Hilton hotel. She could still feel the revulsion of when she laid eyes on her.

Pamela grinds her teeth with hatred at the stoic expression on Prudence's face. She imagines that her taut lips would crack if she tried to smile. Pamela crunched her face in disgust at Prudence's brown eyes sunk behind thick glasses, her chubby flush cheeks and extensive double chin for Pamela all symbols of her excessive indulgences. She next turns her attention to her corpulent torso, Prudence was dressed in a long sleeved white v neck blouse which had a white frill at the neck section. Her left hand held a black handbag by two straps. Her hands appeared small soft and plump, she doubts they ever saw a days hard labour. She wore a plain black skirt that extended two inches below her knees, Pamela shook her head in repulsion at the partial view of her chunky thighs that narrowed at the ankles. She wonders how they supported her.

She set up an account in the social media site with the username 'BeyondRedemption' and selects a profile logo with an orange candle light and the word 'Repent' with a dark background.

Next she went to the Social Media feed of Sternwood Hospitality & Financial Services. She inserts the photo of Prudence and enters the following wording "This sinner will be judged on her engagement with usury. Her fondness for the deadly sins of gluttony and greed is visible for us all to see".