Beneath A Vanishing Sky (Ch1)

Beneath A Vanishing Sky


CHAPTER ONE
 
         I stumbled out of the strip club but I wasn't drunk or anything, just clumsy.
         I hastily regained my balance, feeling the vibrations of the thumping music beneath my feet as I did. I straightened up and looked around, thankful to see that there was no one nearby to witness my brief but faltering argument with gravity.
         My stupid co-workers, whom I loved dearly, had thought it would be a great idea to bring me there in celebration of my divorce. Except that I didn't really want to celebrate my divorce. In fact, all I really wanted to do was be left alone with my grief.
         And, anyways, despite physical appearances to the contrary, I'm a straight female - so why they ever thought that I'd enjoy sitting in a rickety old building, out in the middle of nowhere, filled with smoke and naked dancing ladies I'd never know.
But, apparently it's a really chic thing to do right now, women going to strip clubs I mean. Unfortunately, "chic" isn't a word that has often been associated with me.
         Oh well, I was happy to be outside for the moment, at least, where the air was cleaner and smelled far better than inside.
         I took a deep breath, the cool dampness chilling my lungs as I did, and looked up at the starless, nighttime sky.
         It felt good to be out there, I felt free...and I hadn't felt free in a long time.
         I took a few steps, then realized as I did that I had walked away from the other girls without even telling them that I was leaving and I wasn't entirely sure of when, or if, they would notice that I had gone. I briefly considered calling, Trisha, my publisher, on her cell but figured she'd never hear it in the cacophony that I had just left behind. Then again, they probably wouldn't even notice that I was gone until morning anyway.
         They were good girls, though, don’t get me wrong. We had worked together for a while at the local newspaper, where I had been assigned as a community reporter. Yeah, I know, four years of college and a Journalism degree later and I was reduced to covering quilting bees and boat races.
         But, hey, it was a living.
         Well, mostly...
         I fumbled for my keys, thankful that I hadn't had anything to drink while in the club. As I did, I could hear a particularly amorous couple not too far from me, entertaining themselves beside some of the cars. Of course, it didn't take long for me to figure out that it was my car that they were cavorting beside.
         Greeeaaaatttttt.
         The parking lot - well, if it could even be called that, as it was just some gravel thrown on top of a grassy field - wasn't lit, except for the half-burned out neon sign, which sat atop the club a few feet away. As it was the only light source available it meant that while I could make out the couple's melded features in the rainbowed hues of the neon, they couldn't see me. As I got closer, I could also smell the strong and unmistakable stench of alcohol wafting off of them in my direction, which nearly took my breath away.
         Fabulous.
         I was working up the courage to ask them to move when I heard the female half of the couple say, "Oh, no, honey, let's not tonight. Let's just get some dinner and go home."
         "What?!" I was taken aback by the man's brusqueness, as he seemed rather perturbed rather quickly...and very drunk.          "I don' think so! You owe me, 'member?"
         "I know, I know, and you know I'm good for it, just not tonight. I mean, I been working all day long, I'm kinda tired and my feet hurt." I saw her try to pull away from him but he wouldn't let her as his hand stayed firmly clamped down onto her forearm. "Honey, c'mon," she told him, "don't be like this, you're hurting me!"
         "Damn it, J, you owe me!" He yanked her back to him and continued to slur, "I didn' jus' pay nearly $500 for you to turn me down -"
         "You know I ain't like that!" She tried to pull away again.
         I noticed from my place in the shadows that she was a slight woman, slim and petite and while her partner didn't stand much taller, he definitely had at least 50lbs of weight and strength on her. (Of course, I'm 6'1, so just about everyone seems small to me.)
         I was beginning to feel extremely awkward standing there as they continued to struggle, unaware of my presence. I wasn't entirely sure of what I was witnessing, nor was I entirely sure if I was supposed to do anything about it.
         "Yes, you are! I pay, then you repay - it ain't that difficult a concept!"
         "You lousy sonofabitch! You told me it was a gift! Listen, just 'cause I'mma dancer don't mean I'm your personal whore, you know!"
         "Pff, whatever, whore, stripper, it don't matter!" he pulled her in to him and kissed her.
         "Uh, hey!" I finally croaked up, sensing that we were entering some kind of murky criminal territory and I really didn't feel like witnessing a crime at that moment, to be honest.
         The guy didn't even bother to look back at me as he told me to, unceremoniously, "Fuck off!"
         "Well," I began, matter-of-factly, "as much as I'd like to, I can't. Plus," I motioned in her direction, "she doesn't really sound all that interested in what you're offering anyway."
         He let go of the lady and finally turned his attention to me. He was a little shocked when he realized the top of his head only came to about the level of my eyes. Of course, that fact did nothing to deter him in the least, "This don't concern you, buddy. Fuck. Off."
         Ok, I seriously hate being called 'buddy.'
         I continued, my calm exterior belying any of the true nervousness I felt inside, "Well, clearly it does since you’re in front of my car." I paused, then rubbed my temples with my thumb and forefinger, hoping to find the right words to avert any sort of escalation in our conversation, "Look, both of our nights seem to be sucking pretty hard, maybe we should all just go home, you know?"
         But my attempt at peacemaking fell upon deaf ears as he spat out, "I don't give a shit what you wanna do, you dumb bitch. Step off and get outta my business or you gonna regret it!" He squared up in front of me, as if ready to strike out at my face at any second.
         Maybe it was the crushing reality of the loss of my marriage. Maybe it was the frustration of being forced to go out on a night when all I really wanted to do was sit in front of my TV and eat ice cream while listening to sad songs. Maybe it was being called 'buddy.' Maybe it was none of those things, or all of them, but whatever it was, something inside me clicked and I knew I wasn't walking away, not at his command at least. I narrowed my eyes as I looked down at him and spat back angrily, "I doubt very much you could make me do anything I'd regret."
         "Uh, honey," the lady finally spoke up, her nervousness apparent, "I'm sorry we're in front of your car, we'll, uh, we'll just take this one inside. Right, Tommy?" She was tugging at his arm.
         In response, he shoved her back pretty forcefully, into the other car, "You shut up!"
         A white-hot anger filled my body as I heard the lady cry out, her back smashing against the other car's mirror. I shouted reflexively, "Hey, leave her alone!"
         "I'm ok, really, honey." She stood up and began to clean herself off, "I'm just gonna go -"
         He jerked her back towards him again, hard, "You ain't goin' nowhere. I'mma bout to teach this bitch a lesson, and then you gonna learn the same lesson." He released her and she stayed put, shaking, as he began to approach me, "You wanna step up like a man, then you about to learn -"
         I didn't wait for him to finish his sentence as I sent a right cross punch sailing across his ugly flat face. He fell to the ground and I immediately went into a fighting stance, expecting him to stand up and come back at me but, as it turned out, I'd actually knocked him out cold.
         The lady looked at me, her mouth agape and eyes just as wide, "Wh-what'd you do? Did-did you just kill him?"
         "No," I stated plainly as I stared down at the unconscious, but breathing, body before me.
         "How - how did you do that?!"
         "Boxing. I'm a boxer. Although I've never hit someone that didn't expect to be punched," I felt the side of my mouth begin to curl up into a smirk. "He's gonna have a serious headache when he wakes up." I finally looked over at her, her curly, bleached blonde hair shaking against the neon lights, "You alright?"
         She nodded, "For now...but when he wakes up...?"
         "You wanna ride somewhere? Police station? Hospital?"
         She shook her head, "No, thank you, though. I-I can take care of myself."
         I had my doubts about that but kept them to myself as I shoved the guy's unconscious body out of the way with my foot so I could get to the door of my car.
         "Hey, wait!" I heard the lady shout behind me.
         I turned and looked at her as I opened the door, "Yeah?"
         "I could use a ride, yeah. I-I actually probably should clear out before he wakes up."
         I looked down as a snore escaped his lips, then back up at her, "Ok. Get in."
         She came around the passenger side of my little red sedan.
         As she slid in, I got a better view of her from the car's dome light.
         I was shocked to see that close up she didn't appear any older than me, about late 20s, possibly early 30s but the make up she wore and the overly bleached hair had aged her about ten years.
         "I'm Jeanie, by the way," her smile was hesitant. "I work at the club. I'm one-a the dancers."
         "Alexandria," I gave her a slight smile back. "Sooo, where to?"
         "Do you know where the Econo-motel is?"
         "Uhmm, yeah,...," I hesitated because most of the drug busts that came through across the police scanner at the paper came from over there. I suddenly began to feel a slight sliver of regret about my act of chivalry.
         "Well, that's where I need to go. I gotta get my...uh, stuff."
         "Oh...," I didn't really want her to elaborate. I mean, I'm sure she was nice and all but she wasn't exactly the type of person I was used to being around and I felt it was better for the both of us that I didn't know exactly what her 'stuff' was.
         "Is that cool?"
         "No, yeah, absolutely!" I said quickly, trying not to sound as rude as the thoughts inside my head actually were. I pulled out of the parking lot and then down the winding path that would lead us back up to the nearby highway.
         "So," she asked in the ensuing silence, "you're...a boxer?"
         "Well, sorta," I shrugged, my right hand on the steering wheel, my left resting alongside the door. I glanced down and noticed that the long, snaky white scars, which had been on my wrists since I was 16, were quite visible, even in the dark, and I tried to hide them quickly beneath the long sleeves of my shirt, "I mean, I do it as a hobby."
         "I bet you're pretty scary in the ring!"
         I laughed as it seemed to be the usual impression that most people got when they first met me. Like I said, I was 6'1, with hands that could palm a basketball, because, unlike my siblings, I had taken after my dad and inherited his rather large, muscular physique.
         Jeanie, on the other hand, couldn't've been more than 5'2, with dainty little hands and tiny little feet.
         She gave me another hesitant look, "By the way, I don't really have any money and I know I'm a stripper and all and I don't know what kinda payment you're expecting in return but I kinda don't really swing...that way. I mean, I've danced for women, sure, but...it's usually at the club in front of everyone, not the VIP rooms. I mean, it's nothing personal! It's just...," she trailed off.
         I looked at her in surprise for half-a-second, then back to the road when I realized what she had meant. I said, flatly, "I don't swing that way either."
         "Oh!" she seemed surprised, much like everyone else when they found out. "Ok, I mean, if you did that's cool, cause I have no problem with it. People are people, you know? But I don't know that I could...you know...perform privately...that, uh, way. I don't," she blew her curls out of her face, possibly realizing she had dug herself into a rather deep hole in which there was very little hope of ever getting out, “I just don't know how else I can repay you for the ride and, well, y'know, knocking out Tommy."
         "Oh, no!" I started nervously shaking my head, "I don't...like, I'm not doing this for...you don't have to repay me. You just look like you needed help!"
         Her green eyes shone in the light of the night, "Wow, thanks! Nobody really does that kinda stuff anymore. You're like a knight! But, a chick knight!"
         I chuckled slightly as we pulled out onto the highway, realizing that I had just laughed twice as many times in the last five minutes than I had in the past six months, "No, don't worry about it, no skin off my nose." It was quiet for a second, until I asked, "Look, I know it's not any of my business or whatever but what was up with that guy? Did you know him?"
         She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yeah. He's...kinda my boyfriend, I guess."
         I nodded slowly but didn't say anything.
         She continued, "He paid our rent at the motel for two months and I'm grateful for it, don't get me wrong, but I was really starting to feel like his personal whore or somethin', you know?"
         I didn't. "How long have you guys been together?"
         "Hmmm," she looked upwards, as if searching for the answer in the air above her, "I guess a week? Maybe a little longer."
         "Oh!" I tried to keep the surprise from my voice, but failed miserably.
         "So, wait, if you're not gay, what were you doing at the club?"
         I blushed slightly, "My, uh, co-workers. They kinda thought celebrating my divorce there would be a really fashionable thing to do."
         She laughed, "Yeah, we get groups of women like that in the club all the time." Her face fell slightly, "Sometimes, though, I wonder if they're there just to make themselves feel better about their life decisions..."
         I laughed shortly, "Well, I dunno about that. They seem to be more envious than anything. At least my crew -"
         "Wait, did you say divorce?"
         I nodded, "Yeah...I was married for, like, ten years."
         Well, almost.
         "What, uhm, what happened, if you don't mind me asking?"
         "We just," I shrugged again as I answered, "grew apart, I guess. Married too young, grew up and became different people."
         It was her turn to nod silently.
         I continued, unable to keep myself from speaking now that somebody had shown an actual interest in my situation, "I miss him, though, inna way."
         "Was it his decision?" she gently prodded further.
         "Yeah," I nodded again, "the last coupla years was just us going through the motions. He wanted to get on with life, so he filed and I didn't really put up a fight or anything. I mean, I knew it was for the best."
         "I'm...sorry...," her child-woman face seemed genuinely saddened by my situation.
         I shook my head, "No, it's ok, really. I mean, it was either keep existing in a loveless marriage that was more like friendship or go out on my own. And now I'm glad to be out on my own, 'cause, looking back, the other option was far more painful."
         Well, sometimes, anyway.
         We drove a little while longer until I saw the broken, burned-out sign that indicated we had arrived at the Econo-motel. It was a squatty set of cream-colored buildings right off of the highway and, as we pulled into a parking spot that Jeanie had pointed out for me, I noticed that the motel had most of its windows boarded up with plywood and there was lots of litter on the ground. A sizable group of people stood to our left and as I looked them over I couldn't help but hear the subconscious sounds of the crackling police scanner replaying within my head. "Hey," I turned to Jeanie as her hand moved towards the door, "where am I gonna take you after this?"
         "I was thinking maybe one of the shelters downtown." She sighed, "I pretty much stay there at least once a month."
         "Look, I know this is gonna sound crazy but why don't you just stay at my place tonight? I'm downtown, too, so if you don't feel comfortable you can just grab a cab to the shelter."
         "Aw, that's very sweet of you but..."
         The truth was that I wasn't doing it to be sweet. I was doing it because I didn't like driving around in the areas where most of the shelters were located, especially at night. Plus, I'd already had my fill of excitement for an evening - maybe even for a whole lifetime. "C'mon," I urged again, "at least for tonight."
         She smiled, "Wellll, ok! For tonight, then! Be right back!"
         She exited the car as the group of people next to me grew louder, laughing at some unheard joke. Their laughter pierced through me, causing my heart to flutter as if I was an animal that had just been discovered playing in someone's trashcans at night. I quickly busied myself with the car's radio buttons to try and avoid looking over at them.
         Pleasehurrypleasehurrypleasehurry, my mind pleaded with Jeanie.
         About ten minutes later, she came bounding out from one of the nearby rooms, carrying a bag. She opened the back passenger door and threw it in. Then, just as it landed, a little girl crawled into my back seat after it.
         I stared at her and she stared back at me, a serious expression on her tiny, latte-colored face. We sat looking at each other, unblinking, for about three seconds.
         "She's half-black," Jeanie announced as she got back into the passenger side of the car.
         "Yes, I can see that." We were still looking at each other and not blinking.
         "Is that gonna be a problem?"
         I laughed and broke my gaze to look over at Jeanie, "No, why would it, ever?"
         "You never know," she shrugged, "some people got problems with it."
         "Well, I'm not one of those people. So, who is she, exactly?"
         "My daughter, Mira," Jeanie's face lit up with maternal pride as she said the girl's name to me, pronouncing it MEER-a.
         "Hi, Mira," I said to my new guest.
         "Hello," she maintained her very serious expression. Her short, slightly wiry hair stood out a little ways from her head in a natural unstyled fashion.
         "So, how old are you?" I asked over my shoulder as I put the car in reverse and began backing out of the parking spot.
         "Eight."
         "Well, it's very good to meet you."
         She blinked, "Likewise."
         "She's really smart!" Jeanie announced happily, "wayyyyy smarter than me!"
         I got the impression from the intensity of her stare that she was probably smarter than the both of us combined.
         "So, uh, Mira, where do you go to school?" I pulled out of the parking lot, relieved to see the motel fading behind us in the rearview mirror.
         "I don't. I'm home-schooled."
         Jeanie looked sheepish beside me, "We move around a lot, so it's easier that way - but she knows soooo much! She does all her lessons perfectly!"
         I nodded and glanced at the little girl in the mirror. She was sat completely still, her tiny hands folded in her lap as she stared out of the window, watching the scenery pass by.
         Jeanie turned to face me, "I really want to thank you for this, 'Lex."
         Lex? Nobody had ever called me that before. Actually, no one besides my dad had ever called me by a shortened version of my name.
         "Mamma?" I heard the tiny voice from the backseat call to Jeanie.
         "Yes, baby?"
         "What happened to that Tommy guy?"
         "Uhmm, welllll, he's...gone!" she tried to smile.
         "Good. I didn't like him."
         "I know, I know, you warned me!"
         I side glanced at Jeanie, wondering if she was truly the adult in this parent/child relationship.
         Within another few minutes we had arrived downtown at the parking garage of my condo. I pulled into the well-lit, multi-level garage, waving to the parking attendant in his booth as he let us through the barrier.
         "Whoa," Jeanie said, blanching beneath the shadows that began to fall across the car in a rhythmic pattern, "these things kinda scare me!" She covered her eyes, "I always think they're going to fall down on top of me!"
         I laughed, loudly, because honestly, so had I, but I'd never felt comfortable enough to tell anyone that before, "Don't worry, I've lived here for two years and the garage hasn't collapsed...yet!"
         "Oh, greeeaaattt," Jeanie laughed along with me.
         I pulled into my assigned parking space on Level Three. "Ok, we're here," I smiled and turned off the car as I turned to look at them, "are you guys hungry? We can get pizza."
         "No, no," Jeanie shook her head, "you've already done so much to help us out - we don't need anything else."
         "Well," I began, feeling a little more like my old carefree self than I had in a long time, "put it this way: I'm starving." I started to grin, "So, you guys can either join me or sit and watch me eat." I winked at Mira, who was, in turn, staring at her mother, trying but unable to hide her hope for a pizza supper.
         Jeanie laughed, "Ok, ok, you win! I guess we'll have pizza, then."
         I was pretty sure, though not entirely positive, that I saw the tiniest of smiles grace Mira's face.
         "C'mon, baby girl, grab that bag," Jeanie instructed her.
         Mira did as she was told, even though the bag was nearly the size of her.
         I got out of the car and tried to take it from her but she wouldn't let me. Jeanie rolled her eyes, "She always likes to prove how strong she is."
         "Because I am!" the little girl snapped.
         "Yes, you are, honey," Jeanie responded, a little robotically, "you're very strong."
         I chuckled at the pair, my steps feeling lighter as I led them to a nearby set of elevators. We picked the one on the right, then once inside the doors, Mira turned to Jeanie, "Mamma, don't forget you have to be up at 5am tomorrow."
         "Oh, I definitely haven't forgot, baby, but thank you for reminding me!"
         "You have to be somewhere?" I asked awkwardly as I pressed the button marked '26.'
         "Uh...yes," Jeanie looked uncomfortably around the elevator, "I have a doctor's appointment in the morning."
         "Wow, that's kinda early!"
         "Well, he...he opens at 6 and always wants me promptly there," she smiled but I sensed a sort of unease behind it.
         A few seconds later, the elevator stopped at my floor with a pleasant sounding 'bong.' We exited and I continued to lead them down the hallway. As I did, Jeanie exclaimed, "Umm, ok, so this is definitely not what I was expecting!"
         Alright, I'll admit it, the inside of the condo seemed a little on the ornate side when you first saw it. The decor surrounding us was done in a modern, simplistic style with recessed lighting that ran along the top of the chocolate-colored walls and reflected off of the cappuccino and khaki marbled floor beneath it. As we walked, our feet clicking and clacking on the marble floor, Mira dragged her fingers along the wall with her free hand, running them beneath a long row of colorful commercial art pieces, which were positioned every few inches from each other.
         Towards the end of the hall, and to the left, sat my apartment, number 2-6-1-2-B. I unlocked the door and flung it open - ok, perhaps a tad bit over-dramatically but I was in a really good mood for once - and announced happily, "Welcome to my casa!"
         They both walked in slowly through the doorway and into the large, open-planned but sparsely furnished apartment and looked around with wide eyes. The kitchen was to the right, with a small bar area that looked out onto two white couches and a black coffee table, which sat before a contemporarily designed fireplace on the left, while an unused dining table with four chairs sat on the right.
         "Oh, wow," Jeanie exclaimed as she pointed to a framed sketch of a rather intricately-penciled, muscular woman holding a giant flaming sword that hung in the small foyer on the wall beside to us. "Did you do this?"
         I nodded slightly.
         "It's amazing! It's like something from a comic book!"
         I smiled sheepishly, "Well, it's alright, I guess."
         "No way, you're a freakin' artist!"
         I laughed uncomfortably, "I-I don't know about that - a lotta people don't really consider comic book sketches as 'art', you know?"
         "Ug, whatever," she rolled her eyes at me and then bounded energetically into the sitting area, where six large windows lined the entire far wall. "These windows are huge, girl!" she exclaimed as she ran over to one and looked out onto the sights below.
         I couldn't help but feel slightly amused, and somewhat touched, by Jeanie's childlike wonderment at everything around her, "Yeah, you can pretty much see the whole city from up here."
         She explored the room further, her wide eyes bouncing from every corner, examining every nook and cranny, "So, like, how many bedrooms is this?!"
         "Only three," I shrugged.
         Mira turned to me, "Why do you need three?"
         The question took me by surprise and I wasn't exactly sure how to answer, “I...don't know. It was a really good deal at the time." I scratched behind my ear and then hung my keys up on the hook next to the front door, "Anyway, set your bags down and make yourselves at home. My bedroom is back there on the right but you guys can take the ones on the left."
         "Oh, we'll probably just share," Jeanie smiled, waving her hand in the air. "We're kinda used to it."
         "Ah, ok then, well I'll go call us in some pizza. Pepperoni ok with everybody?"
         They both nodded vigorously.
         "Go ahead and make yourselves at home," I repeated, uselessly. "I'll just be here in the kitchen, using the phone."
         As I made my way into the kitchen, I saw Mira set their bag down and join her mother at the window.
         "We're pretty high up, huh?" Jeanie asked.
         Mira nodded.
         "You know, I heard if you dropped a penny from this high up it could kill someone!"
         "That's not really true, Mamma."
         "Oh, it's not?" she asked in a slightly disappointed tone but eyes that were filled with rapturous attention.
         I smiled and dialed the local pizza place as I heard Mira begin to explain the concept of terminal velocity to her mother.
         It didn't take very long to place the order, which really wasn't all that surprising as the pizza place that I used had my number and order memorized. Yeahhh, I called them pretty often. Then, once I hung up the phone, I joined them in the living room, "So...uh...whaddya think of everything?"
         Jeanie smiled and came away from the window, "Lex, I really just wanna thank you again, really and don't worry, we'll clear outta here by morning."
         "Well, you don't have to go right away...do you?"
         Was I really that lonely?
         ...yes. I really was.
         "Well, I got that doctor's appointment -"
         "But, then what?" I asked, maybe a bit too eagerly.
         She looked unsure, "I-I dunno, maybe get a place in the shelter for the night. Then I gotta work, of course."
         Mira was still at the window, staring out, seeming to not pay attention to us.
         I suddenly felt sorry for her as I looked at her standing there. Well, for them both, really, remembering the way the guy had flung Jeanie against the car only a little while earlier. I felt as if I needed to do something, anything, to help them with their situation. I looked back to Jeanie, "Why don't you just stay here for awhile?"
         "Ohhhh, no," she shook her head, "no, no, thank you, though."
         "But, why not?"
         "Well, we're not really ones for charity -"
         "A shelter is charity."
         "She has a point, Mamma," Mira looked over her shoulder towards us.
         "Well, I...I guess, but..."
         "I really don't mind. I mean, I work all the time, like 13 hours a day. Although," I paused, "actually, this week I'm off. I forgot, I'm on vacation." I frowned. I had been forced to use up my vacation time before my next anniversary with the newspaper came around, even though I hadn't wanted to.
         "Well, I go to work every night around 4. Mira takes care of herself and really I can pay you."
         I shook my head, "I don't need money."
         "Yeahhh, I'm starting to pick up on that." I felt slightly embarrassed as she continued, "Really, though, I just wouldn't feel right unless I was repaying you somehow."
         "Hmm," I paused in thought...
         ...until Jeanie suddenly exclaimed, "Oooo, I know! I could cook for you!"
         "Cook?"
         "Yeah! I'm an excellent cook!"
         "O-ok," I was intrigued by the idea, I had to admit, as I hadn't had an actual home-cooked meal in a very long time.
         "She really is a good cook," Mira told me, matter-of-factly. "That's why I like it when we get to stay in places with kitchens."
         "Sure, why not? Y'know, I don't even think my kitchen has ever actually been used!"
         Jeanie's face lit up brightly with a smile, "I think this could work! At least just till I get on my feet!"
         As we waited on the pizza, Jeanie and Mira wandered around the apartment for a bit. I watched them and reflected on how good it felt to have other people around me. The truth was, it had been a very long time.
         A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. I opened it and took the pizza from the delivery guy, gave him a tip, then set the pizza atop the nearby kitchen bar. I encouraged my guests to dig in and, as they did, was glad that I had eaten a little at the club because between the two of them, the pizza was gone in just under five minutes.
         I was bothered by their hunger and their homelessness and I realized, as I chewed a mouthful of pepperoni and mozzarella, that the reason that I was pushing so hard for them to stay with me was because I knew that I could save them. I could rescue them, be their hero!
         My rational side tried to talk me out of the idea, which had already solidified in the sponginess of my brain, but it was of no use. I had set my mind to it. Yes, I would indeed rescue them from their poverty and pathos. I would put Jeanie on the road to a legitimate job and enroll Mira into one of the best schools in the area! Yes, I would absolutely rescue them, I decided as I swallowed my last bite. I would rescue them and right all the wrongs of my past, all my failings. Jeanie and Mira would be my personal redemption project, granting me access to Heaven and giving me a way out of what had long become my own private Hell.
         Of course, as I was very soon about to find out, Fate sometimes gets her own ideas about the plans we make for ourselves.