For Love or Money

Harlow City. Like a beacon for entrepreneurial greed, it reaches up in to the heavens, lit up like a veritable Christmas tree, the smog from the factory district north of the city center providing a dull haze that spread out over the entire city. South of the city lay Harlow Bay, and the shipping industries wharves and piers servicing ships and tankers all through the night. West of the city lay the highway through Harlow, with only the one off ramp and numerous on ramps. No one wanted in to Harlow, and everybody wanted out. And as it curled down south past the bay, the suburban mass of Harlow grew out of the same darkness. Apartment buildings by the dozen providing housing to all those that couldn’t make it out of Harlow.
For each of those apartment buildings only a light or so provided any knowledge that they existed at all; the darkness all encompassing after the brilliance of the city center.
The light of one apartment shines out amongst the darkness at the northern border of the suburban sprawl, where an orange tabby makes her way up the fire escape and under a window that has been left open, making use of the less polluted air that exists this far from the factories.
Inside the apartment is simple and bare. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and a small kitchenette are all that is needed in this part of Harlow. The floor, littered with various articles of clothing, books and an assortment of Catwoman and Batman comics provides a valuable insight in to the minds of the apartment’s human residents. More importantly is the odd toy or half empty bottle joined by the urgent cries of a hungry and healthy 8-month old girl.
Sitting on a simple couch in the living room sit two women almost identical in appearance, though bearing no familial ties. Often mistaken for twins, they share much more than features; their short cropped black hair and petite frames only the beginning of their similarities which range from a shared love of comics all the way through to their taste in music.
It was these similarities, as well as a similar distaste for the upper class brought about by almost identical upbringings, that had been the basis for an unshakable friendship that had lasted well over a decade.
“Granted, the series has been going on forever-“
“And probably won’t stop for ages.”
“Exactly. They’re going to have to let the two marry sometimes. Its not like with all those TV show’s where the entire audience is hoping they’ll marry.”
“Exactly! Most are adolescent males who read it for the action or the scantily clad women. It’s not like they’d have a mass exodus of readers simply because they hooked up Batman and Catwoman.”
“So all we’ve got to hope for is that they’ll listen to all those letters we’ve been sending them all these years.”
Both burst out laughing, the combination of a small amount of humor and a large amount of tiredness bringing disapproving stares from the two cats, now perched together on the opposite chair, and questioning looks from the baby girl.
“I can picture them, ‘Who is this Keri Graham and Emily Carr, and why do they keep writing us every 3 months?’” Keri Graham laughed, causing another bout of tired hysterics.
“And its not as if they’d have to jump straight in to it either,” Emily continued somewhat more seriously upon reclaiming her breath. “They’d have to do mini-arcs on Bruce-slash-Batman detaching himself from all the other ‘love interests’ they’ve created for him over the years.”
“So it can’t be a money thing that’s holding them back,” Keri added, relishing the oft-had discussion as to why their two favorite comic-book heroes weren’t married yet. “Maybe they’re holding out for some anniversary we’re not aware of.”
“I can only hope,” Emily agreed. “All this sexual tension I keep reading is getting depressing. I just wish they’d make a move. Get a room. Get a cat. Anything!”
“You want them to buy a cat?” Keri asked bemusedly.
“Well, it would signify something between them at least.”
“So, we’ve got two cats. What does that signify between us?” Keri continued; a wry smile and a mischievous look in her eyes.
“Oh shush you!” Emily exclaimed, poking her best friend in the ribs. “Oh, speaking of shush…” she added in a hushed voice, indicating her baby sleeping soundly in the bouncing bassinet. “I still haven’t gotten over how gorgeous she is.”
“And I doubt you ever will,” Keri replied in a whisper. “Michaela’s a beautiful baby, and I’m the luckiest God-mother in the world! We all better get to bed though; don’t want to be grumpy tomorrow. Sleep well,” she said softly, grasping Emily’s hand tenderly as she stood, “And goodnight to you Michaela Paige,” she added as she bent down to kiss the baby.
Straightening back up, Keri turned and headed to her bedroom, peeling off clothing as she went. Though the lackluster summer had barely provided a sweltering day, it was still providing enough heat to negate the need for many clothes at night.
As Keri exited the living room, Emily also stood and bent down to her daughter, softly lifting her out of the bassinet and holding her to her chest. Careful not to disturb the rhythmic breathing that she could now feel as she held her, Emily slowly turned and headed towards her own bedroom, turning off the apartments various lamps as she passed them.
Her own room was almost indistinguishable from her best friends, the floor littered with clothes and books. However the main difference rested underneath the small window, screwed shut with only a small crack to let the air through. The small cot had been a present from her old boss, just before she had left 11 months previously. Its simple wooden frame was covered in pink and purple blankets and sheets, most folded over the edge, but one small pink one lay well used in the cot itself.
The blankets had been salvaged from the upstairs attic of her childhood home, last time she had returned; a year previously. She had decided that she would go home and tell her parents that she was pregnant; definitely not relishing the face to face opportunity she was giving them to berate her again for throwing her life away.
Nevertheless she had gone home, Keri by her side holding her hand, and stood in the middle of the large imposing living room and told her parents she was pregnant. The response was different to what she had expected, with only half the insults she had previously prepared for.
Halfway through the evening, in which they had dutifully been invited to stay for dinner, Emily exited the table – pretending to visit the toilet upstairs. Upon reaching the upstairs, she quickly made her way to the staircase that led to the attic, and made for where she knew her own baby clothes and the like had been stored all those years ago.
Piling everything she could find in to one of the empty suitcases that seemed to litter the attic, she descended the stairs again, making her way to the back flight of stairs, out the back door and all but threw the suitcase behind a bush. She had then run back inside, up the flight of stairs again and made it to the top of the front stairs, composing herself and ensuring that she was breathing normally, she descended to the table again, her parents hardly noticing her return.
The rest of the night was lost to memory, but as Emily stood over the small cot that held her own baby daughter, the pink blanket that had once covered her now covering the gorgeous child below her, she couldn’t help but wonder whether her parents had once felt like this.
As she did every night, she disrobed and slid in to bed, turning over on to her side so that she could look directly at the cot. It had seemed like the thing a new mother would do, never taking her eyes off of her baby, and she had fallen in to the habit.
While she drifted off to sleep relatively quickly, it wasn’t long before she was awake again, the sounds of her crying daughter bringing her to fully awake in seconds. Sliding out of her bed quickly she bent over the cot and picked Michaela up. Her newly discovered motherly radar listened to the sound of her daughters cries, and caught site of the clock which now read 5:45 and decided that Michaela was probably hungry.
Cradling her in the crook of her arm, Emily slowly made her way out of the bedroom with its paper thin wall between her room and Keri’s, and in to the living room, sitting down on the couch and providing a breast to cease Michaela’s cries. She had stopped breastfeeding exclusively several months earlier, but found it much easier when woken early to breastfeed, rather than having to prepare a bottle.
The cessation of cries seemed to indicate no problem on Michaela’s part either, and Emily slowly leant back against the cushion. Michaela normally took about twenty minutes or so, and with Keri soon to be awake Emily decided to forgo any more sleep, and pawed around on the couch for any comic that might have been within reaching distance. Her hand quickly landed on a relatively recent Batman comic, which she opened on the couch and started reading silently, the small lamp by the couch providing enough light to read by.
As the clock ticked over to 6:00, the alarm in Keri’s bedroom was heard, and soon she exited the bedroom, her hair ruffled and eyes blinking to try and keep awake. “Hungry was she?” she inquired upon seeing Emily on the couch.
“Yeah, woke up crying,” Emily replied, shifting the now satisfied Michaela up to her shoulder, ensuring one of the small towels was draped over her shoulder and on to the couch.
Keri turned and headed in to the bathroom, the sounds of the shower soon echoing through the apartment as Keri prepared for her morning at work. After several committed attempts at a full time job which nearly led to suicide, they had both found a job that was suitable for Keri, who had been unable to deal with the structured environment of her previous workplaces. Renee’s diner, only a block from their apartment, was a low wage job that Keri was able to maintain.
The owner, Renee, was more than understanding of Keri’s problem, and had said from the beginning that if she needs a day off all she had to do was ask. Working six days a week, from seven till one in the afternoon worked out to be the perfect job for Keri, and the lack of full days was a benefit to Emily, who appreciated the extra time that Keri could spend with her and the baby.
Having finished feeding and subsequently burping Michaela, Emily placed her down in the bassinet that lay at the base of the couch, along with various toys, empty bottles and an already well loved blankie. Placing the blankie next over Michaela, Emily gave the bassinet a small bounce and watched her baby as she gurgled in infantile bliss, watching the world bounce around her.
Soon Keri was back out, dressed in her diner uniform and slinging her bag over her shoulder. “So, I’ll be home just after lunch,” Keri said “You ring if you need anything ok?” she added as she did every morning. Emily wondered for a moment why it was Keri asked that question each day before she left, and then knowing immediately it was simply because she cared. She really was the friend who would run out of work, apron flapping behind her, if she was needed elsewhere; and Emily loved her for that, almost more than anything.
“I’ll see you soon then,” Keri continued as she headed for the door.
“You too love, have a good day, and call me if you need anything, or just to hear someone’s voice.”
Keri stopped just as she reached the door, quickly returning to her best friend to give her a hug. “You know I couldn’t live life without you right?” she whispered in Emily’s ear. “Love you!”
“I love you too,” she replied as she returned her best friends embrace. “Now scoot, or you’ll be late for work!”
Keri quickly exited the apartment, leaving Emily and Michaela alone. “Looks like its just you and me bubs.”
For the rest of the morning, Emily busied herself around the apartment. The time had come to clean, and so, after a healthy breakfast of fruit and toast, and an hour spent in front of the TV watching whatever morning program was on, Emily set to vacuuming and sorting the apartment. All the books made their way back to the central bookshelf that sat along the back wall of the living room, whereas all the comics were placed in the smaller bookcase that sat directly beside the TV, between the couch and chair.
For such a small apartment the cleaning seemed to take far too long, but Emily eventually was able to collapse back on the couch, her bouncing baby still happily ensconced in the bassinet, the vacuuming the only noise that had disturbed her, and only long enough to recognize it as something she needn’t worry about.
The clock now read 10:00, and left Emily with three hours until Keri made it back home. With Michaela’s next checkup the following day, and no one really to swap horror stories with that she knew off, Emily’s morning was free to rest. And, while she had heard that some mothers were able to use the time to sleep, she had never been able to nail down the ‘sleeping during the day’ thing, and so had always resorted to watching television or reading a book.
With nothing overly entertaining on the TV until midday, she pulled out her latest book and sat back down on the couch, Michaela still bouncing happily below. She had returned to reading Lord of the Rings again, following a tradition she had started several years earlier to read the entire trilogy once a year; so far, she had only missed one year.
The sunlight outside began to filter through the window, the clouds dispersing as the morning wore on. An hour after she started reading Michaela began demanding insistently to be changed, her early morning breakfast making a reappearance. But with Michaela changed and back in her cot, Emily returned to her book, losing herself entirely in the book, her concentration broken by the occasional noise from the bedroom and finally Keri’s entrance back in to the apartment. The makeup of the apartment building meant that Emily could hear anyone coming up the stairs, and with the jangle of keys at the front door she was able to preempt Keri’s arrival.
“How was work?” she asked as the door opened.
“Busy,” Keri replied, collapsing down on the couch beside Emily. “We opened and it didn’t seem to stop until half way through the morning, then it started all over again for lunch time. Thank goodness Rachael came in on time today, save me from staying any longer.” Rachael was Keri’s replacement, a college student who arrived just before midday, boosting up the lunchtime staff, and leaving enough room afterwards to let Keri finish her shift. “How was your morning? I see you’ve been busy!” Keri added, taking a harder look at the room which had magically cleaned itself in her absence.
“Yeah, I figured I should probably clean up the place,” Emily replied, folding her bookmark in to the book and placing it on the coffee table in front of her. “But normal, TV, book, cleaning, baby,” Emily added, the standard description of her day making it into those four words.
There was silence for a moment, before Keri fished something out of her bag and handed it to Emily saying, “Another one came.” Taking the ominous looking envelope from Keri and slowly opened it, Emily tried not to gasp at the figure that was owed. “What are we going to do?” Keri continued.
“And here we thought that conserving our power use would help,” Emily joked grimly.
“Turns out, not so much,” Keri replied, equally as grim.
“Maybe I should go back-“ Emily started, before being cut off.
“No,” Keri interrupted definitely. “I said what should we do. Not what should I do, or what should you do, but what should we do! Now I can’t pick up more work because I might end up killing myself,” Keri continued firmly, “And you’ve got Michaela to take care off…”
“So unless we can steal ourselves something to sell,” Emily started. “Or maybe sell something of our own…” she left the conclusion unsaid.
“I don’t like the selling our own stuff idea,” Keri replied after the silence. “Had a friend in school whose parents did that – was a bad move for a quick fix.”
“So that leaves thievery,” laughed Emily, the tension leaving the room as Keri started laughing as well.
“Ugh, enough of this, it’s a lovely day outside and we shouldn’t waste it dwelling on matters as depressing as finances. Let’s go for a walk.”
And so, after getting changed and changing the baby, acquiring the necessary bits and pieces and strapping all and sundry in to the stroller, they left their twelfth story apartment, pushing Michaela as they headed for the local park. The walk to the park was quiet, both enjoying the sunshine that was shining down on them amongst the tall apartment buildings that populated this area of Harlow; Keri obviously lost in thought.
“What’s on your mind?” Emily prompted when they reached the border of the park, the green grass stretching out before her, the small path snaking its way through the array of play equipment and trees.
Keri turned her head, that worryingly mischievous smile had returned. “I’ve been thinking about something you said before we left.”
“You mean selling? Cause I think agree with-“
‘No, not the selling; the other one!”
Oh, the thievery one,” Emily replied quickly with a grin. However the unshakable look in her friend’s eyes caused her own smile to fade. “Oh no, what are you thinking?”
“Only that maybe we’ve been big fans of the answer to all our problems for a long time,” Keri replied slyly.
“I don’t get you.”
“Catomwan. Its perfect, and with both of our skills put together… and we’d only have to do it once or twice, and I know just the places to hit as well!”
Continuing to push the stroller along the smooth paths of the park, the soft breeze barely affecting the leaves of the trees above, Emily could not believe her ears. “Are you seriously telling me we should become burglars?”
“Oh no, not both of us; just you! I’d provide tech support”
Emily kept pushing the stroller, Michaela gurgling happily as she waved a rattle at the world around her, and tried to ignore the looks her best friend were giving her. She couldn’t honestly believe what it was Keri was suggesting – and couldn’t believe she would even think about it. But, as she kept walking, the amazement began to subside, allowing the thought room to move and grow. And, the longer that the idea was left to grow, the less ridiculous it became.
“So?” Keri prodded, noticing the growing smile on her best friends face. “What do you think?”
“First, tell me; who or what are the places you think we could successfully hit?”
At that, Keri’s grin exploded. “Our parents!”
Not overly surprised – having reached the same conclusion herself – Emily responded simply. “I love it!”