Page 40 of Absolute Valor

Priscilla looked at the money in my hand as if it were a dirty diaper or something just as repulsive. “Please, Priscilla, I need you to take this money.” I whispered, my pleas meant for her ears only.

She hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her hands around the bills in my hand. “As you wish, Darlin’.” She pulled me and my sleeping baby into a tight embrace. She left with no encouraging words or reassurances that everything would be fine. Carson made sure I knew how to use the alarm and made me promise to call him if I needed anything.

When Grace was first born, I spent days watching everything she did. From the tiny flick of her fingers to the long stretches where she curled her tiny legs close to her bottom. Over a year later, not much had changed. I’ve been laying in the bed beside her, watching every breath she took, filing every move she made to memory.

The early rays of a new day tried desperately to break into the room, crawling like dust particles into the tiniest space it could find. Grace remained lost in her dreams, oblivious to the events of last night. Her father was dead, and while the news brought with it an absolution of her staying where she needed to be, it also gave my heart a pull of sadness. Growing up poor was one thing, growing up with no male influence was another.

Soft touches of tiny fingers against my face were a welcomed sign my baby was awake. I opened my eyes to see the electric blue ones of my baby looking back at me. “Good morning, Sweet Girl.” Her toothy grin greeted me as the pacifier slips from her mouth and falls to the pillow. I can’t resist as I rise off the mattress and take her in my arms. “Let’s get you a clean diaper and some breakfast.”

Priscilla and Georgia had done more than stock the shelves with a few jars of baby food. As I cut up pieces of banana for Grace, I wondered if she would ever be able to consume the hundreds of jars in the pantry.

“So, Sweet Girl, today we have to find a place to live. A real place, not a dirty old closet or a friends couch, but a place we can call home.” Grace insisted on taking the fruit from my fingers and not the plate I had set out for her. “Everyone wants us to move in here, but that will not be happening. Your mother is an overpaid secretary, working for one of the nicest families on the planet. But you will learn as you get older, charity has an expiration date.”

Grace had mastered the ability to hold her own bottle months ago, but this morning she wanted Mommy to hold it for her as she leaned over the edge of her seat with her mouth open like a baby bird. “After we get you fed and cleaned up again, we’re going to go talk with the lady who owns this building, and make sure no one has made any arrangements on our behalf.”

Georgia and Carson were having coffee on their veranda when I knocked on the door. You didn’t stay in Charleston long and not know this building was the most sought after address for twenty somethings. Even with my generous salary and lack of other obligations, I would never be able to afford a broom closet in this building. Carson sprang to his feet as I walked in with Grace on my hip, insisting I take his chair while he got me a cup of coffee.

“Sleep agrees with you, Audrey. Been a few nights since you had a conversation with Mr. Sandman?” Grace reached out for the ceramic coffee pot as Carson returned with another cup. “And this little one got even bigger overnight.” Georgia reaches over to tickle Grace, distracting her from the white pot she’s still insistent on pulling off the table.

“She’s good at that, growing up while you’re not watching.” Georgia nodded her head as Carson made me a cup of coffee.

“So, I have a contract ready for you to sign, Claire wants to gift you the deposit and the rent she has already paid for the month.” I’m not surprised by the generosity, I am at who extended it. Chase had not come by last night, or called or texted this morning. His lack of going overboard in taking care of things was the final nail in the closed and secured door.

“I was actually coming to see if you had any leads on any openings outside of this building. While I appreciate the offer from Claire, it would still be a stretch for me to meet the monthly rent. I have a baby who takes priority on all my spending, and she deserves to have the best I can give.”

Georgia tilted her head to the side, “Audrey, there are always arrangements we can make. I’m surprised Chase didn’t beat you here this morning to write a check for you.”

Swallowing hard in an attempt to keep the hurt from showing in my voice, “Georgia I think we both live in the real world most of the time, don’t we?” Reaching out my hand to take hers. “No one missed the fact he didn’t come to Claire’s condo last night and, I’m not ashamed to admit, he hasn’t bothered to call and check on us this morning.”

Georgia looks away, and then squeezes my hand. “I hear Molly Green has finished remodeling her old photography studio into a rental.”

“All the utilities are included in the rent, as long as you’re careful with the electricity. My lawn guy comes every Tuesday and the pool man on Fridays.” Molly Green reminded me of an aging hippy. Her silver hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, the ends hitting just above her belt. A large straw hat concealed her face from the bright Charleston sun, and a pair of round sunglasses, she either wore to Woodstock, or found at a consignment shop, rested on the end of her nose.

“You’re welcome to use the garden and there is a park through that gate.” Molly’s back yard separated the main house from the most adorable cottage I’d ever seen. She told me of owning her own photography business until her eyes began to fail her. “Nobody wants a photo of what they really look like. Even with all the magnification I could download wasn’t enough to get rid of all the wrinkles sometimes.”

The cottage itself looked to be stolen out of a fairytale book. Soft gray siding surrounded the house, black plantation shutters sat vertical to each side of the windows. A stark white porch ran the length of the front of the house. Matching rattan furniture and a porch swing, brought forth the image of sitting with Grace as she played with her toys, decorating pumpkins, and baking Christmas cookies—all the things we had missed last year.

“Now the furniture isn’t new, but it’s sturdy. Anything you don’t have a use for, we can put in storage until you decide you’re leaving.” Miss Molly needn’t worry about the condition of the furnishings or needing to remove anything. I was instantly in love with the eclectic feel of every room. The crisp, clean tiny kitchen, with its white cabinets and butcher block counters. Oh, the things I could cook in that kitchen, the lessons I would give Grace as she grows into a young lady.

With a hug and exchange of money, this tiny slice of heaven is our new home. Rubbing the silver key between my fingers, I stand in the center of my new living room. Molly filled the room as if she was going to be living here, and not in the main house sixty feet away. There would be no late night parties or cops pounding on the door to arrest someone, no hopes of the food I’d bought being gone before I had a chance to enjoy it. As I scooped up Grace, her giggles filling the room, a sound I planned to have daily in this house. First order of business was to get my things from Claire’s, and then get a crib for Grace. For the first time in my life, I wouldn’t be looking over my shoulder, waiting for Lucas or one of his friends to hijack my plans.

I left Claire’s key with Georgia and Carson helped to pack the bags into my car. I would have loved to have been able to live there, but I needed to be on my own. “Don’t you be a stranger, just because you don’t live in the building doesn’t mean you don’t have an invitation to Friday tea.”

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