Page 2 of Throw Away the Key
“I see you, friend.” She was always a sight to behold–the matte red lipstick on her lips brought her entire look together. The clean white collar of her blouse was flipped upward. “You're so stylish, Granny Marion,” Emma gushed, holding a hand out to her as they sat on the bench at the foot of Emma’s bed.
“So, what is it that we're going to tackle today?” The elder clasped her hands in her lap as her ankles crossed, as if on queue, looking around the room at the state of disorganization–assembled boxes and flat ones, random beauty products in piles, clothes scattered everywhere, and half of Emma’s books missing from their shelves.
“We're gonna put some boxes together, and I think I need to make a pile of things to purge. I've got clothes and shoes that I need to get together to donate, though I think I could probably do away with half of the stuff in this closet.”
“Well, just make sure you're not donating my clothes,” Zora warned. More often than not, Emma found her way into Zora’s closet to discreetly borrow some of the more colorful pieces of her friend’s wardrobe. In most instances, the articles of clothing were never seen again.
Granny looked between the two. “What were y'all talking about when I came up here?”
“Get this–Emma said she's gotten rid of the roster.”
“Have you?” Granny perked up. “Got bored with the gentlemen?”
Emma’s shoulders bounced in response. “Yeah, it was time–the connections just stayed on the surface, so there wasn’t any potential.”
“Well, I might know some people that I could connect you with depending on what it is you're looking for at the moment,” Granny winked. “I met a couple of young men the other day when I was visiting the fitness center, and they were being trained by this lovely young lady with the cutest little posterior.”
Zora’s eyes widened.
“I really need to go to the gym with you sometime,” Emma grinned at Granny.
Granny giggled and raised her index finger, she and Emma pressing the pads of their fingers together in their own mini high five.
“Here you two go,” Zora muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Listen, this is just how we roll,” Granny said, pointing a finger at her granddaughter. “You know she's leaving because of you.”
“Granny!” Zora wailed, her face bright crimson. “Because of me?”
“Well, you do holler, baby. You gotta know that if your window's open, I'mma hear you–I’d be surprised if the neighbors didn’t hear that encore performance this morning,” Marion nodded, a matter of fact expression on her face.
“Lord,” Zora groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. “I think I need to soundproof my room.”
“If she did that, would you stay?” Granny gently rested a hand on Emma's knee.
She shook her head. “Honestly, I think I need to do this, and I'm excited. This is the first time that I’ve ever lived alone–I lived in the dorms and then I moved in here and lived with you and Zora. And I just want to have this experience before whatever comes next. I think it'll be good for me!” She smiled brightly. “A new adventure.”
Emma had been lucky, because she always had a strong support system. Whether she was on the West Coast with her family or on the East Coast with Zora’s, she had people she could depend on. None of that would change if she got her own place, and though Zora never saw her as a burden, it wasn’t lost on Emma how much her best friend did for her without even thinking about it. Zora had mentioned the possibility of expanding and opening a second bookstore in the future, and Emma wanted to be the obvious frontrunner to manage that new location when it happened.Why not start with my own household?
“And besides, I've saved so much money living here with you all, eating all your food and doing all the things… it's time for me to be a grownup.”
“That's fair, and we will absolutely come over and raid your fridge,” Zora chuckled. “But, seriously, just know you can always come back.” She reached for Emma’s hand to give it a squeeze.
“Thank you. I appreciate that, sis.”
“Well, I'm excited. Just make sure that you're not too far away because I want to come visit. I gotta keep up with my bestie,” Granny smiled sweetly.
“Of course! You’ll both have keys and an open invitation. Now, let's get started,” Emma scrambled to her feet as Granny leaned forward and held a box before her on the floor.
“Let's put some of those items from your desk in here.”
Zora began rifling through Emma's closet. “See, half of these things in here are mine!”
Emma turned and grimaced at Granny who winked conspiratorially.
“Hi, I saw an ad about the apartment available in your building, and I was curious whether you had time for someone to come by and visit?”
“Yes. When are you thinking of coming by?” The shortness of tone made Emma sit up straighter.
