must move along. The showâs over. Those two old women have gone.â
And thatâs when she realized they had.
He didnât wait to see if she moved or not. Instantly, heâd moved on to a few other stragglers, urging them to vacate the front of the Luxor lest they give the hotel a bad name. Among the onlookers, Zipporah suddenly recognized two of the other women from her current shelter, so she rushed away before they called out to her. She didnât want to be associated with homelessness, even though the nondescript building gave her free shelter at night.
There must be something better in store for me, were the words she repeated every day. Zipporah held her head proud and shifted the weight from a beige knock-off Coach pocketbook that only seemed to make her faded lemon yellow short set more noticeable. With her mind still on a better life, she walked a few yards past the Luxor and then noticed a ten-dollar bill lying next to a trash receptacle.
Quickly, Zipporah let the bag drop from her arm onto the sidewalk. She stumbled slightly to give the impression the bag fell by accident. With skills honed by finding only fleeting pieces of happiness in her young life, Zipporah hurriedly stooped and snatched up the ten dollars along with her bag.
As she blended into the crowd of the well dressed and the fortunate, Zipporahâs mind raced. Yesterday was the last time sheâd eaten, the memory causing her stomach to growl loudly. Sheâd hurried from the shelter early that morning, as she did most mornings. Months ago, sheâd decided to forgo the unappealing and almost nutritious breakfasts and gamble on finding something better in the streets. There was always a church buffet happening or something akin to it.
With a grumbling empty stomach and clothes clean but outdated, sheâd also gone on unsuccessful job interviews. Twice within a yearâs time, sheâd found temporary work that was much too temporary for her to show off her office skills. Pretending to diet so as not to go out with the other employees and spend her limited funds on lunch became her norm.
An accidental shove from a passerby again interrupted her thoughts. With the ten dollars sheâd just found and the twenty dollars she had pinned to her brassiere, she felt a sudden purpose to her steps. Thirty dollars would have to last.
She was also on her way to audition. She sometimes sang at a few local dives that only paid tips. Today, she had a real chance, a better opportunity to get a job with one of the hotel musical revues that paid weekly.
If I land this job, Iâll only have to make this last until payday. Itâs Monday, I can hold on until Friday. Lord, please allow me to get this job. She purposely omitted asking God if it was His will, because she couldnât imagine a God that would continue to let her linger in her present state when she was trying so hard to get out.
Another loud rumble stirred in her stomach as she approached the side entrance to the Luxor Hotel. A quick look at the large clock in the corner told her that she was ten minutes early. At the very least, it would show them that she was dependable and serious.
Zipporah retrieved her sheet music from her bag. She smiled and carefully straightened its overused edges. Entering the hotel, she found where she needed to go and pushed the elevator button to the fourth floor. She allowed herself to relax as she stood against the back wall of the elevator and waited for the doors to close.
8
Bea and Sasha registered at the front desk without incident. Given their room numbers and personal keycards, they left their luggage for a later delivery and headed toward the elevators.
Several people from the anxious crowd, moments before attracted to the mysterious celebrities, had managed to sneak into the lobby. They crushed and circled the women, blocking their entry onto the elevator, and shamelessly asked them for autographs.
Of course, Bea and
And thatâs when she realized they had.
He didnât wait to see if she moved or not. Instantly, heâd moved on to a few other stragglers, urging them to vacate the front of the Luxor lest they give the hotel a bad name. Among the onlookers, Zipporah suddenly recognized two of the other women from her current shelter, so she rushed away before they called out to her. She didnât want to be associated with homelessness, even though the nondescript building gave her free shelter at night.
There must be something better in store for me, were the words she repeated every day. Zipporah held her head proud and shifted the weight from a beige knock-off Coach pocketbook that only seemed to make her faded lemon yellow short set more noticeable. With her mind still on a better life, she walked a few yards past the Luxor and then noticed a ten-dollar bill lying next to a trash receptacle.
Quickly, Zipporah let the bag drop from her arm onto the sidewalk. She stumbled slightly to give the impression the bag fell by accident. With skills honed by finding only fleeting pieces of happiness in her young life, Zipporah hurriedly stooped and snatched up the ten dollars along with her bag.
As she blended into the crowd of the well dressed and the fortunate, Zipporahâs mind raced. Yesterday was the last time sheâd eaten, the memory causing her stomach to growl loudly. Sheâd hurried from the shelter early that morning, as she did most mornings. Months ago, sheâd decided to forgo the unappealing and almost nutritious breakfasts and gamble on finding something better in the streets. There was always a church buffet happening or something akin to it.
With a grumbling empty stomach and clothes clean but outdated, sheâd also gone on unsuccessful job interviews. Twice within a yearâs time, sheâd found temporary work that was much too temporary for her to show off her office skills. Pretending to diet so as not to go out with the other employees and spend her limited funds on lunch became her norm.
An accidental shove from a passerby again interrupted her thoughts. With the ten dollars sheâd just found and the twenty dollars she had pinned to her brassiere, she felt a sudden purpose to her steps. Thirty dollars would have to last.
She was also on her way to audition. She sometimes sang at a few local dives that only paid tips. Today, she had a real chance, a better opportunity to get a job with one of the hotel musical revues that paid weekly.
If I land this job, Iâll only have to make this last until payday. Itâs Monday, I can hold on until Friday. Lord, please allow me to get this job. She purposely omitted asking God if it was His will, because she couldnât imagine a God that would continue to let her linger in her present state when she was trying so hard to get out.
Another loud rumble stirred in her stomach as she approached the side entrance to the Luxor Hotel. A quick look at the large clock in the corner told her that she was ten minutes early. At the very least, it would show them that she was dependable and serious.
Zipporah retrieved her sheet music from her bag. She smiled and carefully straightened its overused edges. Entering the hotel, she found where she needed to go and pushed the elevator button to the fourth floor. She allowed herself to relax as she stood against the back wall of the elevator and waited for the doors to close.
8
Bea and Sasha registered at the front desk without incident. Given their room numbers and personal keycards, they left their luggage for a later delivery and headed toward the elevators.
Several people from the anxious crowd, moments before attracted to the mysterious celebrities, had managed to sneak into the lobby. They crushed and circled the women, blocking their entry onto the elevator, and shamelessly asked them for autographs.
Of course, Bea and
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