“Are you okay, Gloria?” Erin asked, leaning over to see me inside the kitchen.
“Something was hard to swallow,” I said.
“Things blew up with my mother when she found out I was pregnant,” Erin said. “She put me through college by herself. She can’t believe I let this happen.”
“Does she know you’re in town?” Miriam asked.
Erin nodded. “We haven’t talked much, though. I moved here and was living with my best friend from college. I didn’t have anyplace else to go. But a couple of months ago her boyfriend moved to Colorado for his job and she followed him there.”
“Leaving you to pay the rent alone,” Miriam said. She shook her head, slapping her thighs. “You can’t trust anyone anymore. Remember that next time. You can’t even trust—”
I popped my head inside the living room, talking over Miriam. “And you have no idea where your boyfriend is?”
“I’ve tried to find him through former employers and the Internet, but haven’t had any luck.”
“He’s a ninny and a dolt,” Miriam said. “A worthless combination.”
I topped Miriam’s voice as I took the cup out of the microwave. “Was he a serious boyfriend, or just…” I let my voice trail off.
“I thought we were serious,” Erin said, her voice rising. “You can see what he thought of me. How stupid am I?”
I poured cocoa into the mug and stirred it, adding marshmallows to the top. “You’re not stupid.” I handed the cup to Erin and sat beside her. “You just wanted to believe in love. Who doesn’t want that?”
Erin shook her head. “Not him. Not any guy today.”
Mike was in front of Wilson’s again when Chaz arrived for work. He saw Chaz coming but stayed put, leaning against the wall. “Chaz.”
“Hi, Mike,” Chaz said.
“Don’t worry. I’m not loitering.”
Chaz laughed and walked toward the entrance. “Where are you from? Kentucky? Georgia? I can’t tell.”
“Somewhere around there.”
“Do you work anywhere?” Chaz asked.
“Sometimes. The industrial plant needs help once a week unloading a shipment. A few of us show up and they pay us that day. It gets me through the week. I don’t need much.” His beard was thicker than it had been earlier in the week, and Chaz noticed dirt in the creases around his eyes. He wondered where he showered.
“How long have you been…”
“On the street?” Mike said. “Six or seven years. It’s easy to lose track.”
“Does your family know where you are?”
Mike shook his head and blew into his hands; a small puff of smoke spread out in front of him. “Better that way.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Chaz shift from one foot to the other. “You don’t have to try to say anything.”
Chaz opened the door to Wilson’s and for the first time in years wished he did have something to say.
“Four to six weeks! You must be mad!” I stuck my head out of the bedroom at the same time that Erin did. We looked at each other from across the hall and listened to Miriam. I strained to see my watch and groaned; it was too early in the morning to be listening to more of Miriam’s drama. “I did hear you, but how long could it possibly take to rip up floorboards, replace carpeting, and hang new drywall?” We crept down the stairs and saw Miriam cradling the phone. She looked haggard and worn. “It’s destroyed,” she said. “Some of it can be saved, but most of it has too much water damage.”
For the first time in our relationship I felt something other than aversion for Miriam. “I’m so sorry,” I said.
“Insurance will cover two weeks in a hotel, but who wants to stay in one of the hotels around here?”
I couldn’t believe what I was about to say. “You could stay here.”
She threw her hands in the air. “My life couldn’t get any worse than it is right now.”
I turned to go back upstairs. “Well then, breakfast is promptly at seven thirty and dinner is at six,” I said. “If you live
“Something was hard to swallow,” I said.
“Things blew up with my mother when she found out I was pregnant,” Erin said. “She put me through college by herself. She can’t believe I let this happen.”
“Does she know you’re in town?” Miriam asked.
Erin nodded. “We haven’t talked much, though. I moved here and was living with my best friend from college. I didn’t have anyplace else to go. But a couple of months ago her boyfriend moved to Colorado for his job and she followed him there.”
“Leaving you to pay the rent alone,” Miriam said. She shook her head, slapping her thighs. “You can’t trust anyone anymore. Remember that next time. You can’t even trust—”
I popped my head inside the living room, talking over Miriam. “And you have no idea where your boyfriend is?”
“I’ve tried to find him through former employers and the Internet, but haven’t had any luck.”
“He’s a ninny and a dolt,” Miriam said. “A worthless combination.”
I topped Miriam’s voice as I took the cup out of the microwave. “Was he a serious boyfriend, or just…” I let my voice trail off.
“I thought we were serious,” Erin said, her voice rising. “You can see what he thought of me. How stupid am I?”
I poured cocoa into the mug and stirred it, adding marshmallows to the top. “You’re not stupid.” I handed the cup to Erin and sat beside her. “You just wanted to believe in love. Who doesn’t want that?”
Erin shook her head. “Not him. Not any guy today.”
Mike was in front of Wilson’s again when Chaz arrived for work. He saw Chaz coming but stayed put, leaning against the wall. “Chaz.”
“Hi, Mike,” Chaz said.
“Don’t worry. I’m not loitering.”
Chaz laughed and walked toward the entrance. “Where are you from? Kentucky? Georgia? I can’t tell.”
“Somewhere around there.”
“Do you work anywhere?” Chaz asked.
“Sometimes. The industrial plant needs help once a week unloading a shipment. A few of us show up and they pay us that day. It gets me through the week. I don’t need much.” His beard was thicker than it had been earlier in the week, and Chaz noticed dirt in the creases around his eyes. He wondered where he showered.
“How long have you been…”
“On the street?” Mike said. “Six or seven years. It’s easy to lose track.”
“Does your family know where you are?”
Mike shook his head and blew into his hands; a small puff of smoke spread out in front of him. “Better that way.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Chaz shift from one foot to the other. “You don’t have to try to say anything.”
Chaz opened the door to Wilson’s and for the first time in years wished he did have something to say.
“Four to six weeks! You must be mad!” I stuck my head out of the bedroom at the same time that Erin did. We looked at each other from across the hall and listened to Miriam. I strained to see my watch and groaned; it was too early in the morning to be listening to more of Miriam’s drama. “I did hear you, but how long could it possibly take to rip up floorboards, replace carpeting, and hang new drywall?” We crept down the stairs and saw Miriam cradling the phone. She looked haggard and worn. “It’s destroyed,” she said. “Some of it can be saved, but most of it has too much water damage.”
For the first time in our relationship I felt something other than aversion for Miriam. “I’m so sorry,” I said.
“Insurance will cover two weeks in a hotel, but who wants to stay in one of the hotels around here?”
I couldn’t believe what I was about to say. “You could stay here.”
She threw her hands in the air. “My life couldn’t get any worse than it is right now.”
I turned to go back upstairs. “Well then, breakfast is promptly at seven thirty and dinner is at six,” I said. “If you live
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