Secret Sister Signs

1955: Painful Farewell

Lucy was on the back porch, miserably staring into the garden from her perch on the swing. Her heart was so heavy, she was surprised she just didn't plummet through the floor into the ground, dragged down and drowned by her remorse and guilt.

"Lucy?" It was Marcos. "Could I talk to you for a minute?" She slowly nodded. Marcos settled on the swing beside her. "So... are you going to re-open this joint or what? What's the plan?"

She shook her head. "I don't have a plan," those words tasted like poison, but she carried on. "This place is an unholy nightmare. I don't even have any money, I..." she trailed off, too embarrassed and in pain to go on.

"Nah, the house isn't in that bad of shape," he tried to assure her. "The lawn just needs a little trim, a window needs replaced, the fence could stand a little mending -"

"Marcos, stop," she hung her head with shame. "I don't want to hear how things will be good again, perhaps I... deserve this mess." She bit her lip in thought.

She had been so judgmental in the beginning. She couldn't believe how horribly wrong she had been, about everything! 

It left her confidence shaken to the core; she couldn't even trust herself anymore. That was a haunting realization. She was so wrong about everything... 

She glanced at Mr. Gemlings. "I'm so sorry, Marcos, I...I just can't stop making a fool of myself, I suppose. I feel like such an idiot. I mean, I thought I was smarter than this!" She exclaimed.

"Hey, don't let me hear you talk like that, Luc," he said gently. "You're a sensational woman, strong as an ox and twice as stubborn."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She shot him an incredulous look.

He smiled faintly. "I wanna help you out."

"No," she said quickly and looked away. "I...can't accept any more help."

"Why not? I want to."

"Marcos...I can't have you helping me all the time!" She snapped. 

A moment of silence followed. 

Lucy calmly exhaled. "I'm sorry, I'm just so...used to doing everything myself by now that I just don't know how to let someone help. It's for the best anyway," she cleared her throat. "Now then, I have to ask you to leave. Leave the house, that is. All the borders have been evicted and you must go too. Besides, wasn't it your mission all along to prove me wrong about Dillard? Well, you were right. David is a crook. I know that." I know.

"I still gotta pay you for rent."

"Rent?" She scowled. "Stop being absurd, Gemlings..."

He smiled with a wink as he took his checkbook from his jacket. "I enjoy being absurd." He jotted something down then handed it to her proudly. "All paid up, my fair lady."

Lucy sighed as she took it...and then reread the alarming amount. Her heart raced as she tried to figure out how he came up with such a number. She did some quick mathematics and realized that he was paying her for all the weeks they'd spent in Africa. "You can't give me this! You weren't even staying here! That's robbery! What are you, insane?" She demanded and shoved the check at him, he didn't take it back.

He just shrugged. "Really, money doesn't matter to me. Besides, it matters to you. You'll be able to get back on your feet with that. And I deducted the amount you owe me from that, for like, the tickets, the meals, whatever, so we're all good here. Even Steven. You don't owe me a thing."