Bird

xiii

"You can have only one chocolate each",I say to Merce who keeps asking for candy.

" But…" ,

"Merce don't be stubborn,I don't have all day mommy has to get to work",I say as I keep looking at my old wrist watch. Jane said to meet her at 4 PM and I only had half an hour left. I have no time to cook for them so I bought frozen pizza instead.

She reluctantly puts back the rest of the chocolates she held in her hands and only remained with one.
"Ain't you getting one too Caleb?", I ask him and he shakes his head.

" Chocolate is bad for the teeth, cavities mean a trip to the dentist",he says,he is right and a trip to the dentist means more money we have no insurance whatsoever. "But it's okay Merce can have two chocolates since she still has some of her baby teeth", he says and rubs her head gently.

" Really?", she says, her eyes twinkling in happiness.

But it's crushing to know that I can't even buy candy for them, buying chocolate means we will be a few P's short.
We go to the counter and the lady there eyes me before finally telling me how much everything costs.

We head to the car with Caleb helping me carry the groceries. When we get into the truck I reach into my pocket and take out the bar of chocolate I snuck into my pocket and extend it to him.

He receives it and I start the engine after many attempts. "I'll be back a little bit late. Caleb, you're in charge, make sure not to open the door to anyone and get what grandma needs when she rings the bell. You know my number right?", I ask and he nods his head. " Call me if something goes wrong".

I leave after warming the frozen pizza and locking the door behind me. I could put Polly's house on rent but new people rarely move here.

I arrive at the coffee shop and find Jane wanting,she immediately hops in when she sees me.
"Trust me you'll never regret this",she says and we set off.

We arrive outside a building painted black with a neon sign of a naked lady riding a phone. I take a deep breath to calm my uneasiness. I've never been on a poll but took a pole dancing class with LeDuché. We entered through the back door and I followed closely as she led me to speak to the owner of the place.

The owner was a bold short chubby guy, from the way he dressed I could tell he didn't want to accept that he no longer had his youth.

"Papa", Jane called out and the man turned his attention to us.

"Jane my darling,give Papa some sugar",he said and Jane gave him a peck on the lips.

" This is the girl I told you about",she says and turns to me.

" You must be Raven,give Papa some sugar",he says,I hesitate and look at Jane and she motions me to do it with her eyes.
I brace myself and give him a quick peck, resisting the urge to wrinkle my face because of his strong cheap cologne.

" Jane praised you so much but honestly I can't see anything in those horrid clothes you're wearing", he turns and rummages through some random draw and takes out a two piece outfit that looks like little clothes held concurrently by string.

"Jane I can't possibly wear this ",

"Do you want the money or not?", She says as she does her makeup. I swallow hard and head into the bathroom to begin changing into the outfit.

"Hurry up, in there!"Jane rushed me.
I finally worked up the nerve to walk out of the bathroom.

"Why are you helping me? What's in it for you?", I ask, attempting to cover myself with my hands.