Serial cheat

12.

"So what do you think?."

"I'll take it thank you. It's the first job opportunity I've found in a month of trying." Aurora said.

"Well I could really do with a hand so can you start now?." Kelis asked.

Aurora smiled. "I would love to, thank you."

Aurora had been back at home in Harlem for a month. She had struggled despite looking to find work. Fidel had helped her out with money for rent for her mother. But he had told her expressly that it was a loan and as soon as she had her own check she would need to pay him back.

She picked up her cell as she went back to her locker to hang up her coat and bag. She called Fidel.
"I got the job." She said with a smile in her voice.

"There you go." He said to her. "Now you can start making yo own dough and stop relying on men to pay yo way!." He told her.

"I was gonna pop over to your place and meet your girl and baby?." She said.

"Yeah you can do that at the weekend.. I'll speak to you later." He said and ended the call.

Aurora hovered her thumb over James in her contact list. She missed him more than she ever thought she would. Not just the material things but him, himself. She wanted him to hold her in bed just as he used to. She always felt so shrouded and protected with him. She thought better of it and closed her cell, putting it in her bag and locking her locker door.

She made her way out to the shopfloor. She had managed to get herself a full time job working in a liquor store. It wasn't much and the pay wasn't great but it was more than what she had right now. And with her mother and Fidel on her back to make sure that she got a job, she was just about ready to take anything at this point.

"Okay, I'm ready." Aurora said to her co-worker Kelis Daniels.

"So this is our store, when we work here and we are on shift we own it. Now I will tell you, that this job is not for the fainthearted you get some head fucked people come in here and you just gotta learn how to deal with their issues." She told her as she gave her a tour of the store. "You will be expected to lock up a couple of times a week and take no shit from anyone, there is an alarm under the counter, if you press it, it will go straight through to the cops and they will be here within minutes."

Aurora raised her eyebrows. " it sounds to me like you're used to getting trouble around here?."

She nodded. "Unfortunately, although we sell convenience foods, we are a licensed liquor store and that means that we will always attract groups of teenagers and drunks and just idiots. There is a lot of selling of classes A drugs that goes on outside of this door, and I have asked them many times to move on, but they take absolutely no notice of me." She sighed and pursed her lips.
Kelis was a little younger than Aurora, but Aurora loved how confident she was and how she didn't take any shit.
"In fact I should be getting a visit any minute from my cousin, he's not the easiest of people, but he has a big name in these streets if you get my drift. He's going to help me put an end to these youngsters selling outside of my store." She added as she looked at her watch. "I've got some stock that you can start putting out for me, it's just by the store room door, you won't miss it." She said and walked back towards the front doors of the store to wait for the arrival of her cousin.

——————

"Well look at you, it's been a long time baby girl."

Kelis smiled at her cousin. "Always an entourage wherever you go." She said nodding her head to the group of teens and older men that had gathered outside. After seeing his Bugatti pull up.

He looked and then smirked. " I remember being just like them once upon a time." He looked back at Kelis. " so how can I help you?."

"Preston keeps dealing out here, I have asked him over and over again to stop but he just adds more youngins to the street. It is messing with everything, people won't come to the store, they are too scared." She said.

He nodded. "Aite. I hear you. I can talk to him and get this street cleaned up for you." He told her.

Aurora headed out from the back with the list of goods to be put out on the shelves. "Kelis Umm....
She stopped and said no more as she saw warren looking back at her.

His smile spread across his face. "Now this I didn't expect to see. Hello again Caria."

Kelis looked at her and him puzzled. "Caria?"

"Umm... I just wanted to know where you need me to put these, there is no shelf number on here." She said a little flustered and stumbled over her words as she tried not to look at Warren.

"Third aisle." She said but had a slight frown on her face wondering what was going on.

Warren looked at his cousin. "I'll be back in two seconds." He followed Aurora to the aisle she was stocking. He looked at her and she felt her colour rise.
" So are you going to tell me why yo super high maintenance ass is stocking shelves in my cousins store here in Harlem and not living the highlife in Manhattan?. Caria!." He said to her.

" can you just leave me alone please, I don't want to get into anything with anybody right now I'm busy."

"We'll get unbusy, my car is outside and I expect you to be in the passenger seat in the next five minutes. And I will take you somewhere that me and you can have a little talk." He told her. He walked back to the counter. " I need to talk to her, give her the afternoon off"

"What?.. Warren, she has literally just started." Kelis said to him.

" And I told you I need to talk to her, she'll be back bright and early tomorrow morning." He added.

"Okay, okay.. just make sure that you clean up the outside of my store like you said you would please."

"I'll do that" he said and walked out to his car.

Kelis looked at Aurora. "Well you better go, as I told you he ain't the easiest man, but you obviously know him already.. but I do expect to see you here again tomorrow morning at 8 am."

"I'll be here." Aurora said and went to grab her things from her locker.