It's a Service, Really (On Hold)

4. The Mysterious Connoisseur

Chapter 4

The Mysterious Connoisseur

***

It was a day later and I was still mulling over the whole Jay thing. Sweet kid, but that's all I had to say about him.

Well... that's all I was going to allow myself to say about him.

I'd stayed with him for another half hour, sitting there and "relaxing." I couldn't handle the silence for any longer than that though and left promptly to get home to my sister.

I'd woken up recently, at about five O'clock. It was a school day for Danielle, a Monday. She was in seventh grade. It was my job to wake her up, hopefully without a fight today. She was very moody recently, especially when it concerned her now valuable sleep.

"Danielle," I called, getting up from the tiny kitchen table, taking my coffee with me. "Wake up!" I said once I was standing outside of her door. She had one arm draped over the edge of her bed, almost touching the floor with her fingertips, her unpolished nails practically flicking at the carpet. She was face down and smothered into her pillow, sound asleep.

"Wake up, sis," I repeated, still standing in the doorway and touching the light switch, my hand threatening to adjust it to wake her from her slumber.

"No," was the gurgled response that came from under the sheets.

"Danielle," I said in a taunting, ringing voice.

"No."

"That's it," I muttered, an evil air to my tone, and then finally took the plunge, turning the terror-striking lights on.

"This isn't okay," mumbled my sister, wrenching herself from the bed and pulling herself to her feet.

"Yes, it is!" I paused, beginning to walk away, and then called, "because it worked!" I let out a cackle.

I had been up for an hour and a half already, which I did every morning. I'd already had two cups of some strong coffee and was ready for my day. Early mornings were pertinent so I could do work on my laptop for the service without Danielle's constant pestering about what I was working on.

I loved her, but she killed me sometimes with her curiosity.

I took my place back at the table, hoping that she was awake and getting ready for her own day. "You best be in that bathroom changing by now!"

"Yeah, yeah..." I could hear the distant sounds of a toothbrush rocking against her teeth.

"Mhhm." Bringing the mug back to my face, I sipped the last bit of the warm, black coffee. Now I was really ready to conquer today.

My optimism was a favorite part of my personality. That's what made it so easy to be upbeat. I was practically a mother to my sister; I had to act like this, but I was perfectly fine doing it. I loved being so happy-go-lucky, even if it was more of a mask to how I was really feeling sometimes, but I usually even fooled myself. This trait made it easy to date all of the men I saw – I had to act a little cocky to make myself "seductive" and the optimism was really what made it so easy.

Fifteen minutes later, me still clacking away on the computer, Danielle strolled out of the bathroom. Her hair was in a battered pony-tail and she had her typical middle school attire on – jeans and a t-shirt, just like every other kid.