Sara finished washing her hot chocolate mug in her new low sink, placed it in the dish drainer, and pulled the plug. She’d never realized how easy it could be. She could actually see what she was doing and she didn’t have any bulky ramp taking up valuable space in her kitchen.
She wiped down the new stainless steel sink and faucets. They sure looked better than the old scratched and stained ones she’d had before. And the granite counters were amazing. She didn’t ask how much the upgrades had cost Xanthus, but she could tell they were expensive. Sara felt a twinge of guilt. With the threat of war, she knew being excited about a new kitchen was a pretty frivolous thing.
Sara could hear Xanthus bumping around his apartment as he once again rearranged his furniture. No matter where he put his things, the apartment wasn’t going to get any bigger. He was just going to have to deal with the lack of space. She knew that she’d been all for his moving in to the apartment building, but that was before she had a chance to think about how big he was and how small the apartments were. She tried to tell him he didn’t need to move in here, that she could take care of herself, but he refused to listen.
Sara wheeled over to her little kitchen table, turned on her laptop, and clicked on the web-creator program. Bills still had to be paid and work needed to be done. She only had a couple of minor changes on the latest web design. This job had taken up the better part of the last several weeks and Sara was so ready to be done.
She smiled as she pulled up the finished web site online and looked. The pages were well organized, the graphics were amazing, and she checked off each requirement given her by Steve Rowling, the owner of Rowling’s Bowling and Billiards. She clicked through each page and was more than satisfied with the finished product.
Wow. She may have hit an all-time high. This was her best web site yet. She’d even gotten a bowling ball to roll across the screen, revealing the name of the bowling alley and then, after the ball rolls off the screen, you heard the sound of pins dropping.
Sara shut down her computer and put it in her computer bag. She was ready for her meeting. Mr. Rowling will be bowled over by her design. She chuckled at her own joke.
She rolled by the refrigerator, promising she’d stock it when she got her paycheck. It was just in time, too. Her refrigerator and cupboard were bare. If she’d had to wait one more day, she’d be eating her last can of baked beans for lunch.
Thank goodness, Xanthus had taken her out to eat or caught her dinner this last week, or she’d have run out of food long before now.
She pushed the speed dial on her new cellphone, “Hello Mou, did you get it finished?” Xanthus’s warm voice made her smile.
“Yeah, and it looks great. I’m going to start showing this design as an example of my work. I think this will help me get more jobs. I’m sure Mr. Rowling will be happy. I’ve got an appointment with him in just a few minutes to pick up my check.”
“All right, Mou. I’ll be right over.”
“Xanthus, you don’t need to. I mean, I appreciate how concerned you are about me, but this time it’s not necessary. Mr. Rowling seems like an okay guy and he owns a successful business. How bad could he be? I’m meeting him at a café just down the street and it’s in the middle of the afternoon.”
“Sara, just because he’s successful doesn’t mean he’s not trouble. And he’s meeting you in a café in this neighborhood?” Xanthus didn’t need to say more than that. He’d learned many things about the neighborhood in the last couple of weeks—none of them good. Sara knew this because he took it upon himself to inform her, going into great detail about what horrible nightmares awaited her if she ever became careless or complacent.
