Roni

Chapter Seven

Sunday. Always a day to sit around doing nothing in a bar because most people are still tucked away in bed trying to nurse a hungover from the night before, maybe even from the past two nights.

Emma's out with Lucy and Roni has been cleaning her bar neurotically, hoping the new blonde will have a break through with that little girl. For some unknown reason, Roni has felt a deep, special bond with Lucy from the moment that little girl came barreling into her life. She's absolutely the sweetest little thing ever and it's almost impossible for her not to become too attached, especially after wanting a child of her own for so long. After having a woman like Victoria in that little girl's life, Roni feels the need to be a positive influence in her life and protect her.

Speak of the devil herself, Victoria is strolling through my bar right now.

"Roni, just the woman I need to speak with."

"Well this is my bar," the owner sarcastically quips. "What do you want?" She exhales, her eyes cast down to the bar top that isn't sticky at all, but apparently needs her attention.

"How well do you know this Emma woman?" The older woman interrogates with her skeptical, judging, eyebrow raised.

Roni rolls her eyes and continues methodically wiping down the counter in front of her. "Are you honestly that bored with life? You should come by here on Friday nights, meet a man...get laid." She could almost see the steam coming out of the woman's ears like some crazy cartoon character. However, Victoria resumes her little manipulative game and tosses a large Manila folder down onto the bar top. "What's this?"

"You're the one who has an answer for everything," Victoria retorts without a moment of hesitation.

Roni inhales a slow and steady breath as she attempts to calm herself, because this woman is beyond infuriating. Carefully, as though the item might actually contain a ticking time bomb, she picks up the folder and eyes the cruel woman one more time.

She pries open the folder to find a picture of Emma inside. Quickly her fingers snatch up the photograph, bringing it closer to her face so she can inspect every detail. Emma appears much younger than she is now. If Roni were to take a wild guess, her new roommate is around seventeen, maybe eighteen years old in the photo.

Roni shakes her head and sets the picture aside so she can gather the rest of the papers inside the folder. One sheet is a long list of homes and addresses, explaining without so many words that this blonde has moved around a lot. The longest home address was Tallahassee, which was many years ago. The next sheet is a prison record. Full lips twist to one side as she chews nervously on the inside of her cheek. This new information doesn't sit well with Roni, causing her to grow anxious at the idea of a criminal living in her home. So, her eyes frantically read the report, which only entails theft, but from what she can tell, it was a juvenile record.

She gingerly places the papers back inside and the photo on top before she closes the folder, not wanting to read anything else. None of this matters to her, Emma was a kid at the time. So, she hands the folder back over, but Victoria is reluctant to take it back.

"Here," Roni demands with force, waving the folder in front of the woman's nose.

"You didn't finish looking it over."

"I don't need to. That was when she was seventeen. She was a baby, leave her alone Victoria, people make mistakes."

"You want an ex con living in your home? I don't want her anywhere near my granddaughter," she informs, but Roni isn't the least bit amused or interested in the topic.

"I trust her and that's all that matters. She's a good person and she's good for Lucy. She's good for all of us," she insists, glaring at this spiteful woman before her. Roni can so clearly see Victoria's frustrations growing, because this isn't how she planned this conversation to play out. "I'm not going to let you come into my bar and insult my employee."