Wicked Little Sins

Charley

"I will be on the first flight out, Dad," Charley reassured her father. She balanced the phone on her shoulder the best she could, stuffing her clothes into her suitcase.

Her father was lost, no longer having a woman in the home. His wife had recently died and he needed his children. Charley was trying her best to rush back to Ohio to help him feel better.

It pained her to know she had to go home. She left five years ago and never looked back. Even though she was a city girl from birth, New York City was where this city girl was meant to be.

Charley had excelled in school and made her move to New York as soon as she was able. She loved her job and was the youngest editor at Empire Publishing Company. Living in New York had afforded her the ability to dabble in fashion and music. Little luxuries such as painting her toenails, soaking in a hot bubble bath, or coming home to the same man every night didn't fit her plans at the moment. She was living the dream and loved every minute of her fast-paced life.

"I'll see you around seven, Dad," she said.

It was almost time to go. With one more survey of her condo, she was all set. She checked her watch one last time, and gave herself a good stare down in her antique mirror. Her long and perfectly groomed hair spilled over her shoulders. Perfect described Charley in a nutshell—perfect and simple, she thought, a serious expression on her beautiful face.

Charley didn't realize just how alluring and wholesome she looked. Nor did she understand the hoots and hollers she often received from men as she walked down the streets, or the way men stumbled for words when they tried to speak to her. It made her uneasy at times. She thought of herself as nothing exceptional, just a small-town girl living in the big city. She had despised her large breasts and long legs since her preteen years. She's even tried to not bring attention to her lovely full lips. A lot of people saw her as the epitome of a wholesome beauty, but Charley found their stares rude and she hated feeling like a piece of meat.

Charley squinted her brown eyes and slipped on her sunglasses as she made her way to the elevator. The sun was doing its best to hold on, but the clouds were beginning to roll in. Rain was evident on the horizon and ready to fall down on all the New Yorkers hustling about to and fro.

New York was chaotic with its throng of traffic, blowing horns and a cacophony of sound. Charley wasn't bothered by it. She found it actually eased her mind, putting her in a state of peace.

Charley gave a quick wave by the curb, stopping two taxis in an instant. She pulled her suitcase quickly behind her, making a beeline for the trunk. She was not one who ever admitted she needed, or asked for, help. The taxi driver took a hint, getting back inside the cab as he observed Charley in all her self-sufficiency.

Sighing, she nestled herself into the seat of the airport-bound taxi, her mind on going home. She hadn't been back in years and she feared it was going to invoke past anxieties. She'd made it her goal a long time ago to leave the stress at the door. As a result, she was a much happier person. Stress could simply eat at your mind, body, and soul.

"Business or pleasure?" the cab driver asked, looking at her in the rear-view mirror. He waited patiently for her reply.

"Business," Charley spoke up, looking back to the window.

It had been three days since her mother's brutal murder. Charley never imagined she wouldn't be seeing her mother again, nor could she have dreamed she'd be part of such an unbearable crime. The knowledge was numbing and she didn't know how to deal with the emotions it invoked. She simply didn't know how to deal with the loss, but had made a silent deal with herself to stay strong—for her dad especially.