Being Mrs. Kane

Chapter 3

It's sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew.
            -Henry Rollins

Every time I think of how much my life sucks, I try to count my blessings. Although, they aren't much.

It was at times like this I appreciated the little things that mattered. I still had Dean, even though he is not the brother I used to know.

I was still upset when I arrived at Shelby's Home for the Elderly. That was the effect of my visit to the State's Prison. A harbor for criminals and offenders and it was starting to dawn on me that my brother was now one of them. One of the people who are destined to waste away in their orange uniforms, in the tiny portion of their cells.

Hopeless, was how I feel.

I was broken and my heart swirled with emotions ranging from guilt to anger and sadness– terrible sadness choking me slowly. Leaving the city was not an option because he'll surely find me. Jack Adams always do. 

"Your foot is all better now, so I can hand over the duty of walking Pete through the garden back to you," Molly's husky voice pulled me out of my brooding. I chuckled as I caught the woolen blanket she tossed at me.

"You know Pete adores you," I teased and she winced.

"Sure he does."

I shook my head as I headed for Pete's room, I could hear Molly's laughter.

Pete guffawed immediately I brought him his blanket.

"LOL!" He exclaimed.

"Gosh Pete, you don't talk in abbreviations, LOL means laughing out loud and since people can't hear you laugh when texting, you use it," I patiently explained to sixty seven year old Pete.

He was my favorite in Shelby's Home for the elderly, even at his age he was one of the liveliest person I have ever met. 

Shelby's Home was my first job after quitting as a waitress at Rhino Lounge. One would think leaving that horrible bar was a good thing, an opportunity to start again, but it was just the beginning of a very unhappy life and being neck-deep indebted to the one person I hated most in the world just makes my life one of a kind.

"Why can't I use it? Ryan uses it," He protested.

Ryan was his sixteen years old granddaughter that visited frequently.

"I still don't think it's used verbally, you know how your granddaughter can be."

He gave a deep laughter that reminded me of Santa Claus but in a kangol hat and a cotton sweater with an eye-reaching smile that tends to make him look younger and his russet-brown skin glow.

"It's a thing with the cool Kids, you know?"

I snorted.

"Ryan's a popular kid now, she told me she trended for five minutes on that phone app where y'all young people gossip." He wagged a bony finger at me.

"Twitter." I provided him with the name of the young people's gossip app.

"Yeah that one, now my little girl think she made it."

I chuckled suddenly remembering the last visit from 16 year old Ryan. She was taking photos and recording virtually everything that catches her fancy.

"Maybe she has." This time Pete Snorted. "Want a stroll in the garden?"

"No, you can get to work, so you can catch some rest early," He gestured to my already healed foot.