Now, more than ever.
Although, if Annie was being brutally honest, she had a similar devotion to her son. No parent admits to having a favourite, and Annie would never confess the fact to another living soul, but Greg had always been her special little boy. She loved them both, of course she did, and she would do anything for either of them, particularly so after the accident, but there was just something about her son that made her love him that little bit more.
He was so open and caring, in a way Kim had never been. At least not with her mother. Greg would always welcome her with open arms, a huge grin on his face as she enveloped him in a warm hug. When he was younger, he would sit on her lap and cuddle her for hours. Even now, he was so much more tactile and affectionate than his sister.
“You ready to make a move?” Ray asked his daughter.
“Sure thing, Daddy.” She said, slipping off the stool, her short skirt riding up her legs, revealing a pair of light blue panties.
“Isn’t it a bit early?” Annie queried, looking at her watch.
“I’ve got to get in for a Skype meeting we’re having with Singapore. Time difference means we’ve got to catch them early.”
“I don’t mind, Mom.” Kim said. “I can study a little before class. And I love spending time with my Daddy.”
“Awww, thank you sweetheart.” Ray replied, reaching out to take his daughter’s hand and kissing it lightly.
“Oh please, get lost before I throw up.” Annie exclaimed. “You two are nauseating.”
Kim and Ray laughed. He came round the kitchen table and kissed his wife on the cheek.
“See you tonight, honey.” He whispered in her ear.
“Okay. Love you.”
“Same here.”
A few seconds later they were gone, and Annie considered what her plans were for the day, or at least what she might do for the next hour or so.
I think I might have a nice bath, she thought to herself, before heading upstairs.
2
It was fair to say that the Clemence family lived in one of the swisher parts of town. They weren’t rich exactly, but they were reasonably well off. A nice house, a couple of cars, a pool in the backyard. Ray worked his balls off to keep them all in the lifestyle they had become accustomed to; he felt it necessary to provide for his family.
A few miles away from the pleasant little cul-de-sac the Clemences called home was a somewhat less salubrious area, known as Cotton Heights. It consisted of some pretty rundown houses, an elementary school that had closed years earlier, and a strip mall, where half the businesses were boarded up. Behind it was a row of storage units, effectively secure garages, one for every store.
Ray had noticed them a few months earlier, and one morning, almost on a whim, he had stopped outside the strip mall, and ventured into a just-about-surviving drugstore, to make some inquiries. He had been in luck, since the owner of that establishment – perhaps the only drugstore in town that hadn’t been bought out by CVS or Walgreens – happened to own three of the aforementioned garages. He was more than happy to rent one out to Ray for a nominal fee. He was also happy to accept cash in hand, just to keep everything quiet and below board.
wpDiscuz