“For fuck’s sake, Ginny. You expect me to help you after shitting on me since the day we met?”
“No,” she said through tears. “I know I don’t deserve your help, but I don’t really have a choice. It’s taken me a week to build up the courage to ask.”
I looked at her more closely and shook my head. She looked dirty. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, and it looked unclean and gross.
“When was the last time you had a shower?”
“The day I left my house. I’ve been washing in fast food restaurant bathrooms.”
‘Fuck!’ I yelled in my mind.
She was the queen of the bitches, but she was desperate. She had to be to ask for my help. I knew she didn’t have any family, and I assumed her friends went away when her money did.
I knew I had to do something to help. I couldn’t leave her homeless; it wasn’t in me to kick an injured dog like that. I surprised myself by making the decision so easily, however.
“Fine. I have a guest bedroom you can use until you’re back on your feet. The first sign of disrespect, and your ass is out the door.”
I could’ve just given her some money and sent her on her way, but that would only be a temporary fix. She may have had to come back again.
She didn’t answer; she started sobbing uncontrollably.
I stood and walked out to see what I was dealing with in her car.
I saw the temporary tags and wondered how much she paid for the rusted-out late ’90s shit box.
I expected to see piles of clothes in the back seat, but there was only a large suitcase.
She walked up from behind and explained, “The bankruptcy court liquidated everything we had of value. I was allowed to keep some older jewelry which I sold to buy that car and had a few dollars left over with which to eat.”
I turned and asked, “Everything is gone? You were fucking loaded.”
“When it all went down, all of our money went to lawyers and fines.”
“I can’t believe you were so stupid. You dared to look down on me from your ivory tower, and you…”
“Viv, there is nothing you can say that I don’t deserve. I promise I’ll give you the chance, but can I please have a shower and a meal first?”
I shook my head and opened the door to get her bag.
“Thank you,” she said as I walked past her to my house.
*****
While she showered, I ordered Chinese. I didn’t ask what she wanted and didn’t care. I also opened a bottle of wine Jane couldn’t take with her to jail and poured us each a glass.
Thirty minutes later, the food arrived, and she was still in the shower. I wondered how long it would take for my hot water to run out, but I didn’t care. I knew she had a lot to wash away, both literally and figuratively.
I had taken my first bite of an egg roll when she walked into the kitchen.
“Thank you again, Viv. You have no idea…”
“Eat before it gets cold,” I growled. I didn’t care about how good the shower felt. “I ordered you chop suey, or you can have some of my sweet and sour pork.”
“The chop suey is fine, thank you.”
“Here you looked for a job? I mean, you’ve got a college degree, right?”
She nodded and swallowed.
“I haven’t found anything yet. I swear, I’ll get one as soon as I can and get out of your hair.”