An Affair To Remember

Coffee: Puts One to Sleep When Not Drank (Nine)

Climbing the stairs and heading toward her bedroom, Jack looked toward Chloe's door when she heard music emanating from within. Walking toward the bedroom, she knocked twice. When her sister didn't answer, she knocked again, using a bit more force. A moment later, the door was opened. Sparing her sister a brief look, Chloe returned to her previous activity, which was packing a suitcase.

"You're really leaving?" Jack asked, shock evident in her voice. She had never truly thought that her sister was serious about leaving their home. Obviously, her thoughts were erroneous.

While she removed clothes from hangers, Chloe glanced toward Jack while nodding. "You doubted me?" She chuckled humorlessly, tossing two pairs of pants into the suitcase. "I shouldn't be surprised."

Finding the music a distraction, Jack walked over to her sister's stereo and turned it off before settling her attention back on Chloe. "What do you mean by that? I just figured that you would have calmed down by now so that we could talk about this rationally."

"What I mean is that you see me as some child who is fully dependent on you. You think that I could not possibly make it out in the world on my own, because I need my big strong sister to take care of me," her voice rising, Chloe paused while trying to calm down. "I don't need your protection. I am old enough to take care of myself."

"I know you are an adult, Chloe, and I know that you are capable of taking care of yourself. That doesn't mean you have to leave in order to prove it."

Done packing, Chloe closed the suitcase and turned toward her sister. "I'm not trying to prove anything to you. I'm merely moving out because I no longer wish to live with you anymore." There were tears in her eyes as she said, "You've changed into someone that I don't want to know."

Jack felt like someone had just pierced her heart with a knife and twisted it for good measure. "I don't want you to go," she softly admitted.

The expression on her sister's face appeared slightly compassionate. "And I don't want you to continue ruining peoples lives on purpose."

"I'm not doing it on purpose. This is just-"

"I know," Chloe quickly interrupted. "I know. It's just business. You think stating that it's 'just business' means that what you choose to do is perfectly fine. I suppose if the shoe were on the other foot, you as the smaller proprietor would understand that it's 'just business'." Turning to her suitcase, she zipped it up and grabbed the handle. "Well, you do what you feel is necessary and I'll do what I feel is necessary." Lifting the suitcase, Chloe quickly stepped toward the door.

Taking a few steps back, Jack leaned against the door, successfully blocking it. When Chloe politely asked her to move, she stubbornly shook her head. "No, I can't just let you walk out of this house. You are not a child, but you're still my sister and I'm concerned about you. Where are you gonna go? Do you have any sort of plan?"

"I have money saved up in my bank account, but this afternoon I sold my car so that I'd have even more. Now I don't have to worry about finding employment right away, though I plan on starting to look tomorrow."

"You sold the Viper?"

Chloe nodded. "Yes, it was very easy. Of course, the buyer was suspicious at first because the price was so low. He couldn't believe it. I soon convinced him that there was nothing wrong with the car. Even let him take a test spin."

Jack's eyebrow raised just a smidgen. "How low was it?"

"The price?" At the other woman's nod, she went on, "Thirty-five thousand dollars."

If she had just taken a drink of water, she would have choked on it. Or she would have spit it out, causing water droplets to land all over her sister's face. "What?! You sold an eighty thousand dollar car for less than half its original price?"