Chapter 1
Sighing, I brush through the gnarled mess of my hair. I take my time. The chores are done and Antonio is asleep in bed. Antonio is undoubtedly the most precious thing in my life. He's my little brother. He's all I have.
"Jewiette?" An innocent voice cries from the nursery room. Laying my grandmother's brush, encrusted with sapphires, I head into his room. The walls are decorated with Buzz Lightyear wallpaper, it was the cheapest that the store had. His crib is battered, another cheap relic from Goodwill.
In case you hadn't perceived, we're dirt poor.
"I'm here, Tony." I whisper soothingly. He yawns; his tiny hands stretching up. I can't help but smile a the adorable two year old in front of me.
"Can I hab a cook-iee?" Tony asks with a pleading look on his face.
"Not right now, buddy." I ruffle his hair and he pouts, "Awwh, come on Tony don't be sad."
Scooping him out of his crib, I toss him in the air. A surprised giggle escapes from his tiny lips. He is the only person who can make me smile and laugh. The phone rings, signaling the end of our new game. I run with him, safe in my arms, to the phone.
"Hello?" I wait impatiently for the voice to answer.
"Is this Juliet James?" A bored monotone asks.
"Yes. Can I help you?" What could someone possibly want at 8:30 on a Saturday?
"Your last house bill...you never paid it. I'm calling to remind you to GET IT PAID OFF." The atrocious receptionist lady screamed into the phone.
"As soon as possible, ma'am." I tell her this through gritted teeth. I start to bounce Tony in my arms to entertain him. Ahh, the short attention span of an almost-three year old.
"Good. Goodbye Ms. James." The other line dies.
"Who was that?" Tony pondered, reaching for the platter of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies with his chubby fingers. I allow him to have one cookie. He eagerly crams it in his tiny mouth.
"Oh just a lady from the bank." I say in a carefree tone in attempt to disguise the truth. The truth being, if I didn't pick up more shifts, we'd lose the house.
Basically, we made it just barely scraping by. My uncle Jerry passed just a few years ago. Fortunately, being his only living relatives, we got a large sum of money.
My mother, Carynne, died of breast cancer almost a year ago. The expenses of her treatments and various bills depleted the supply of cash. Dad left us when I was two. Good riddance, father. Being an alcoholic made him almost unbearable to be around.
So here I am....eighteen years old, working two jobs, and parent-less.
"Are dey gonna take the howse?" He looks guilty as his curiosity led him to ask such a question. Crumbs begin to fall from his face. I laugh and clean his face with a wet wash cloth.
"No, honey. Let's get you back to bed, bud." I smile lovingly at my precious little brother.
"O-tay." He let out adorable yawn and stretched his small arms. I bring him back to his bedroom.
Laying him in bed, a half-smile stretches across my face. He falls asleep instantly. His innocence displays in his rest. I could watch him dream in peace forever. How he deserved a better life. I vowed to myself after my mother died that I would do everything for him.
I lost all of my friends shortly after her passing. Some stayed longer than others, but slowly faded into happier friendships. At least I will always have Cora. She is my best friend. Cora understands me and is one of the best things ever to happen to me. From time to time, she will watch Tony if I can't send him to daycare with Ms. Sherry or is Mrs. LaRoque is unavailable. Mrs. LaRoque is my hero. She volunteered to look after Tony whenever after mom died. I pay her when I can. She never presses me on it.
I lie down in my bed, shivering. I'm attempting to cut down on the bills by lowering the temperature every now and then. Sure we still have some of Uncle Jerry's cash, but Tony will need it someday.
Slowly, I start to fade out of consciousness.
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I awake with a slight headache. Memories of mom and dad gave me those. I'm not quite sure why though. Maybe the pain was too much?
I head into Tony's room to check on him. He is sleeping peacefully still. I smile and tip toe to the kitchen for some coffee. Mhmmm....
To my horror, a figure awaits me in the hallway.... a man from my past. A man whose name caused me pain whenever I thought of it.
"Josh?"
