A Good Evil

Starlight/Chapter 2

"Boring is fine as long as my mortgage gets paid. But you can't even manage necessities."

"Screw you!" Lily snarled, fury burning like a time-lit fuse. "A spouse is not some cash cow!"

"Watch your tone." David chided. "People are trying to eat."

"I don't give a flying fuck!" She shouted, rage boiling over. "How's that? Is that edgy enough for ya!" Lily felt angry tears stinging at the corners of her eyes; she swallowed them back, steeling her features.

"Behave yourself!" David admonished. "We are in a public place."

"That's why you picked this place, isn't it?" She raged. "You'll never come back here to eat. You're too good for us commoners."

"Well, too bad you couldn't step up." He answered with condescension. "I pulled you out of fucking poverty. You were a lonely girl with no family, no breeding. You should've appreciated me more. It's your fault that this happened."

Lily refused to look at him, clenching her small mittened hands. Her body trembled as she fought back a heartbroken sob.

"Calm down. You're going to be fine. You might need some private time to cool off and figure things out. I've rented you a room for the night and packed your suitcase." He scribbled the hotel address onto a coffee-stained napkin and pushed it across the table. "Tomorrow, we can arrange to find you another apartment. I don't want you on the streets."

Lily clenched her teeth, her voice clipping words. "I don't want your fucking help. I don't ever want to see you again."  She stood like a tin soldier, turned robotically on her heel and made her way to the door.

"You never want to see me again?"  David called after her. "Isn't that a little extreme!?"

"I want my stuff." She hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm getting the fuck outta here."

"Lily! Wait!" David called after her. "I think you're taking this waaay too hard!"

"DON'T TALK TO ME!" Lily bellowed, barrelling through the double doors. "Fucking traitor!!"

"Don't be like this!" David chased her across the parking lot. "We've spent so much of our lives together. I don't want to lose you as a friend. Really! I don't want you to hate me!"

She bent over, yanking her luggage out of his trunk.

"Lily, part of me will always care about you!" He attempted to console her. "It was not an easy decision to make!"

David rested his hand habitually onto her perfect ass, copping one last wanton feel.

"Don't touch me!" Lily rounded on him, pointing an accusatory finger. "That's all I ever was to you!!"

"Listen, I'm going to worry all night. I need you to be okay!"

"Who gives a fuck what you need." She struggled with her heavy suitcase in the slushy lot. Lily tossed her things unceremoniously into her old car and violently slammed the door,

David looked on with embarrassment as she squealed her tires, flying up the highway like a bat out of hell.

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Lily didn't head straight to the hotel; instead, she pulled the car into the nearby parkette and sat quietly. It was time to compose her thoughts and assess her situation. She needed to go over the pros and cons of her failed relationship. She took a few deep breaths to cull her anger, or was it immense sadness? It was too hard to tell.

Lily closed her eyes and tried to think. She needed a plan and needed it NOW.

First, the cons: David owned the condo; even though she'd made payments, her name was not on the lease. If she wanted to sue, the cash didn't exist. Lily was now homeless.

Second, the pros: She had a meagre amount of savings in her bank account, probably enough for first and last months' rent on a crappy apartment, money she hid from David just in case shit went sideways. The biggest pro: David was selfish, and she was better off without him.

He had been correct in one aspect; she'd completely lost her sense of self when they were together. Now was the perfect time to rectify that. Lily would be reborn, new and improved! She would figure something out. Her life had been plagued by hardship; this was just another bump in the road.

Lily's mother died in childbirth, and she never knew her father.

 She was raised solely by her grandmother, Alina.

Alina hoped to protect Lily from the wiles of unscrupulous people, preparing her for an unendingly harsh world. Keeping Lily safe wasn't easy: the child had an overactive imagination and was a troublemaker. Over the years, Lily had often asked about her parents, but her grandmother adamantly refused to discuss it. She said the truth was too much for a young woman to bear.  Alina had taken the secret to the grave, dying of cancer when her granddaughter was only 21. 

Lily had tried every method to locate living relatives, researching archives, databases, and genealogy. But answers were not forthcoming and only raised more questions.  Alina had no family, birth records, or DNA matches. Lily and Alina were not related...

Now, without a chance of ever finding her real family, Lily fell into depression and loneliness. In a moment of weakness, she met David, a man who love-bombed her, promising security and safety. In her time of need, she had made a terrible mistake and fallen victim to an emotional vampire.

Lily groaned inwardly.  How could she have a relationship with a doctor!? What the hell was she thinking!? A penniless artist was just a piece of ass! Expendable goods, not good enough to marry, just good enough for now. She thought in vain that her lack of money wouldn't matter if she loved David fiercely. Lily foolishly thought she could mould herself into the perfect companion, the best lover--the wife.

"God... I'm such a fucking moron. I knew I was never going to be the wife!"

Lily held her head in her hands.

"But I was so....alone."

Swallowing back her sadness, she took a deep, shuddering breath. It was time to pull herself together; crying wasn't helpful or practical. She excelled at survival, and it was time to do precisely that.

Okay, back to the pros: She had a full tank of gas, her iPhone, and fifty dollars of cash. That was enough for a decent meal and a large bottle of wine--because priorities.

She thumbed through the contact list and placed a call. The first thing she had to do was solve her lack of accommodation.

"Jen, It's Lily."

"Hey, you! We were heading out for a beer. Wanna join?"

"...Jen, I got big problems."

"What!? Are you okay?"

"David broke up with me."

"What!? That useless jerk! Do you need a place to crash?"

"I'm sleeping at a hotel tonight." Lily paused. "I thought maybe I could rent a spot in your studio. Do you have any room?"

"We got a little corner in the warehouse. It's a bit drafty, but the hot water is workin' in the bathroom."

"How much?"

"Can you swing 400 a month?"

"Totally." Lily chuckled with relief. "Thanks, Jen. I can always depend on you."

"Listen, meet us once you get settled. Don't spend the night alone."

"I won't. See ya soon."

Starting the car, Lily drove downtown. Her evening abode was the old Starlight Hotel. Its vintage neon sign gleamed sporadically from constant years of neglect. Lily would ask for fresh linens and check that the door lock was functional. It was exceptionally classy accommodation, charging hourly rates to a specific clientele.

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