On Friday morning, October 3rd, at nine o’clock sharp, my phone dinged.
A hundred and seventy-five dollars from Darcy.
“Rent week 2 — Mom.”
She came by at seven that evening to drop off some paperwork for Norine. I was at the kitchen sink, washing the soup pot.
I dried my hands. I turned around. And I said it as plainly as I’d say the weather.
“I met Nelly Larkin yesterday.”
Most people flinch when you catch them.
Darcy didn’t.
She set her purse down on my counter very carefully. Like she was setting down a chess piece.
“So?”
“You told me there was mold.”
“I told you what you needed to hear.” She folded her arms. “Mom needs income, Hillary. She’s sixty-six. You’d rather she starve?”
“I’d rather she lived in the home she owns.”
“Well, she can’t. It’s rented for a year.” Darcy smiled at me, like she was letting me in on a secret. “And you know what? You can’t do anything about it. You spent thirty-three years defending squatters. You know exactly how long it takes to get somebody out.”
I didn’t correct her about the word squatters.
My clients were nurses’ aides and bus drivers and grandmothers with leases. But I let it go.
Then Darcy leaned back against my counter. She looked me straight in the eye. And she changed one word.
“Once the furniture’s in, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Not she.
You.
To my face. In my own kitchen. With my soup pot still dripping in the rack behind me.
“I’m familiar with the law, Darcy,” I said.
She laughed.
“Then you know I’m right.”
She picked up her purse and walked down the hall to see her mother. A minute later, I heard the metronome start up again behind the wall.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Darcy was right about one thing.
I knew exactly how long it would take.
Eight days.
Ethan Blake is a skilled Creative Content Specialist with a talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking narratives. With a strong background in storytelling and digital content creation, Ethan brings a unique perspective to his role at TheArchivists, where he curates and produces captivating content for a global audience.
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