Page 18 of Broken

"I don't even think pensions exist anymore," Astrid shook her head. "Okay, look at this one."

Once again, she flipped the computer around.Legacy Apartmentswas just in my price range with a two bedroom for almost nine hundred dollars. The average amount of an apartment these days in Cook County had to be reaching well over a thousand dollars a month.

"Winner, winner," I breathed.

Astrid smiled. "Awesome. I'm going get everything rolling for you. Once I complete the letter it'll be sent over to them along with the other documents I'm going to polish for you."

We both knew what polishing meant. Reaching in my back pocket, I slid over the two hundred and fifty dollars.

"I don't want your money." Astrid looked at the cash and then back at my face.

"No, you have a skill. I needed it. Put it away for the baby so she can have something to grow on one day." I smiled.

She huffed but didn't make a move to take the money. I didn't care because when I left it'd still be there. Just because we had known each other for a long time didn't mean that I needed to be cheap.

"You really get on my nerves," Astrid replied.

"I'm sure. But I've been getting on your nerves since high school. Think you'll survive."

"Smart ass." She chortled.

"Anyway, I gotta run. The kids are having something at their school."

"Ooo what?" she asked.

"Something way to fancy for my taste." I turned my lip up at the thought of schmoozing with all these people that probably had money and for sure wasn't living out a motel.

"You should check out Alexandra's Boutique over on 27th street near the hair shop."

Astrid went on rattling off details, and I tried to remember as many of them as I could. She shopped a lot and knew all the best spots for buying cute clothing. I never saw her in the same outfit twice and her child either. We hugged goodbye after she promised to get the details for everything over to me by the next morning.

Standing outside of Astrid's apartment, I checked my cellphone for the time. I still had plenty of time to make it over to this boutique and find something for this dance that was indeed fast approaching.

A feeling of unease began to come over me as I boarded the bus headed to my next destination. The feeling had come out of nowhere and as I sat down on the hard seat of the bus; I wondered would it ever go away.