Page 5 of Broken

A sigh escaped my lips, and I closed the laptop, the plan already working itself around in my mind. “Yes, nosy butt. That’s all you need to know.”

Yara was still with her head down and focused, her AirPods in her ears. I looked at Des and asked was he hungry.

“Starving,” he replied.

“I’m going to take a quick shower; we have a good three hundred bucks left in the safe…order some Italian from DiMaggio’s.”

Des gave a smile and saluted me. “Sir, yes, sir!”

I rolled my eyes at my little brother, stood, and gave a stretch. We were scrapping the bottom of the barrel some days but like I said, I made sure they had what they needed and soon enough, we would be living so much better.

I grabbed a clean towel provided by the motel and noted that I needed to do laundry soon. I was grateful that the twins school required for them to wear uniforms all year long. Uniforms had cut down on them feeling as though they needed to compete with others in their year. There was no way I could afford Jordans and Ralph Lauren Polo at the same time, although I probably could have boosted them.

I entered into the bathroom and looked around. We were getting low on soap as well and inwardly, I groaned. This job couldn’t have come at a better time because money was low and so were supplies. Pushing that away from my mind, I stripped and turned on the hot water, ready to shower.

Before meeting Max earlier, I’d spent most of the day at a local gym, training. Yes, I was a thief, but I had to keep in shape. It had cost me ten dollars to work out for as long as I did. My mind instantly went to a tally of how much I’d spent over the last few days. It happened often out of habit.

Water slid over my skin, easing away any aches and pains that I had been ignoring. I dipped my entire head under the spray of the shower head and let the water drown out the world for just a few moments. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe this was my life, but it was.

At a young age I had become responsible for the twins. My mother’s death had left a hole in our lives but especially my own. I hadn’t had much time to mourn, because bills had come flooding in ready to drown me wiping out any saving that had saved away. I hadn’t been prepared for real life, at all.

As soap caressed my flesh, my thoughts turned to the last time I’d been intimate with a man. Raising the twins left little time for a companion or dating. No, instead I avoided men and their complications all together. The last time had been a quick tussle to knock the edge off, and I’d kicked him out the second it was over.,

Relationships could wait a few more years. I just needed to get the twins graduated and into good colleges. They were so damn intelligent; I knew that they would get plenty of scholarships. I’d worry about the rest later.

Yara knocked on the door lightly. Her knock was distinct. It was like a little woodpecker tapping at the door. She announced that the food was here. A sigh escaped my lips as the real world crept back in. Turning the plastic knob, the flow of water stopped, and I stepped out onto the small fluffy carpet I had acquired from the dollar store around the way.

“Coming,” I said to Yara who was still pecking.

Some days I wished we had more than this one room motel. I could have used the space for sure.