No more time

Chapter 9

“We’re here, ma’am,” the driver’s voice echoed through Emily’s head.

Willing herself back to reality, she stepped out of the cab, the cold evening breeze drying up the tears on her cheeks.

After paying the cab driver,she stood at the entrance to her house,her chest heavy. As she looked around her surroundings.

Her mind drifted back to old memories of the time she and her family had shared here.

The house had been in her family for many years, passed down from generation to generation, with only a few renovations,most of which her father had done by hand to at least keep the place running.

And she’d be damned if she let that tradition come to an end simply because of her carelessness.

Yes, her family had not been rich, but they tried to make do with what they had.

Her father was a handyman who had done anything and everything for money, and he did a good job taking care of and providing for his family.

That was how she had gotten to meet Vanessa. Her father had taken her along to his place of work, where he was helping construct some things for a very wealthy man.

Being very young and in awe of the place, she had gone to explore and had seen Vanessa playing with her dolls. They had immediately clicked and had been friends ever since up until five years ago.

Shaking off the painful thought of mourning the loss of her best friend, who was still very much alive, she let her thoughts drift to her mother, whom she had grown to be the spitting image of. She was a good cook and a good baker too.

A smile crept up her lips as she glanced toward the yard, vivid images of when her mom would bake several kinds of delicious pastries on Sundays, and they would sell at lower prices to the neighbors and anybody who cared to buy.

She had gotten her love of baking from her. Anytime she began to bake, she would always feel the presence of her mother beside her in the space, and that alone would increase the joy she had for baking.

They didn’t have much, but somehow they had found a way to survive and keep body and soul moving.

Emily took in a deep breath as the memories brought tears to her eyes,blinking them away she reached for the door handle.

Immediately she opened the door, her eyes landed on Becca sitting on the couch, munching on a banana bread she had baked a few weeks before—back then when her entire life had not fallen apart.

Immediately Becca saw her, a relieved smile spread across her face.

“Oh, thank goodness, Emily. Why weren’t you taking my calls? I’ve been worried sick,” Becca said, standing up, moving over to her.

“Really? You don’t look too worried stuffing your face full with that banana bread,” Emily said, making Becca smile.

“I was stress eating,” Becca said. “Oh my goodness, what happened to your eyes?” she screamed immediately she got close enough to notice her red, swollen eyes.

Emily sighed heavily, her chest tightening all over again. “Long story short, I’m back to square one,” she said, brushing past Becca as she tossed her phone and handbag on the couch, heading straight to the kitchen.

She needed to drown herself in alcohol, or she might just die of dehydration from crying too much.

“What about Vanessa? How did that go?” Becca asked, settling down onto the couch, giving her the much-deserved space that she needed.

“I don’t even want to talk about it,” she responded, opening the fridge as she pulled out a bottle of her most alcoholic wine.

“But Emily, what happ—”

“Becca, I seriously don’t want to talk about it,” she said immediately, interrupting her as she pulled out a fresh wine glass.

Becca sighed. “Okay, if you say so,” she said, leaning back into the chair as she picked up the banana bread she had been eating. “So what’s the plan?” she said with a mouthful.

Emily chuckled bitterly as she lifted the wine glass to her mouth, taking a sip of the liquid that was supposed to numb the pain. “The plan is to get a new job or go back to beg Hose for my old job back so I can start working to pay this debt off,” she said, downing the remaining liquid in the glass as she poured herself another fresh batch.

Hose was their manager at the work she quit. He was a very nice guy, and Emily was so sure that if she goes to him with her situation, he would be willing to give her her old job back.

Emily’s ear twitched at the sound of her phone beep from a text message. Moving back into the living room, she saw Becca pick up her phone, scrolling through it.

“If it’s Vanessa, just ignore it. That bitch is crazy,” she said, chuckling, moving over to where her best friend sat. But the way Becca’s eyes widened at the message told her that message was not from Vanessa.

“Emily, I don’t think that your new plan would work,” Becca said, standing up to meet her with the phone in her hand.

“What do you mean? If I can get my old job back, within a year I can raise half of the money,” she said.

“I don’t think you have that much time left,” Becca said, flashing the message she had just received.

Emily’s eyes widened as they immediately filled with tears while her eyes read through the email.

Her stomach dropped, as cold dread coiled up in her chest. Becca was right,she had run out of time.