A maid and two brats

6

"How come mom never told me about you?" I questioned my newly found aunt as we met for the first time. She saw across me in one of the booths at the ice cream shop, thankfully, Gerald was not in today and my colleagues did not mind too much.

"We have not exactly been best of friends in the last few years," she explained. "I moved to Maine a few years after your birth, so I'm not surprised that you do not recognize me." she grinned, and for a brief moment, I saw mom's face in her's. "You still have her eyes," she noted as she gave me a look full of adoration.

My mother's big brown eyes were probably the only feature I appreciated receiving from her. "I like to think that I look more like my daddy," I said simply, managing to keep a straight face at the bitter taste remembering dad left it in my mouth.

It had been two days. I had to find a way to move on already. I did not have the luxury of time to brood.

"Why did you move?"

"Money issues." she explained without missing a beat, "there were too many bills to pay, with little resources for us both and I got a job back in our hometown in Maine." I did not bother to hide my shock that I just found out my mother was originally from Maine. "It's a small town, but it's flourishing and we have all we need there, sadly your mom preferred the bustling life of this city..."

"Or maybe it was just the easy access to illegal drugs," I said without meaning to sound so rude. Talks about my mom just seemed to stir me up.

"You haven't really told me what's going on Debby," she covered my hand on the table with hers, offering a genuine and reassuring smile. "I got on the next flight here to New York the moment you told me your mom got arrested but honey, you cannot just leave me with a vague picture. I need to know what happened to your parents so I can help you."

"Dad died," I said in the usual emotionless tone I had practiced all the while I waited for her at the airport.

"What?" she stared at me in shock, probably both out of the news and how easily I broke it.

"When I called yesterday we were just concluding his funeral." I worked to keep my voice steady. "Methamorphine overdose."

She gasped, holding her chest. But she had not heard the worst part yet. "Mom is very charged with administering it to him, so she may or may not be facing jail term soon, and even if she does not, she can not come home until she's completely clean of any substances as per the court's requirement."

"Oh dear," she held her hand on her chest, her eyes were already starting to water. "I cannot believe how much you have had to go through alone in these last few days." she moved to take my hand, but I retracted it quickly.

"I'm fine aunt." I paused, realizing how weird it felt on my tongue to call her my aunt. "I always am. But I won't be for long if I have to be sent to that horrible foster care."

"Why would you be sent to foster care?" she raised a brow.

"I'm sixteen, with one dead parent and the other in jail." I reminded her. "I need someplace to stay or I might just get ready to go back into that dungeon under the pretense of a Foster care home.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"My first plan is to find a place to stay." I smoothed my hand over my dress, "I am currently crashing with my best friend and her family now, but I have to go back home or somewhere until I can sort things out." Sam was not complaining about having me stay over at her place for now, but the last thing I wanted was to be an inconvenience to her family. The only major difference between our families was that her mother who was the head figure in her family always worked herself out to take care of her kids, one more 16 year old would be too much weight on her, weight she was not obligated to carry.

And although Doctor Gwen was a great option, I could only bother her with so many problems. She had taken a loan on my behalf to cover all of dad's medical bills and I was not supposed to pay it back until I was at least 21 years old. Apart from making sure, the bills were covered, she was also working behind the scenes on mom's case trying to get a lighter sentence for Mom. She was doing enough already. Asking if I could move in with her and her fiance now, would be too much. So I mentally crossed her out from the people who could possibly help now.

"And you have enough money to pay a rent now?" she raised a brow.

"I do have some money saved, but I doubt it will afford me a place for the next month or if anyone would want to rent out a place to a minor kid without an adult." I sighed in frustration.

"You know I have a nice place back home in Maine." she offered slowly, I could tell she did not want to scare me off by dropping a big bomb.

"I've barely known you for a few hours aunt." I forced a fake laugh, "why would I want to be such an inconvenience to you?"

"I am your family even though we just met. I would never consider my only niece an inconvenience." she gave me a grim look. "Also if your mother wanted you to call me, it means that despite our differences, she still trusted me enough to keep her daughter safe. That's a responsibility I take seriously."

"I know. And I am really glad that you came all the way," that was not a lie, it felt good to have someone I could call family seating next to me even though I would never oblige to lean on their shoulder for comfort. "but you need to understand me to aunt, I was born here in New York, I have lived all of my life here and I don't know if I want to add a big move like that to the list of things I have to live through right now."

"I know sweetie," she took my hand, "and I would never force you to come with me back home just because you are under my care, but I will not leave you here until I know you will be taken care of and well protected here too."

"Doctor Gwen lives here in New York with her fiancee, I could consider crashing with her until they are married." I offered though I knew that was a far-fetched option.

"I don't know who she is, but what will you do when she finally gets married?" Move again. I was starting to see more reasons why it was such a bad idea. She made a face as if to say, see what I'm trying to say? "I cannot leave you under such conditions where you are not in a stable environment and that only leaves us with only one option, You have to come home with me."

"All the way to Maine?" my eyes widened.

"Yes, sweetheart. I can keep a protective eye on you there and I assure you it would be easier to forget all the bad memories of this place once you're away."

"What about the good ones I want to keep? Or the bonds and friendships I have here, you would take all of that from me if you make me move." I fought the tears that threatened to spill.

"Honey this is not easy for me either. I would be going from a single woman with only her needs to look after to have to take care and provide for you too, but I'm willing to do that if it would mean that you get a more stable life Deborah." she had a grim expression on her face as she spoke.

With a sigh, I sank back into my seat. "Do you not have any other family or close friends here in New York?" I asked strangely. I would take anything I got in the place of having to go all the way over to Maine.

"Well, there is one," she said to my surprise.

"There is?" I sat up, watching her expectantly.

"When I worked here in New York, I stayed over at her house for more than a year. I worked as one of her maids and she allowed me to stay in her large mansion until I was ready to leave," she explained, and just like that, I felt a small ray of hope for me.

"So why can't we ask for her help?" I voiced the question in my head.

"We can, and if I'm being honest I know Mrs. Dalia is nice enough to approve of you staying at her house, but it would have to be as one of her maids." she paused briefly. "your parent would never want that for you."

I almost rolled on the floor laughing. "I'm sure if my parents had no problem with me talking about three jobs to support myself before, they would have no problem that I had to stay over and work as a maid just to keep a roof over my head."

"You had a job?" she looked stunned, making me realize that she still had a whole lot about me to catch up on.

"Have Jobs," I clarified, "working is not something I'm not used to aunt and if I have to work as a maid just to make sure I stay here in New York, I would."

"Why do you even want to stay here?" she gave a tired sigh.

"Apart from the fact that this is the one place I have always know as home?" I raised a brow, "I have dreams aunt. Dreams and goals I want to reach in life and at a young age too, dreams that will only come to life if I'm in a city like this." I stretched my hands out for emphasis. it felt weird pouring all that out to her when I had never even told anyone that before.

"How are you so mature at just 16?" her face softened as she looked at me.

Anyone who had gone through what I had in the few 16 years I had lived, would have to go through life with some maturity. "I ask the same question too."

"Are you sure you would rather pull through with this than come live with me?" her brows furrowed in worry as she took my hand.

"Please don't get me wrong, it's not about living with you," I explained, feeling the need to assure her I was not running away from her, "I have only spent a few minutes with you but I can tell you will never treat me badly if I choose to stay with you, a choice I would have gladly taken if you did not live so far off."

"That's okay sweetheart. I understand you and I'm willing to help you speak to Mrs. Dalia right now if it were possible."

"Her number or some contact id?"

"Mrs. Dalia is not someone you just...contact. You need to have an appointment if you wish to speak to her," she explained.

"Oh, that's interesting." I shook my head slowly, trying to wonder who he was. "so how do we get to meet her?"

"We have to go over to her house. That way I can convince her in person to let you stay. She may not need so much convincing though, she is one of the best souls I have ever met on the earth and I know for a fact she will not treat you badly, actually, if I know Mrs. Dalia very well, I know he would have a problem employing a young teen as a maid at her place, so you would have to do what it takes to make her see a good reason to employ you. Can you do that?"

I chuckled, remembering how much I had to convince Gerald to let me have a job here at the ice cream shop. "I can convince any grumpy man or woman to give me a job no matter their positions, I'm sure I can convince her to give me a job too."

"Great, so all we have to do is wait until tomorrow morning."

"Why tomorrow?"

"Mrs. Dalia is a very busy woman, she will not be available right now, I know that, so I'll get somewhere to stay for the night before tomorrow."

"Okay. Thank you so much aunt for doing this for me. You really did not have to." I offered a small relieved smile.

"Yes I did Debby, and since I have not said this before, no matter how tomorrow turns out, I need you to know that my doors are always open to you whenever you decide to take my offer."