Chapter 3 Part 1 - Revised

    The woman carefully took the statue out of Skye’s reach. Again she looked her up and down as if she was trying to see something deep and under her skin. “Why are you interested?” She asked.

   Skye looked at her blankly, “Because it’s beautiful…it stands out over everything else.” Skye would only take her eyes off it for a split second, her eyes and hands drawn to it. The woman only held it closer to her while she turned Skye’s words over in her head.

   Behind her Leigh and Anna stood silently.  Shooting each other intense looks. They were not going to get involved in this. When Skye wanted something she would do what she had to in order get it.  It's the only time either of them saw a hard side to her. Leigh noticed that Skye’s stance had changed,  the way she shifted her feet apart when she was getting agitated with a haggler appeared, her back was straight as she stood to her full height but the old woman wasn’t saying anything. She just stood protectively with the statue in her arms. Her gaze not leaving Skye's.

   Impatience started to surface and after the emotional train wreck she had been all day Skye felt her fingers start to twitch. Her legs started to get restless too. As she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The old woman only stared at her with hard foggy eyes. Skye could not handle the silence any longer, she took a deep breath and broke the silence first. “So…how much?” she repeated and didn't recognize the low protective tone. When the woman still didn’t answer she said, “Obviously you wanted to sell it or it wouldn’t have been on the table.”

   The woman looked at the statue and spoke only to the black figure, caressing the face of the woman with care. “You weren’t supposed to be on the table.” Anna gave a confused look first to Skye and then to Leigh her hands rose up to her temple and formed the crazy sign as her lips pursed on a low whistle. Skye couldn’t take much more and put her hands down to lean against the table. She was shaking and chose her words carefully so she wouldn’t spook the old woman. “Well…then” She said matter-of-factly,  “I guess it was meant for me.”

   The woman smiled then and gave the other girls a sideways glance. Her voice sounded light and she straightened up. “Yes,” she said happily “it seems that way.” She immediately turned and strode straight to the back of her car which was parked on the other side of the willow tree. She rummaged around in the trunk throwing things this way and that not caring where they went until she had found what she was looking for.

    When she returned the woman was holding a white box and an envelope that looked older than dirt. She put the white box on the table continuing to hold the statue in her arms, cradling it like a baby. She extended her hand with the envelope in it to towards Skye motioning for her to take it. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and although her brain was flashing warning signs, reluctantly she took it.

   “What’s this?” Skye asked turning the envelope over in her hands. The woman hummed a tune under her breath as she carefully opened the box and pulled aside layers of red velvet inside it. She looked up at Skye and replied “Call it instructions for her future care.” Gently she lowered the statue into the box and her eyes held sadness. Skye raised an eyebrow, “Her?” she asked. The woman shook her head in mild frustration. “Yes…her. Her name is Raven.” Skye turned to Leigh since she was the closest one to her at this point and shrugged. After Raven was in the box the old woman pulled the velvet layers back around it. Tucking it in and closing the lid securely in place, then with an outstretched hand to Skye the woman said, “My name is Gertie and that will be one dollar.”

    Walking back to the truck Skye replayed what happened back at the willow tree in her head and couldn't shake the feeling that what had happened was nowhere near normal but on the fringes of her mind felt familiar. She needed a drink, a big tall drink.  This day was a shit show from the second she woke up. The truck roared to life when Skye turned the key. And she relaxed at the thought of leaving. She was done with this whole day and wanted to pack it in and start fresh. Behind her in the back seat sat the statue in the white oak box. The inside was lined with padding covered in dark red velvet from what she had seen. Leigh was settling in the passenger seat and put on her seat belt following Skye's gaze she glanced at the box. “So…what’s with the statue?” Skye looked rubbed her eyes and looked in the rear view mirror to see if Anna was behind them yet.

   “I don’t know?” she thought for a moment, “I just couldn’t stop staring at it. It's so beautiful.” Leigh stifled a laugh “Oh did it call to you?” there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Skye squashed the feeling of being the butt of her joke, “Ha…ha” she said “very funny. I don’t know why she wouldn’t let me touch it though?” Although she didn't have the urge to touch it now at all.

   Skye thought about it again. “It was only one dollar?” She mumbled. “After all of that mysterious crap and ignoring me, she only charged me one dollar?” Leigh was fussing with the radio trying to find a song that she could sing along to. “So, was it a bad deal?” she asked. “No!” Skye replied sharply, “for a dollar I’ll make something off it for sure.” Anna had finally pulled up behind them and wave through the window. “I’ll have to do some research though, to see what it could be worth and see if I can find a collector that would be interested in something like this.” Skye pondered the thought briefly but had a feeling it was going to be kept by her seeing as it was so beautiful and unique.

   “Yay…” Leigh chimed “the boring stuff, just what I like to stay out of.” Skye looked at her, cocked and eyebrow and they both laughed. She turned her head to look out the back window, gave Anna a thumbs up and Anna waved in return. She didn’t even check the stuff that Anna bought seeing as technically the shop was paying for everything and they would turn a profit somehow plus she trusted her judgement completely.

   She tried to end that thought before it took hold but it was too late. She remembered that she might not have a shop or a house if she couldn’t come up with the mortgage payment in 30 days. Sadness began to take hold of her again and her eyes shot to the rear-view mirror and the box in the backseat. She was going to have to sell it there was no way around it.

   Skye had a feeling that what was in there might help them more than she could imagine. She hoped with every fiber of her being that it would pull them out of the deep hole she was falling into. If not there was only one other person she could go to for help and she didn’t want to take any help from him if she could help it. It wasn’t only her though it was the kids too, so there was only him as a last resort. It would be a final last ditch effort that it would kill her to use.

Chapter 2 Part 3 - Revised

     Skye turned over the truck and revved the engine once or twice simply because she loved the sound of a revving engine. As she was about to pull out of the parking lot she looked across the street at the girls on the corner again, a car stopped and one of the girls leaned over and put her head in the window. Her pink skirt was so short that the bottoms of her cheeks sat under the hem.

   “In broad daylight…” She mumbled to herself and then shrugged it off. “I guess you have to make money somehow.” She hit the road driving back towards home. Once she was able to stop at a light she took her cell phone and called Leigh quickly and turned on the hands free. She picked up after the second ring but said nothing. “Hello?” Skye prompted and looked in the rear-view mirror. “Oh…it’s you…hey!” Leigh sounded strained but she was putting up one hell of an act.

    “Hey you, I’ll be there in about 15 minutes are you ready to go?” She tried to sound light and happy but she could tell something was up. Leigh’s voice took on a happier note. “You bet I am. I’ll be waiting outside for you.” She replied.

     About 20 minutes later, Skye pulled up in front of Leigh’s house close enough to when she said that she would be there, not that Leigh cared but she surprisingly was waiting outside of her house, sitting on the front step with her cell phone to her ear and a sour look on her face.  When she saw Skye pull up she gave her an awkward smile and a slight rolling of the eyes. That meant only one thing…

She was talking to Marcus.

   

    Leigh stood and walked towards the truck. As she reached out to open the door, her hazel eyes looked straight into Skye’s but she wasn’t looking at her. When she stopped short of opening the door… her voice grew louder.

    “No!” She said and her voice was forceful unlike the rest of her body language. “I will not tell them anything for you!”  She sounded strong right now but Skye could see her hand starting to shake as she held onto the door handle, struggling hard with trying to make sure, he could not hear her voice falter. Leigh listened, “Screw you Marcus” and she disconnected the call.

    Looking at Leigh’s profile just as she took a deep draw of air into her; Skye did not say a word when Leigh finally decided to get in the truck. She wanted to give her a moment to collect herself; to stop before she broke down into the puddle Marcus always seemed to make her.

    With a deep sigh Leigh turned to Skye and her words were slow and controlled. The look in her eyes was one of sadness mixed with anger like she was trapped in a cage and the two were at war with one emotion wanting to give up and the other raging to fight for her sanity. Marcus was not even there physically and Leigh was trapped inside herself. He was in jail…always in and out of it. Leigh could say anything she wanted to while he was inside even though he would still make her hate herself for it later.

    The man was a thug and had no respect or regard for Leigh or anyone else for that matter and she was never an equal to him, only a possession to be used. The emotional abuse he subjected her to was worse than any physical hit he could have ever given her.

    Leigh’s voice broke what seemed like endless silence. “I’m sorry,” Leigh said softly. “He just gets me so worked up.” She looked at her hands shaking and she wrung them tightly, trying to stay calm. Skye said nothing, only moving to reached into her purse and took out her cigarettes holding them towards Leigh in case she wanted one.  Leigh went to take one but hesitated. Her hazel eyes looking at Skye as she half smiled, Skye could almost feel Leigh relax as she took the pack from her and pulled one out. All she needed was a sounding board and a chance to recoup. A heavy sigh escaped her as she lit the cigarette.

“I don’t know why I let him get to me” she looked at her hands again. “I can’t shake him; every time I think that he has done or said something that should give me every reason to cut him loose he tries to turn it around on me.” She looked at Skye again and this time seemed to be looking for a response or maybe it was strength.

    Leigh knew exactly how Skye felt about Marcus it was no secret that she had no respect, remorse or any other feelings except contempt and hatred for Marcus. For any man that would do this to his wife and their children. Whenever Skye was near him it was as if he fed off her hatred for him and would purposely to try and provoke her. At first, it worked and then, she learned quickly that he would take it out on Leigh if she gave in.

    Once at a party, they got into a debate about women in the workforce, the glass ceiling and whatnot. He toyed with Skye and her opinion, never quite saying that he thought it was a crock of shit but needling at Skye until she was so enraged that she just gave up the fight not wanting to cause more of a scene in front of the guests there. The self-satisfied smug look on his face almost sent her over the edge as he reached out and put his arm around Leigh. The only reasoning with Marcus was his way.

Leigh was the closest thing to a sister Skye ever had and she would never abandon her…

Ever.

    Leigh continued to talk about Marcus.  How demanding he was that she was to make an appointment and take the kids to the prison to see him. He knew this would never happen but he would call every week regardless, try to get her to do it and Leigh argued with him every time. Leigh didn’t want her children to see their father in prison orange or the other inmates either. Skye knew that he enjoyed to torture Leigh anyway he could and once he got out they would be back in the same situation all over again. So she set her sights on trying to calm Leigh down at this moment so they could get to the trade fair where Anna was waiting.

    A few minutes later Leigh was on the radio dial turning up the volume as an old House of Pain song came on and the Marcus talk was over until the song was over and as Leigh brought up Marcus and his demands once more Skye tossed her the cell phone and asked her to call Anna and let her know that they were on their way. Leigh knew that this was a distraction tactic and gratefully accepted it.

    Skye listened to Leigh give Anna an ETA and but Skye could not shake the earlier meeting at the bank. Something didn’t sit right and she replayed in her mind the conversation that she had with the bank manager. She must have tuned out because the next thing she heard was Leigh. “Skye…” She yelled “Watch the road!”  Skye blinked, stiffened slightly and corrected. The SUV had been slowly creeping into the next lane. Thank god, the road was light on traffic.

    Skye swerved back into her lane. “Oh my god, I’m sorry!” her eyes started to swell up but she swallowed the approaching tears. Her emotions were all over the place today. “I don’t know what got into me, I was thinking about something else, sorry” She glanced at Leigh who was breathing a sigh of relief. “Something else?” she questioned. “Like what, how to scare the shit out of me?” Skye smiled at that. “No but did it take you mind off of Marcus?” Leigh mockingly thought about that for a moment and said, “Well for a second…yes.”

  The road stretched out before them. Dry grass and open fields on the left with the more woodsy areas to the right of the asphalt. Large Cottonwood trees loomed over them close to the riverbed that ran even further alongside of them. The dogs knew there were near somewhere to play but Skye couldn’t stop yet. Leigh got quiet and stared out the window, every now and then she would take a glace into the side mirror, not looking for someone behind them but looking at herself. Yet another soft sigh escaped her when she lowered her head, blonde hair drifting down from the loose ponytail she wore. Skye knew that she was weighing things in her mind as she tried desperately to believe that whatever Marcus told her was not true.

  

    The endless fight within her continued and Skye struggled with what to say. It had all been said before and it was up to Leigh to end the cycle herself. Leigh must have sensed where Skye’s thought’s so she put a smile on her face and perked up.

   “What are we looking for today?” She asked, “Are you looking for something specific or is this just a browsing session?” Skye’s shoulders dropped a little as her muscles relaxed at the break in the silence. “I’m not sure…” she replied, “I need to find something or things that are going to turn a quick profit for us.” She paused as she thought about Mr. Moody’s last words to her.

    Leigh did not know about the problems with the bank yet and Skye hoped she would not have to tell her the whole story. She felt awful as it was that things had slipped so far behind. She knew that the shop was having problems, now only learning the degree of how badly things were about to get for them.

   “Just look for something that looks like it will be worth a lot to someone else.” she smiled with a shrug at Leigh. Leigh’s face took on a confused look with only half a smirk, “I can’t tell what people like or don’t like, and I just came along for something to do! I couldn’t watch anymore daytime TV.” Skye laughed full and rich. She knew that coming to the trade fair with her and Anna was just a way to get her out of the house for a bit while the kids were in school.

   Up the road they came towards a crossroad; dirt road, no stop signs and flat fields stretched out before them on all four sides. Skye scanned the road for traffic half expecting a horse and carriage to go by and saw nothing. “We’re almost there.” Leigh looked almost happy for the distraction as they came closer to where they could see cars parked in an open patch of dirt where people were milling around large tables and some even had trailers with larger patio umbrellas for some much-needed shade.

   Sky pulled off to the side of the road to call Anna and find out where she was before they parked the car. Anna picked up after the second ring. “OMG finally you’re here!”  She squealed, “I have something fabulous to show you!”

   Anna told them to walk past the front three tables and down a small trail to a grassy patch by a Willow tree and did just that after pulling Leigh away from a table full of crafty knickknacks that caught her eye.  Skye weaved between the bodies that were all around her, most looking like farmers and homemakers trying to sell their homemade goods. She found Anna standing in front of a long fold out table. The breeze rushing past rustled the leaves on the tree and Anna’s hair. On the table were statues lots and lots of them. Some made out of wood and porcelain, others made of marble and brass. The one Anna was excited about stood about a foot tall and was made of a stone that was black and laced with ribbons of golden flecks so unlike the rest of the ones on the table.

   It was a woman holding a sword; it was one of 3 things on it that were silver. She was wearing a corset with a shield on her back, kneeling down on one knee her hands were feathered through the fur of a large wolf. The eyes of the woman and the wolf were also silver.  “Wow…” Skye became breathless, “That... is... beautiful…” her words trailed off as she stepped closer to it transfixed but the smoothness all she wanted to do was touch it. Anna looked pleased with herself and the find as she hugged Leigh and dragged her off to look at a large oak cabinet leaving Skye at the table alone. Just as she was reaching out to touch it, Skye heard someone clear his or her throat.

   “Can I help you?”  A rough voice from behind her said.

   Skye turned to see a short, hunched over older woman standing behind her. The woman’s hair was mostly gray but you could still see the blonde layered within it. Her eyes were big and as blue as the ocean but there was a hint of cloudiness reminding Skye of sea foam to them showing signs of the woman losing her sight.

   “Um…yes, how much for this statue?” She was reaching out and about to touch it when the woman grabbed her hand in a firm grip and stopped her. She looked Skye up and down the old woman tentatively before her hand was released. “You should wear gloves when you touch this…it is very old.” The old woman said. “Very old indeed.”

   Skye rubbed her wrist but could barely take her eyes off the black and gold. “How old is it? She asked unconcerned with the woman’s warning. Those ocean blue eyes continued to stare at her and Skye didn’t notice, completely taken by the art in front of her. “Who made it?” she asked without realizing or caring that the woman never answered the first question she asked. Of its own compulsion her hand reached out to touch it again just when Anna and Leigh returned with arms full of god knows what.

“Well?” Anna asked, “What do you think? Anything here appeal to you?” Only then did Skye turn around “Yes…” she said drawing out the word and turned to the woman with eyes like the sea and asked “How much?”

 

Chapter 2 Part 2 - Revised

    What seemed like forever passed by and finally Skye’s name was called. She stood up and walked over to the half door next to the bobble headed woman and once there the receptionist buzzed her in. Everything was dark wood and for some reason that irritated Skye but seeing as she was already on edge she chalked it up to her nerves and not awful decorating skills.  Skye couldn’t help watching the receptionist as they walked toward what Skye felt was her impending doom. The short woman walked with an air of superiority that made Skye’s back teeth itch. The bobble led her past by a few cubicles on our way down a narrow hallway and stopped at the 3^rd door on the left and she knocked. From inside a man’s deep voice told her to come in. Skye’s heart gave her one big pound against her rib cage and she resisted the urge to step back.

    When the receptionist opened the door, on her face a smile formed. Well wouldn’t you know it? The bobble looked smitten!

    She ushered Skye inside and flashed her pearly whites at the big man behind the desk; unfortunately he didn’t look up from his paperwork. Her heart hit her rib cage again and the air got sucked out of her momentarily.

    Without lifting his eyes off of his desk “Thank you, Bonnie.” When the woman didn’t leave he looked up. “Close the door on your way out please.” That was not the reaction that Bonnie was looking for and her disapproving look came back to her face and she walked out of the room, closing the door with a soft snick. Skye returned her attention to the man flipping through a file on his desk and watched as he then type on his keyboard. This was killing her in so many different ways and she just wanted it to stop.

    The desk he sat behind was solid redwood so big it seemed to dwarf the room. Wrapped around behind him were shelves made of the same wood with so many books and binders that contained things she would never understand. The carpet was tanned which made the contrast of the dark furniture a good mix considering the dark wood of the hall annoyed her. The chairs opposite the desk had the dark wood and tanned leather padded seats. It was a nice looking office really. On the desk was a picture of whom she assumed was his wife and daughter sitting on a bench in a park that looked familiar to her but she couldn’t place at the moment.          

    “Good Morning Mrs. Dune,” he said with the ire of too much confidence that annoyed her just a bit. “It’s nice to see you again.” He extended his hand toward her and she put on her best fake smiley face and shook the man’s hand. “I am very well thank you. How are you?” she said so sweetly that she thought could get a cavity. At least his smile was warm. “I’m good,” he replied “How can I help you today?”

    She tried not to look too tense as her mind chanted ‘you can do it!’ pumping herself up she opened her mouth. 

    “Mr. Moody, I know that my husband used to take care of these things but…” her hands started to shake. “Since his passing I need to see if there is any way I can get and extension on the loan payment?”

   He stared at her for what felt like forever and looked at the computer screen again. “Mrs. Dune… the loan payment is almost 60 days overdue so you right now owe the bank for 2 months,” He peered at her with a sideways glance and she felt more agitation building. “I don’t know if there is anything more I can do here at this point.”

    Her felt heart sink and cursed herself for not paying attention or asking someone like Dom for help. She hoped like hell it didn’t show through in her face. With her brain going in two different directions trying to maintain her composure and not lose it right there in the office. She felt something shift in her head, it felt like a wave had washed over her and inside she could almost hear Deacon’s voice telling her it would all be ok, to breathe and start over.

    Skye could feel an inner calm take over with each breathe, she felt the anxiety subside before long she started to speak surprised at how level she sounded. “Mr. Moody… my husband was much better at this than I am,” she drawled. She gathered her words carefully once more. “I understand that we had enough to pay in full for about the first 3 months after he passed away.” ‘Was murdered.’ flashed in her head. She took a hard swallow and continued. “It took everything that we had just to bury him, not to mention squeeze enough out to pay even a minimum on this loan. There has to be another way to do this or my family has nothing left.”

    Despite his earlier showing of over confidence he looked genuinely compassionate about her situation and she could see him mulling over what she had said. Hoping her words meant something Skye tried not to stare but could tell he was making a decision. It was in the direction of his eyes, not looking at anything but seeing everything. It felt like time stopped. She waited on the edge of sanity for him to say something and because she had nothing to add, all she wanted was an answer so that she knew where to go from this point forward.

    He seemed to snap out of his thoughts. “Mrs. Dune… I have looked over your file and your loan payments had been made on time consistently but I don’t think that I can give you anything else…” That’s it the agitation was back and she fought it with every muscle she had not to explode as she felt it burn through her but he continued. “Beyond another 30 days to make your payment before the bank will foreclose on the business and the house since it was used as collateral.

    Her face warmed but not from embarrassment ‘where the hell is this coming from?’ She lowered her head and put two fingers to her left temple in slow moving circles she started rubbing “30 days… that’s it?” She asked knowing the answer but in a way just confirming. Again she could hear Deacon’s voice in her head telling her to breathe. With a sigh Mr. Moody replied “Yes, after that it will all be completely out of my control.” He tapped his fingers on the desk, eyes down thinking again. “How much do you think you will be able to come up with by then? An approximation is fine.” Skye mulled it over for a moment and raised her head dropping her hand.

    “I’m not sure, I would have to check I mean there’s stuff I can sell…my car ‘Deacons car’” she left that last part unsaid because she really didn’t want to sell it. “And I can see what I can do.”

    This felt like it was going downhill…fast, really really fast. Moody shook his head and that worried her even more. “Ok I’ll tell you what I will do,” The first word came out loud and forceful and she held her breath. “If you can come up with at least ¾ of the amount owing I will see if I can get you more time.”

    Part of her immediately felt the tension ease off; she saw some hope surface for her family…her kids. “Thank you Mr. Moody.”  She said softly it’s all Skye could manage to get out as she took in the small reprieve she had been given. Feeling like if she had said anything more, the deal he gave her would fall apart but as she looked at him now he looked serious. His voice was sincere, “You have to understand Mrs. Dune that if this amount is not paid in 30 days I will have no choice but to close this file and foreclose.”

    There it was…that button that gets pushed when she feels like someone thinks she’s stupid, she went rigid and he continued, “I urge you to make other arrangements for your family just in case you cannot make the payment.”  Understood his words yet at the same time she wanted to reach across the desk and smack him hard in the face. ‘Breathe’.

    She uncrossed her legs and began to stand up. “I understand perfectly and will be in touch with you as soon as I have some numbers for you.” He smiled and stood as he came around from behind big the desk to extend his hand to her again. For a minute she didn’t want to take it. It was like she was selling her soul, yet he was giving her a chance so she put her hand in his and they shook on it.

 

    “Have a nice day Mrs. Dune. I’ll wait for your call.” He said

    “I will and you too Mr. Moody.” I replied.

    He walked her out of the back office towards the reception area and the little gate she was buzzed through. Noticing that Bonnie the bobble-head still looked just as happy go lucky as she had a half an hour before, Skye shot out that fake smile again at her and Bonnies response was nothing short of a thin lipped ‘fuck you’. Still sitting in the waiting room the young girl still sat with the clipboard in her lap not looking at all like she wanted to be there. She lifted her head when she saw Skye walking towards her and the poor things expression was one of dismay that made Skye think that she was there for the same reason she was. Skye felt for her without even knowing her story. She nodded and smiled at her and the young mother to be returned with a nod as well.

    Once she stepped out of the bank her relief took serious hold. It was over for now and she resigned herself to worry about the money tomorrow. While she was walking to the truck she could see Kona and Angel through the back window looking very happy to see her. You would think she had been gone for days but it made her feel good that they missed her so that much. Just as she put the key in the lock Skye looked around the parking lot. Across the street about a block down from where she now stood she could see what she called the daytime girls in their short skirts and halter tops waiting to find someone to take them to the cheap hotel a few more blocks away. There they stood pacing back and forth, hooting at the odd car that would go by and give them a second look.

‘Not a priority’ flowed through in a whisper.

    Skye finally opened the door and stepped into the drivers’ seat, Kona howled and Skye covered her ears with her hands. “Jesus! I love you too now shut it!” When Kona shut his big mouth Skye picked up her cigarettes out of the center console and shook one out.  She lit the end and it flared as she took a long pull off of it.  Putting the key in the ignition and turning it just enough to engage the stereo is when she finally let her body relax. This was when she missed him the most, when she needed advice he was always the one to give it to her. Deacon was so good at thinking outside of the box and staying positive about it. He always had a plan B in the works to cover their asses, not that they always needed that but he had his ways of making everything alright.

    As she took in another pull of smoke watching the tendrils shift in the air it occurred to her that she needed to think like Deacon and be smart about how all of this was going to play out.  This situation… which she had no idea what she was going to do about yet could go wrong and she needed to be careful. She could hope for the sale of the century to help cover some of this but that was not likely going to happen right now. They didn’t even have enough stock within a normal price range to help offset what they needed. Skye decided she had to think of something no matter what the cost but again…not right now. Once she realized that she was dwelling on those thoughts, she reminded her self that she was going to think about all this tomorrow.

    It was getting late and she had to go.