Laurenne stretched and yawned. She was really bored. The movie she was watching was stupid. It was Halloween and she was in the house with her sickly daughter. Just what she needed. Michelle was cranky because she was sick and she wanted to be with the rest of the children, collecting candy. It didn’t help that Michelle could hear the other children in the street going from door to door, yelling "Trick or treat!" and giggling.
The petite black woman got out of the chair she was lounging in and padded into the kitchen in search of food. She was hungry, really hungry. She’d had a hard day cleaning the house and looking after Michelle. There were some tacos in the fridge; she was going to put them in the microwave and heat them up.
As Laurenne pulled the food out of the freezer, she heard a knock on the back door; she looked around though the glass, to see Hannah Gill standing there, on the doorstep. Hannah was a young woman who lived a few doors down and rarely spoke, but no big friend of hers. Laurenne wondered briefly what she was doing there. She looked depressed.
"Hi" Laurenne smiled as she opened the door and let the other woman in. "I thought you were going to be at a Halloween party or something." The statement sounded lame to her own ears, but what else was she to say?
"I was. I got bored and I decided to leave." Hannah shrugged and looked around the cosy kitchen. Laurenne glanced up at the clock; it was bearly ten thirty, way too early for anyone to be leaving any party. "I was just passing,on my way back, " she heard the blonde girl saying, "and I decided to stop by and introduce myself. I’ve been here for almost a year now and I’ve never stopped to talk, all I know is your name. Isn’t that a shame? Anyway, parties just aren’t my scene." She smiled apologetically. "Am I imposing or something?"
"No," Laurenne replied, "I was just getting some food. Michelle is sick, and I have to stay with her."
"Michelle is your daughter?"
"Yep."
The tacos retrieved from the fridge, it went into the oven and the two women went back out into the living room and the crummy movie.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a while, and then Hannah looked at Laurenne straight in the eye.
"There is something that I’ve always wanted to tell you, Laurenne. I really admire your strength and your poise, especially as a single mother. It really made me look at myself and my life and how I look at myself. I wish I could deal with my life the way you do."
Laurenne was stunned. This was the last thing that she expected the shy blonde to say. She didn’t even know that Hannah had been watching her or her life.
"Uh…thanks." She managed. The timer for the microwave went off in the ensuing silence, and Hannah jumped up to get the food from the oven, glad for the distraction. Laurenne just sat there in a shocked stupor. She didn’t consider herself strong; strong were sisters like Rosa Parks and Oprah Winfrey. She was just plain ol’ Laurenne Mills who got herself stranded without a father for her baby girl.
"Laurenne, where are the plates?"
"The cupboard over the sink." She managed.
"Got drinks?"
"In the fridge."
Hannah came back with two cans of soda and a plate with the pizza.
"Ready to eat?"
* * *
Laurenne stretched and yawned. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and got out of bed. She stumbled down to the kitchen; mornings were not her strong suit. No one was awake as yet. She checked on her sleeping daughter; Michelle’s fever had dropped.
She remembered talking to Hannah until after midnight. She had left soon after, pleading sleep. Laurenne hadn’t realised that she was so articulate. She seemed like such a mouse, but Hannah really was an interesting person.
She checked the mailbox; there was nothing but the daily newspaper. She unfolded the paper and read the headline. She gasped and she dropped the paper.
WOMAN KILLED IN HORRIFIC ACCIDENT – Hannah Gill, proofreader for the Metro Star was killed last night just after nine p.m., after being struck by a drunk driver in front of her home. Eric Pendleton, an unemployed labourer, drove the car, which stuck her head on. Her body was dragged for over two hundred feet before being released…
Laurenne started to hyperventilate. She couldn’t get it out of her mind…Hannah had been dead when she had stopped by last night…
© Chaynne Taylor/Shateri Jordan, 1997-2004
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