Ice-cold cash

Isabella stared at the icicles on her ceiling fan. Just last week, Austin was its normal 70 degrees. Today? Freezing wind and ice and a frigid 35 degrees. No heat inside the one bedroom basement apartment she shared with her fifteen-year-old daughter Sofia.

Boil water? What water? Icicle water? Plop, plop, plop: She glared at the dripping icicles, and the orange plastic Home Depot bucket catching the drops.

What am I going to do?

No heat, power, water; no car, no job, no vaccine . . .

Hopelessness was rearing its ugly head . . . again.

Where was that $1400 stimulus check?

The last $600 was spent immediately on food and rent.

Tears started leaking. She’d already broken apart the flimsy fake wood coffee table to burn in the unused fireplace; it had smoked up the room, but at least there was some heat last night. She’d found some dry cardboard Amazon boxes from one of her neighbor’s recycle bins, so that was something.

“Austin’s Big Chill,” screamed one headline.

How could she buy milk? Bread? Wait, she could get the free food they handed out at Sofia’s school in backpacks. Sofia would be horrified of course, but these were desperate times . . .

Bella was already wearing her warmest coat and sweater, as well as two pairs of lined leggings: Pandemic casual wear. Bella had been “let go” from her hotel cleaning job eight months ago. She’d applied with the school district to clean schools at night. In the meantime, she had no income. She donned her mask and her beanie to brave the cold. She was incognito.

Bella thought she could pick up the backpack filled with food, and perhaps she could find some more dry wood pieces from the nice shop teacher. She had a plan. She opened the door, and saw her daughter standing there holding a bright pick Victoria’s Secret bag.

Sofia put her hand up to stop her mother, and pushed her back through the door.

“Mama, sit down.”

Bella was scared by her daughter’s authoritative tone of voice; it didn’t sound like her. Bella backed up and sat down. She found a dry spot on the couch.

“What is it? Did something happen at school?”

“Mama, just listen okay? I found something.”

Bella nodded. Sofia dropped the pretty pink VS bag on her mother’s lap. It was heavy. She’d never seen the bag before.

“Open it.”

Bella unzipped the bag and her eyes widened in shock.

_____

Mrs. S. wondered what had happened to Sofia. One minute she was waiting for the backpack and the next, she’d disappeared. Mrs. S. had to track down the backpacks since the school was such a mess.

Sofia and her mom needed food. Sofia was brilliant and sweet, but she and her mom were drowning. Mrs. S. wanted to help but wasn’t sure how. The food would help, but why would Sofia leave without it? Mrs. S. managed to grab two backpacks filled with food. She would just keep it near her desk in the hope that Sofia returned. Where on earth did she go?

_____

Bella’s hand covered her mouth in shock when she opened the bag. Cash came spilling out. She was staring at the pink bag with the money inside. Then she saw a small black Moleskine notebook. She picked up the notebook, turning it over.

“What is this?”

“Money.”

“Right. Where did it come from?”

“I found it.”

“Found it?”

Sofia nodded with a sly smile.

Bella leaned back while a million questions swirled around in her head. The most important question: Could she spend this money to buy milk? Bread? Food? No, that would be stealing . . . would it?

“Tell me everything honey.”

“So, I went to see Mrs. S., to get the backpacks of food.”

Bella nodded, exactly where she’d planned to go earlier.

“Everything was a big mess, and I wanted to see Mrs. S.”

Her favorite teacher.

“She left to get some food, and I was cold . . . so, I started to wander around. I went down to the boiler room; it’s warm down there. Also, I thought I could maybe find us some more dry cardboard to burn ya know?”

Bella nodded, saddened by her own daughter having to look for dry cardboard to burn for some heat.

“I saw the pink---it’s a cute bag. I picked it up. It’s heavy. I looked inside. Saw the cash. II took it. There it is. We need money Mama.”

Bella nodded slowly. They needed the money. It was manna from heaven dropped in her lap. The answer to her prayers. But . . . it was stealing.

“Should we count it?” They did.

“$20,000 in icy-cold cash.”

_____

Mrs. S. was busily trying to comfort her students. Some of them were there to learn, but many were there just because it was a warm, safe place. Everyone needed some assistance: food, money, dry clothes, the list went on and on. Her students needed food, shelter, clothing, and warmth before they could even think about learning. So many of them were already living in abject poverty already, and then this deep freeze had hit in the middle of the pandemic. Then, she worried about Sofia. It wasn’t like her to just run off. Suddenly, Sofia walked in the door, flushed from the cold. She and her mom were laughing which seemed amazingly resilient.

“Aw, you came back. I was so worried.”

“I’m so sorry Mrs. S., emergency at home. I called Sofia to come right home. Burst pipes. Icicles dripping from the ceiling fan. It’s a mess.”

“But you both seem in good spirits.”

They both shrugged in resignation.

“What are we gonna do? It’s warm and dry in here.”

“I have two backpacks here.”

“Thank you so much! That should get us through tonight.”

“Hang in there. Come back tomorrow. I will have them available for you each day.”

“Thank you for everything you do Mrs. S.”

Mrs. S. couldn’t save everyone, but she could certainly comfort Sofia and her mom with some free food.

_____

Back in their apartment, they stared at the cash.

“Can we spend it?”

“Yes. Finders Keepers.”

“Isn’t it stealing?”

“Mama, I found it. I didn’t hold a gun and steal it. I want to read what’s in that Little Black Book with ‘Moleskine’ on the cover. It’s a ‘creator’s’ notebook’ and looks. . . classy. Might tell us something.”

She opened the book, and started to read aloud to her mom:

“I’m sixteen and pregnant. I love my Baby Daddy, and I thought he loved me. Okay, he was married, older, and black, but none of that mattered. We loved each other. I saw him every day, and it was awesome. Until it wasn’t. He can’t just throw me away like garbage; that’s not fair.

I want us to be a family. Why shouldn’t I have that?

When we read The Crucible with Mrs. S., I felt bad for Abby. Everyone thought she was bad, but I understood her. John Proctor wanted Abby to just forget all about their affair, but Abby loved him, and didn’t want it to be over. She wanted to get rid of the wife, and keep the husband. Same for me.”

Sofia looked up. “Mama, this girl must go to my school. She’s had Mrs. S. for English.”

Bella nodded, “Keep reading honey. Quite a story, huh?"

“Everyone always blames the girl. I wasn’t proud of myself, but there were two of us in the backseat of his car, in the alley, in his office. He was my first---and I had hoped---my last. But now what? Pregnant and alone at sixteen.

I asked him for $20,000. He thought it was for an abortion, but I’m having this baby. This money is just a down payment. Once he sees our darling baby, everything will change. I saw a nice car online, and I need money for my extensions, my nails, my lashes. Looking good is expensive. He said yes so quickly; I should’ve asked for more. I will next time . . . “

“Next time?” questioned Sofia. “This girl is a spoiled brat . . . extensions. Seriously?” She continued reading:

“I’ve been hanging out with M. lately--- just to make H. jealous, but also because I’m still young, and I still want to party and hang with friends. M. is so hot; he’s tall, athletic, broad-shouldered, and he’s my age. M. is a boy, and H. is a man. H. has talked about M. before, he seemed jealous. Maybe I should just have sex with M. --- he’s brown, and I could probably convince him the baby’s his and then he would have to take care of me. M.’s mom really likes me; she feels sorry for me; she’s a very nice woman. I could totally encourage her to love me, that wouldn’t be hard at all. I know how to make people care about me; it’s a gift I have. :-)”

Sofia stopped reading.

“Unreal.”

“She’s NOT a good person, Mama. She doesn’t deserve this money … extensions? We deserve it. We are good people, ya know? And Mama, we need help.”

Her mother nodded, “Keep reading honey . . . sorry, but I want to know what happened next."

“My tummy is still completely flat---M. wouldn’t even have a clue there’s a baby in there. He's cute and dumb. Plus, H. might be jealous enough to finally leave his wife . . . Getting the money is step one. Getting H. for myself is what I really want.”

They stopped reading.

“She’s terrible. She's Abby for sure. We’re good people Mama. We need money for food, not extensions. We could just spend a bit of cash---then replace it once the stimulus check arrives.”

Bella nodded. Borrowing sounded better than stealing.

“Then, we figure out who the girl is---Mrs. S. will know---she knows everything. This girl must be connected to my school somehow; I'm gonna call her Abby. We find her; we return the bag---the money and the notebook---but we spend some of the cash now. For food."

As a mother, Bella kept thinking about the girl --- a pregnant sixteen-year-old girl---she’d been the same---pregnant with Sofia and all alone. This 'Abby' was no angel, but who was?

“Mama?”

“What?”

Sofia read from her screen:

“A sixteen-year-old girl was found buried in the snow and ice in downtown Austin today. “The police investigation is ongoing.” Police sources say that although cause of death has yet to be determined, it is ruled a suspicious death. They’ve also determined that the girl was pregnant, so it would be a double-homicide.”

Bella and Sofia stared at each other: "Oh my."