A Cup Away

dn't sleep

cene in the café over and over again. The man's voice smooth, controlled. A friend of

nc

lf on being perceptive. On reading people. And something about that interaction told her she'd just stepped into a world she

ame, Carl was

r, jacket on, phone pressed to

ve her. She has nothing

roze in t

ause. Carl's

"You don't get to

use, longe

d coldly. "And I won't let you con

ll and stood th

ared her th

ring across his face. "How l

h," she rep

nce, the air heavy

Marilyn said. "He was

't deny i

ing for me? Is my being here bringing trouble?

like obstacles," Carl said finally. "An

sed her arms

attach

d lande

I didn't sign up for this. I'm barely surviving. The last thing I

said quickly. "

certainty that usually defined him was fra

you telling m

That my father doesn

spine, "what's that

r, things beg

unannounced, wearing a forced

," he said, tapping the paper. "The ren

m. "That's impossibl

l loopholes. You'l

ty d

counter afterward, hands numb. The café barely surviv

n's landlord called again t

sooner than expected," he s

inve

est ti

gerously close to despair. She didn't call Carl. She didn't want to. Sh

rity ne

eared slipped under the

s a cashi

arge Marilyn's

No expl

he recognized from

s began

ce when his assistan

ur father has be

up sharply

s. Investors. Q

is chair scraped lou

is father i

rl demanded the momen

Darius replied calml

't you?" Carl said, fury

ct you," Darius inte

er life. She doesn't

e'll take the money. They always do. And wh

led. "You don't ge

"You're too close. You'r

ack. "Something you seem not to

was a

e'll be removed from your orbit another way

ne wen

hat night, the envelope on the table

genius to con

den pressure. Money

d as understand

nything-but maybe

s way of fixing t

er knees then throwing money at her so she would bark on command. Tears blurred her vision as humiliation flo

to

roblem to b

o just thro

to be p

th Carl's name ligh

at it for a

e turne

world worked, she

ft one of numerous voicemails as he tried to reach Marilyn but got no response. It was then he realiz