Collateral Hearts

hts she'd stared at that same stain, trying not to think. The faucet in the bathroom dripped like a tickin

swallowed down the knot in her throat and she'd cried it all out already the tears dried up around the same time the second eviction notice showed up,or maybe it was yesterday's pink slip, she didn't even know anymore. She forced her feet to the floor,cold hit her soles, sharp enough to wake her bones. The floorboards creaked under her weight and splinters catching her heel, she'd always meant to fix that to

ut of bed for a school run that might not even happen. The diner expected her behind that counter by seven sharp,and Miss June, the nos

just her hands. The coffee inside tasted like burned secrets, bitter as everything else she'd

. She hadn't had the guts to open them since the night she'd carried Lila to the ER, barefoot, crying. She'd tried,God knew she'd tried to hold it all together when Kevin slammed that door and vanished and left her with a sick kid and an apartment he'd promised he'd help pay for. Emp

cked soft, like tissue pa

w if she held it too long,then she crossed the room in three steps, perched on the edge of the sunke

today, alright?" she whispered. A li

e to go t

b under Lila's eye, wiping away something like tears, hers or the kid's,

's sweaty forehead, whispered a promise she wasn't sure she could keep, then padded to the door, heart pounding louder than the faucet's drip, she peeked through the peephole. Mr. Daniels,the damn

me, a complaint in its

id. "Mr. Daniels, I know

h a flick of his hand. "You said the f

today and i'll have it by

he bills there was like grave markers and Lila's doll in t

I'm not the Red Cross, peop

Please. Just give me a few m

t since Christmas!! " M

ted begging,she'd never been a beggar, not until Kevin walked out and the car coughed its last

ss. "If you can hand me something by Friday, anything, m

gh the room louder than his voice. Ava stood there, barefoot on splintered floorboards, surrounded by the pieces of a life she'd been patching together with duct tape and prayers. The table Kevin picked out when they still pretended to be in love,thecouch that smelled like stale popcorn and broken promises,alll of it pressed down on her shoulders like bricks,then she grabbed her phone and the battery blinked

en stared down the woman in the mirror her eyes ringed with years she hadn't signed up for. She used to be

oicemail again. Ava counted the coins in her purse twiceand what is in there is not enough for a cab,and maybe soup later if she sk

ne bar. One message blinking: "Final Not

l strength through the glass. The diner smelled like stale grease and overcooked eggs,very familiar,she slipped through the back, soft on her feet so that Joe wouldn't bark at her for slamming doors.

ina popped her gu

s cracked around a smile

e brushed her thought off, then she balanced the pot like it was the last thing holding her upright. She topped off Mr. Price's cup,he didn't even say thanks. The door chimed, but she didn't look up right away, didn't want to. Then she felt it, the weight of eyes that didn't belong here, so she turned. A man stood in the doorway, w

apron. "Focus, Carter,table four wants eggs, n

aid, pen ready.

reading a map,very up close and she saw th

ratched the air. "And whate

You want me to

,didn't quite smile. "Bet

fee and the special

ct." H

is voice caug

Ava C

and she turned slow,

ther you,we jus

t. "I'm working, if you want to

calm, like he had nowhere

ed in polite words,she didn't have room for bad news. She had rent,a fever,andan eviction notice breathing down her neck. She poured his coffee,an