Entangled Moments (Moments in Time) Read Online Free Page A

other
side of the street, but working in a luxury hotel required years of experience,
which I lacked.
    My shift started before I had finished shaking the manager’s
hand.
    Next on my to-do list was finding a place to stay.
     
    ***
     
    I climbed out of the taxi and stepped into the filthiest
part of town. Two men were sprawled out on the pavement, and beggars sat
cross-legged on the curb. I tossed a few coins into several coffee cups. I’d
been there.
    Pressing my purse close to my body, I crossed the street. A
car whizzed by, ignoring a red light, and almost ran me over. I sprang away in
time and landed on my bum. Unfazed, I stood and dusted myself off. Nothing
would stop me from reaching my destination.
    The apartment building was tucked between a laundromat and a
strip club.
    The caretaker, a man with crow’s feet and a widow’s peak
opened the door with one hand. He held a chipped coffee mug in the other.
    “I’m here to see the room that’s being advertised.”
    He extracted a set of keys from his pocket. “Sure, follow
me.”
    “Do you have a job?” he asked, as we climbed the worn-out
stairs.
    Dust particles rose and tickled my nostrils to a sneeze. “Excuse
me.” I sniffed. “Yes, I do have a job.”
    The man nodded and stopped at the door marked 3. “Come on,
then. Let me show you the room. See if you like it.”
    The room was tiny and airless with a threadbare carpet.
Mismatched pieces of furniture stood in odd places, as if someone had been in
the process of rearranging them and changed their mind.
    Walking through the sitting room, I ignored the spring
sticking through the shabby striped couch. Inside the kitchenette, I ran a
finger across the top of the small fridge with a missing handle. At least the
place was clean. Besides, it was simply a place to start.
    “There’s a shared bathroom at the end of the hallway and a
kitchen on the main floor.” The caretaker gulped down his coffee.
    Having lived in an orphanage and a homeless shelter, I had
no problem with sharing. As long as, at the end of the day, I had privacy in my
own room. This was better than living on the street.
    Six months after we’d started dating, Chris had suggested I
move in with him. He insisted on taking care of me, paying all the bills,
working as a self-employed IT specialist, while I spent the money I earned
waitressing on college tuition. We lived together for two years. He proposed on
our second anniversary. Four months later, I lost him and was thrown out of our
apartment in the thick of night. Apparently, he hadn’t paid the rent for
several months. With no one to turn to and little money, I spent two nights on
the street. Then Lynnette found me and offered me a place to stay. Unable to
afford my studies, I dropped out of college and moved to the shelter
permanently.
    Or not so permanently , I thought, looking around me.
    “You’ll find no cheaper fully furnished room around here,”
the caretaker said.
    Having read through other adverts, I agreed. “How much is
the deposit?”
    “Four months’ rent.”
    Since I’d had no major financial responsibilities on my
shoulders at Oasis, so my meager waitressing salary had accumulated enough for
me to pay rent for a couple of months. But I wasn’t ready to hand over more than
three months’ deposit.
    “Are you interested?”
    “Yes, but I can only give you three months’ deposit. I just
started my job, and I haven’t been paid yet.”
    He raised a bushy eyebrow. “I’m afraid you have to pay the
full deposit in cash.”
    “I understand, but I don’t have much money on me right now.
But I can get it. I need a few days.” My voice broke. I was venturing into the
unknown, and the money I had on me, however little, was my only security.
    He scratched the bald island on his head and sighed. “What’s
your name?”
    “Carlene Adams.” I paused. “I need a place to stay tonight.
I—”
    “Have nowhere to go?” He finished my sentence, as if he’d
heard it