alk down from 21st Avenue and link up to Killingsworth Street where she lived. Charlie the hobo sat by the street corner wit

ything for the

ped a couple of cents into h

the porter greeted her with a smile at

returned the greeting wit

n and year out, she was always around. One had to wonder if she had any family to go to du

en in a hurry to leave for work in the morning and she forgot to feed her. Snowball crawled out

tie. You

ed into the kitchen with Snowball hot on her tail, her eyes fixed on

okay?" Emma pulled out a box of Purina and poured some out into Sn

," Emma said, sidestepping Snowball who didn't seem to mind he

her shoulders. The light bulb flickered and she made a mental not

body. Her phone buzzed in the pocket of the denim shorts she'd just taken off and she pried i

tt's voice carried on from

a replied, steppin

dy gone by the

stop sleeping like a log," Emma

joked. Emma shook wildly with laughter. "Which reminds me, how'd your date go?

terrible," Emma fought back the anger that steamed up

f shock and Emma could imagine her eyes growing as large saucers a

h he d

of laughter on the other end. "Sorry

a proper drink. Imagine he made us share a beer. Of course, I didn't

e. I mean it could have gone wors

lined in the bathtub, as the

hear running in

ut to have

for you," Scarlett announced, and Emma raised her eyebrows and looked

ecilia?" Sc

. It should have sounded familiar, but Emma was a sucker at remembering na

rrm

ember the bitch from senior high who thought you we

in their senior high school years; always perching on the shoulders of all the hot guys on the

a loss as to why a name as insignificant as

etails like that," Emma could picture Scarlett rolling her eyes as she spoke and she smiled at the thought. But she st

rom our set are turning up for her t

endly with anyone who had something she needed. With Scarlett, it was access to the numbers of all the ho

for tonight, so bring your ass down

re so there's supposed to be some kinda di

with failing marriages come to watch me dance butt naked," Scarlett said i

mma laughed hear

ou need t

na lie in bed and cry mys

down to The Pulse before seven p.m., or else I'd ha

come

being the bigger person and extending the olive

exasperation, already wary of wha

nk into the cold water, holding her b