“Thanks for the ride!” I say back to the bus driver, but she’s more than a city bus driver that gives me excellent free rides now and then. She’s my mother’s best friend since high school.

“Anytime sweetie! Tell your mom to call me about dinner tonight. O wait! Kay, I’ll call you to bring my son in for his pictures soon, see you tonight!” and she drove off. Her son is 4 years old and she wants his pictures done at my shop so she can send them out to loved ones.

Opening the door to my studio with Luxurious Memories in big bold letters reminds me how lucky I am to have my own business. Setting up for the day, Anny comes skipping in.

“Morning lovely!” She ran up and hugged me, her hands jingling from the bracelets up and down her arms. Anny my niece, I’ve raised her since she was five when her mom died in fatal accident. A year later her dad died of cancer.

“Wonderful and I suspect your day is going well?”

“YES! A boy named Taylor at my school asked me to prom! Can I go? Please, please, please!”

“Maybe, we’ll talk about it later. I see you got the mail.” She handed it to me and there was a letter in a purple envelope that stood out. As I read, the mood in the room became extremely low.

“What is it?” Abby asked.

“Its your Aunt Sarah, from your dad’s side… when I was in college she lent me money and I’ve been paying her back slowly.”

The nightmare, I prayed at night that it wouldn’t come true, just exploded in my face.

“And?”

“She wants all $35,00 of it back by the end of the month… I don’t have $35,000!!!!” I felt like screaming! Calling her up, telling her that its not going to happen and sending me this letter instead of coming face to face. How low of her! Then blackmailing me about Abby!

“Abby…she says that if I don’t pay up she’s going to petition the court that I’m an unfit parent because of debit and try to get custody over you.”

“She cant do that! I don’t want to go and live with her! She hasn’t been in my life at all! Why is she doing this now?” sounding all distressed. What a way to start the morning.

“She found out about your dad’s will.” In the will its says that whoever takes care of Abby will get $50,000 for caring and supporting her through the years. Of course me and Abby have not touched that money, we were saving it for her college and for her to go to Interlochen next year.

“What are we going to do?”

“Don’t worry about it, I want you to take over for a few hours, can you do that?”

“Really? Of course I can! This is going to be so exciting! I love you Aunt Kay! I wont disappoint you.” With a big smile on her face I left the shop in her hands. I called a cab and went strait to my attorney’s office.


“I see the problem. Is this the first letter you have received from her?” Mr. Smith said.

“Yes, I got it this morning, it was sent to my shop down by the strip mall… do you think she’s serous about this? This is the first time in a few years she has ever contacted me or Abby. I’m afraid to go into court, for the fact I don’t have the money to do so.”

“Talk to her and if she’s serious I’ll send her a letter about this issue. It is not necessary to go into court. If she wants her money we can come to a compromise, if she wants Abby, we’ll will have to figure something out. It seems she just wants the money, not Abby so I wouldn’t worry too much. Just come in sometime this week and we’ll sort this out.” We shook hands and the next morning I called Sarah.

Ring, Ring

“Hello?”

“Hello Sarah, its so nice to speak to you again.” I said in a sarcastically.

“I take it you got my letter.” She said flatly.

“Why are you doing this? You know that it’s not worth it to go to court: And blackmailing me? What’s with that!” Anger came out of my mouth as if it was a second language.

“I want my money Kay, now.” And she hug up.

I called Mr. Smith the next day and explained what happen and our court date was set for June 24th at 4pm, in two months.

The days went by, as I took out loans to pay bills and to go to court. On the day we went to court, when our case was called, butterflies were all over in my insides. Sarah lost at trying to get Abby to go home with her, but then there was the money issue still at hand. Months went by and we finally came to a compromise, I pay $500 a month until its all paid up.




Five months later…

Me and Abby are so happy that we won! The stress is over. The shop is going wonderful and I have no more debt other than Sarah, every few months we get some kind of threat but nothing major we just live life to its fullest.