Chapter 138: Jewel

Her feet and back ached. She needed new shoes, but didn't have the funds for at least another month. The air conditioning bill was fifty dollars higher than she expected due to an early heat spell, and now the thermostat was set at eighty. The old squeaky ceiling fan did little more than move the hot air around, but it was better than nothing.

Pulling bills and change from the pockets of her waitress dress, she smiled over the thought of number eight leaving her more than ten dollars in tip. The rest of her day wasn't bad either. Separating the bills, she hid them in two locations around the apartment. She didn't live in a good neighborhood, and she learned the hard way that with her waitress dress giving away her employment even the three locks on the door couldn't keep the thugs out. Waitress equaled cash and cash equaled a little drug money, or at least she figured that's why they ripped her off six months before.

After a cold shower, she made herself dinner, un-packaging one of her