“The next time I surprise you at the door, remind me to not hug you anymore. You are dangerous to my wardrobe. I paid nearly one hundred thousand for this suit.”
“Stop trying to make me feel guilty. You are nuts to spend that much on an old suit in the first place.” Karlyn slid the metal door open and slid it back again after Sam walked with her into the hallway. They walked down the dimly lit hall towards the antique elevator.
“Come on, Karlyn, this is a pre-war, perfect condition silk Dolce suit from 2031. You know I can’t help myself. I just bought that Baby Phat pantsuit from my favorite shop in the village for almost two hundred thousand; it was one of the earliest designs from the turn of the 21st century and in absolute perfect condition. They really have done some amazing work with fiber reconditioning. I bet these look as good, if not better, than the day they were made. Plus you can’t find a new silk pantsuit for any less than three hundred thousand in today’s market; current fashion is just too damned boring. I see this as both being cost effective, recycling, and being absolutely fabulous. You should be proud of me.”
“Why you would want clothes that are one hundred plus years old, I will never know, but to each her own.” Sam slid the elevator door shut and hit the button for the ground floor.
“One day, you will find your niche and you will explode on the scene and be a rich and famous painter. Then you will learn to appreciate vintage stores, my dear. You are much too creative to wear the bags the old broads wear. And eventually you will have to grow out of bib overalls and jumpers.”
“And like I keep telling you, Sam, I am not everybody. Give me a comfy pair of overalls, a t-shirt, and a hoodie, and I am happy. I can buy a lifetime supply of those with what you pay for one suit, retro or not. Plus, paint is on everything I own anyway, why spend a ton on one piece?”
Before Sam could reply, a boy on a hoverboard nearly ran them down as they exited Karlyn’s building. Luckily the two jumped out of the way just as he flew past.
“Why on earth would a father allow his son to roam the streets of the city alone? I mean, that kid is probably only fifteen or sixteen, but he is still old enough for some of these crazy lonely women.” Sam shook her head, looking back towards the direction the boy went as they walked down the sidewalk to Karlyn’s favorite restaurant.
“I swear I don’t know why women make such a big deal about the shortage. It’s not like there is anything that men can do that we can’t. Between vibrators and artificial insemination, what purpose is there to have a man?”
“Coming to join my team?” Sam smiled over at Karlyn.
“I may not see the purpose of having a man in my life, but that does not mean that I will become a lesbian either. Plus, I am so not your type.”
The women entered L’Rossa del Tierno and approached the hostess station. Once seated at the table, Sam asked, “Type? I have a type?”
“Of course you do. Tall, leggy, and blonde. Big boobs and little waistlines. I wouldn’t say stupid, but I wouldn’t say smart either. I suppose beauty queen would be the best way in which to describe them. Hell, the last one’s teeth were so white she almost blinded me, especially when it reflected off the glow of her fake tan and the peroxide platinum hair. By the way, whatever happened to her?”
“She wanted to get married and start a family. I’m not ready for rugrats.”
“Or commitment,” Karlyn said over her menu.
“Touché. But coming from a woman who has never even had a relationship, that’s the pot calling the kettle black.”
Karlyn paused as the waitress approached and got their order of portabella stuffed ravioli and their best bottle of merlot. She then turned to Sam to answer her remark.
“We both know the reason why I have never had a relationship, and it has to do with the fact that there are twenty women to every one male. I am neither model gorgeous nor rich, so I cannot afford to have a man. I can’t even afford to buy one for a night.”
“Damn, maybe that’s what I should have bought you for your birthday instead of this.” With that, Sam thrust an envelope her way. “Open it carefully; we don’t need prying eyes seeing what’s inside.”
Karlyn looked up from the pale blue envelope at her best friend. “What the hell is inside that I should hide it?”
“Just open it.”
Peering back down to the envelope in her hand, she set it on her lap, just under the table and ripped it carefully along the seam. She saw the metallic corner of the ticket and slapped the folds closed again. Staring at her friend in numb surprise, it took her a few moments to gather her thoughts as to what her reaction should be.
Sam smiled over the table, bouncing in her seat. She had bought Karlyn what she thought was probably one of the best gifts she could give her, and Karlyn was afraid she could not accept it. The silver Federated Lottery ticket sitting in her lap was a very pricey one way ticket to prison time if anyone ever figured out Sam had bought it for her. And Karlyn wasn’t sure if she was more afraid of incarceration or winning the prize – a year’s service from a real, living man.
“We could both go to jail.” Karlyn whispered over the table.
“Get real.” Sam whispered back. “Do you really think the Federated Lottery checks the payment identification? I doubt they ever do, unless there is someone who claims the ticket was stolen. And I won’t do that.”
“But here is the other issue. What the hell do I do if I win the man?”
“Ummm…you get to ride the baloney pony? I don’t know, I can’t imagine what anyone would want with a man, but considering these women spend a fortune on a ticket to get one, I figure there has to be something to having one. So, why not give you the one thing you couldn’t have gotten yourself.”
“Couldn’t? More like wouldn’t. Can we be serious for one minute here? Do you have any idea how many paints, brushes, and canvases I could have bought with what you paid for this non-transferrable ticket? And who said I needed a man? Have I ever asked for one, or suggested I needed one? I have a wonderful best friend and my art. I really don’t need anything else in my life.”
Sam leaned in closer over the table. “Okay, all kidding aside as per your request. All anyone has to do is look into your eyes and see how lonely you are. Take that into consideration along with the fact you are one of the greatest people I have ever met, you deserve a little happiness in your life. It might not be forever, but as the old saying goes, ‘It is better to have loved and lost…’”
Karlyn rolled her eyes. “Love? It wouldn’t be love, as soon as the guy took one look at me, he’d bolt for the door.”
“Damn it, woman, I hate it when you say that. The sad part is you believe it. You are nowhere near plain when you are at ease, when you smile, or when you are painting. You are so unsure of yourself, and you refuse to stand up for what you want and because of that, all people see is the shy little mouse. It is a true pity that almost no one sees that side of you.”
Letting the words sink in and not knowing how to respond, Karlyn was thrilled the server placed the plates in front of them. She had an excuse now for not responding to Sam’s words.
Digging in, she savored the earthy flavor of the mushrooms, or as much as she could with Sam’s words rolling around in her head. Sam seemed to understand her silence, and allowed it to continue with few comments while they ate.
Once the plates had been cleared and Crème Brule and another bottle of wine were ordered, Sam broached the subject again. “You will accept it, won’t you? Think about it this way. Not only would you have the chance to see what being with a man felt like, but you could get Lydia off your back for a little while and have some piece. How would your mother’s face look if you walked up to her front door with a gorgeous piece of man candy on your arm? She couldn’t call you a failure anymore if she thought you could afford a stud.”
Karlyn picked up her wine goblet and swirled the liquid around the inside, watching it intently while she considered her answer. She really shouldn�
�t because if she did, she was breaking the law – those tickets were tightly guarded and purchasers had to prove they were financially and mentally stable enough to purchase one. But if she didn’t accept the ticket, she could alienate the only best friend she had ever had in her life. It wasn’t like she would win anyway; she didn’t have that kind of luck. Thousands, if not more, bought these lottery tickets. So what would it hurt?
Chapter Three
Ethan pulled his shriveling cock from the older woman; his eyes still squeezed shut as hard as he could, not wanting to see what he was really doing. Every time he came to the clinic, he did what he needed to do to help pay the bills, he was lucky Dr. Reding accepted his body for payment of her medical services. He couldn’t stomach this much longer though. His sister needed these doctor visits, as her health continued to decline, and their money was running seriously thin.
After the death of his parents, Ethan had found both the depths of his father’s depravity and the heights of his gambling addiction. Will Spears had owed a lot of people. If Ethan’s mother had known when she was alive, she’d never seemed to show it. Of course, their holdings were bolstered by his mother’s income. A famous surgeon, his mother had been the family breadwinner, and between the loss of her income, and the outstanding debts of his father, the money left to him and his sister faded quickly. By seventeen, he sold himself to the sex trade, while his little sister had moved in with their cold, heartless grandmother.
The money Ethan had earned on his back had barely kept the estate up or paid living expenses for Bailey. After Ophelia had him blackballed, he had spent the past four years trying to contend with near bankruptcy as his means to make more income was now gone, as men were not allowed to take regular jobs within the community. Men were chattel, plain and simple. Selling off parts of the family estate had been painful, and dealing with his sister’s mysterious illness had nearly broken him. Doctor’s visit after doctor’s visit had come up with no answers as to why she was fading away into nothingness.
Dr. Reding finished dressing, as he stood back and covered himself. She turned around to smile at him, but he could not bring himself to return the gesture. He could barely look at the woman in the face.
“Why don’t you go on out to the waiting room? Give me a few more minutes and then bring Bailey back here. We have much to discuss today.”
Ethan finished dressing and scrambled back into the waiting room, found Bailey and sat down beside her. He struggled to look at her. After a few moments of quiet, Bailey rested her head on his shoulder and linked her arm through his. They sat there together for a few minutes, her nuzzling his shoulder with her head and face, in what he took as a silent thank you of sorts. He finally let out a deep breath and stood.
“It’s time to head back. Dr. Reding should be ready to see you now.” He grasped her slim hands and helped bring her to her feet. She looked particularly pale today, more so then she ever had, and the circles under her emerald eyes were darker, her pale yellow hair almost white. He ached inside every time he looked at her and saw the vivaciousness fading away. The stresses of their life took their toll on her, and she did not look like a twenty-five year old with the whole world ahead of her.
A long time ago, he had been jealous of her. She had been the perfect sister, the perfect child, the perfect everything. There was nothing she could do wrong. His parents had adored her, and she had been their favorite, even though they said repeatedly that there were never favorites amongst children. He knew they lied to protect his feelings, though. At the same time, he couldn’t hate her.
Bailey was perfect. She was beautiful from the moment his parents had brought her tiny body into the house for the first time when he was seven, and her beauty had never ceased. Even now, sick and pale, she was the most delicately beautiful being he had ever seen. Her halo of blonde hair against creamy skin only allowed her shining green eyes to glimmer all the more. She was kind, caring, and she held wisdom beyond her years. She had been about to enter the university when his parents were killed by a drunk driver.
She had taken off that first semester; the tragedy had been too great. He had pulled as many strings as he could to be able to afford her first year of school. By the time the second year began, he had realized there was no money left to pay for school. The pair had done everything in their power to salvage their former lives to some degree over the past couple of years. All the stress had seemed to take out Bailey’s fire for life. She was tired all the time, and slept so much.
What had seemed like depression had started lasting much too long. Constant dizziness and vomiting followed, and as the light in her eyes died, Ethan had forced her to go see Dr. Reding. Bailey had fought, knowing they had little funds left, but the fear that he would lose her was too great and eventually Ethan prevailed. Crystalline Echoes, Carbon Scans and Magnetic Ionic testing followed, which exhausted what little they had managed to save.
The pair walked down the lengthy corridor, back to Dr. Reding’s office, Ethan carrying most of Bailey’s weight. Finally, inside the small room, Ethan led her to a chair and helped her sit and then sat down beside her. Ethan sensed an electric current filled the air, making the hairs at the back of his neck stand up, and he took a moment to steel himself to the news he dreaded.
Dr. Reding slipped in through the door, and came around the desk. Ethan eyed the piece of furniture with disdain, repulsed each time he was forced to talk over it as if nothing had happened on it but a few moments ago. Dr. Reding sat down in the large overstuffed chair that sat behind it. She smiled at them both, but the pity the smile held made Ethan hold his breath as he felt his stomach turn over. He knew for certain things were horribly wrong.
“I won’t beat around the bush. I believe the truth can be hard, but ultimately it’s necessary. Bailey, you have three small malignant tumors in your brain. We need to get you into an operating room as soon as possible before the cancer spreads any further. And even with an operation, there is a chance we may be too late. I normally could simply eradicate them with photon surgery, but each tumor is deeply imbedded in the cerebellum.”
No one spoke in the room. It was so quiet; it even seemed that no one breathed. The weight of those words took long moments to sink in. Ethan vision blurred as his eyes began to water, but he refused to cry in front of Bailey. He had to be strong for her. Bailey reached over to Ethan and clutched his hand, but she had to peel his fingers from the white knuckled grasp he had on the arm of the chair.
As she put his hand in hers and covered it with her other, she whispered to him, “It’ll be okay. There is no money for this kind of surgery, and I understand that. We will enjoy the time we have left. Believe me, I somehow knew this was coming and prepared myself for it.”
He turned and looked at her as if she had grown a second head. “Okay? This is definitely not okay, Bailey. We will find the money somewhere, believe me. I don’t care what I have to do in order to get it, but I will move Heaven and Earth to save you, and you know it.” One lone tear had escaped as he finished speaking, and it slid down his cheek. He turned his head to hide it from her, but it was too late.
Bailey slid her hand across his face and captured the tear with her fingers. “Did you not hear her, Ethan? She said it may not even work. What’s the point of moving Heaven and Earth when it still may not be enough? I can’t ask you to do the kind of things you would need to do to get the money. You think I don’t already know what you do now to help me? What you have spent most of your life doing? I tried to turn a blind eye and ignore what I saw, but it killed me inside to know what things you did for me.” She eased her other hand to the side of his face and forced him to look her in the eyes. “I just want to spend the end of my days with my best friend and brother. In comfort, in peace, and in quiet.”
“I can’t just let that happen. If there is a chance you could be beside me for just one more day, then it would have been worth it. I will not just let you die. You are all I have left.”
�
�Grandmother and a few of the cousins are still around. You aren’t completely alone.”
Most of the leftover family was wretched old women who couldn’t care less about anything that happened to the pair. Even their grandmother had demanded the money Ethan’s father had borrowed from her to be paid back from the estate, as well as a contribution from Ethan for Bailey’s living expenses as a child. They hadn’t even bothered going to her for help when Bailey got sick, Ethan had refused to early on. But at this point, he wouldn’t be too proud to beg. Not if it meant his sister’s life.
“They may technically be family, but you know as well as I do they are all a bunch of conniving scavengers who only cared whether their names were in the will. You are the only bright spot in my life. The only thing that makes me get up every day and keep working to get us through this mess. Bailey, you have to fight, and you have to let me do what’s necessary. I can’t watch the last of our family wither away.”
Ethan watched as a spark seemed to glimmer in his sister’s eyes, as if a bit of her fire had returned. She smiled at him, and then a tear coursed down her face.
“Okay, big brother, let’s fight.”
They turned to a smiling Dr. Reding and asked what they needed to do.
“Your mother and I worked together at RiverviewHospital. She was one of my interns when she first got out of medical school. One of the sharpest I had ever seen and had the privilege to teach and mentor. I respected her immensely, mostly because of her passion and her determination. Which is why I am glad you choose to fight. I couldn’t imagine a child of Sharon’s giving up on any challenge, because she sure never did.” Dr. Reding looked down at her desktop, adjusting her blotter, taking her time to consider her words carefully.
The Lottery Page 3