Sum of the Whole by Brenda Murphy

Author:Brenda Murphy [Murphy, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781370119103
Amazon: B072MH8X9H
Goodreads: 35401462
Publisher: NineStar Press
Published: 2017-06-19T03:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

SHE FORCED HERSELF to wait in the car until the time they had agreed on. Men loitered on the steps of the building next to Sarah’s apartment house. Cigarette smoke wafted between them and their voices and laughter filled the street. They stopped talking when Jaya exited the car. Her height alone was enough to draw eyes even if her brown skin was not uncommon in this neighborhood. Murmurs and a low whistle came from the group and she hurried past them, not wanting to engage and waste time. Don’t make eye contact. She stepped around a questionable puddle in front of the steps to Sarah’s building. The stoop was tidy with a plastic flowerpot filled with shabby silk flowers. She rang the bell to Sarah’s apartment and waited for her to unlock the entryway.

The smell of fried fish and spicy cabbage filled the stairway on the three flights up to Sarah’s door. Jaya knocked on the door to Sarah’s apartment precisely at eight o’clock. Sarah opened the door wearing an aqua-blue silk robe. Her hair hung in loose curls, framing her face.

“Come in.” Sarah stepped back to let Jaya into the apartment before locking an assortment of dead bolts on the door. “Please forgive the mess. I cleaned before I left this morning, but my roommate is under the false belief we have a maid.”

Jaya raised an eyebrow but didn’t give voice to her concerns. The off-white walls were scuffed. The furniture was battered and books were spread over the table and floor. Through the kitchen pass Jaya could see crusty pots on the stove and dirty dishes piled in the sink.

“No worries, Sarah. I came to see you not your apartment.”

“I don’t have the amenities of Rowan House, but I believe you requested a bed this morning.”

“Lead the way.” Jaya followed Sarah down the dingy, narrow hall to her room. Sarah shut the door behind them and slid a chain lock into place. Jaya raised both brows. A lock on the inside of a bedroom door always pricked at Jaya’s brain. She had many cousins who would not sleep without a lock on the inside of their doors or chairs jammed under the knob. The room was brightly lit. Sarah’s desk was clean and her books neatly arranged. Her double bed rested on a frame with the bedspread folded neatly at the foot. The wall served as the headboard.

“May I take your coat, Mistress?” Sarah was at her elbow and Jaya shivered, remembering their first meeting when Sarah had undressed her at Rowan House.

“Yes.”

Sarah slipped Jaya’s jacket from her shoulders and hung it over the desk chair. Sarah turned to Jaya and kept her gaze on her face as she let her robe fall at her feet. She dropped to her knees and crawled forward until she rested her forehead on Jaya’s boots.

“Forgive me for not greeting you as I should, Mistress.”

“Look at me.” Jaya reached down and lifted Sarah’s chin. “Don’t apologize to me. We’ll work with what we have.

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