Fortune: A Novel by Ellen Won Steil

Author:Ellen Won Steil [Steil, Ellen Won]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2023-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

JEMMA

Even being just shy of nine, Jemma was well aware she and her mother lived on the “poorer” side of Rosemary Hills. And “poorer” meant single-car garage, smaller ranch-style home. The far-east end of town had a few blocks of these “shoebox” houses.

She never had a daddy like all the other girls in her grade. It was peculiar to her when she saw these dads pick them up after school. What was it like to have a male around all the time?

It had always been her and Mama. Mama worked during the day as a hairstylist and some nights at a bar around the corner.

This left Jemma with alone time. A lot of alone time.

Most afternoons were spent at the homes of these “other girls with daddies.” Large homes where there were always freezers stocked with fruit icies. They all had the latest Barbies and accessories. One girl even had every single outfit and accessory for her American Girl doll. And she had a pool.

Befriending these girls wasn’t hard for Jemma at all. She had learned early on that her appearance seemed to give her a pass. She was “the pretty one.” It was never said out loud, but silently understood among the herd of third-grade girls.

She filled her empty hours after school being followed by them. But with school ending and almost all of them going to fancy summer camps up in Minnesota, she would be alone all over again.

The first day of Rosemary Hills Elementary Day Camp was a flurry of excitement. Kids running around everywhere in the gymnasium as parents quickly handed them off before rushing to work. The few teachers who had been stuck with the certainly non-coveted summer day camp positions attempted to organize the random mass of students into groups.

It was an unusually hot day in June. Jemma was placed at a table with two other girls. Due to the scorching temperatures, they were to remain indoors. Their task was to color the ocean-themed coloring sheets.

The smaller girl with dark hair on Jemma’s right immediately went to work, coloring the beach ball with an orange crayon. She was quiet and barely said a word.

The other girl, seated to her left, seemed spacey and annoyed. Lazily drawing lines, she barely acknowledged Jemma.

This didn’t really matter to her. She was too distracted to even lift a crayon, since one of the fifth-grade boys kept trying to reach over and pull her ponytail. She pretended to be mad at him. When he was finished, she turned to the spacey girl.

“You’re Alex, right?”

Alex nodded drearily.

“My mama cuts your mom’s hair. I think I saw you at the salon once.”

“Probably. My mother gets her hair done all the time.”

Jemma picked up a pink crayon and outlined a starfish. “And you?”

The smaller girl was furiously coloring, but she stopped when she realized two other sets of eyes were on her.

“Did you hear me?”

She placed the crayon down softly. “Yes. I heard you.”

“Don’t you want to say your name?”

“Cleo.”

“Like Cleopatra?” Jemma smiled.

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