Just then, she remembered the old futon in her unused basement. It wasn’t the greatest space—it was packed with boxes and a bit damp and smelly, but surely, that would be better than a shelter for the homeless. At least until he got back on his feet.
“Christopher—,” she began softly, unsure how to broach the subject. She knew he might be sensitive to her offer. Raina sensed he was a proud man and he might be offended by a hand out. “I hate the idea of you staying at the homeless shelter.”
“Wha—?” Christopher started, but Raina continued.
“Look, I know you’re down on your luck, and I’d like to help. I wouldn’t be where I am today if people hadn’t helped me, and I’d like to pay it forward. I have a basement and a futon—it’s not pretty by any means, but it’s functional. You can have the basement until you get back on your feet.”
Christopher did not respond. He turned to her and she saw his brows furrow in what seemed to be confusion.
She laughed a bit when she saw his look, “I know, a basement in South Florida—people always ask about that. But it’s really more of a half-ground level, sort of storage area. Still,” she warned, “It’s not fancy or anything—but, I’d be happy for you to stay there.”
He was quiet a long time. She thought she may have injured his pride until he finally spoke.
“That’s very generous of you—but I couldn’t. I would never want to impose.” he said. His voice seemed a bit strangled. Again her heart twisted in her chest.
“Is it very difficult for you to accept help from a friend?” she said. She saw the look he gave her. “Fine, acquaintance?”
“Boss lady?”
The tension broke as they both laughed.
“Thank you very much Raina. I really do appreciate it, but—" he said. His eyes met hers and she could tell he was going to refuse her again.
“No ‘buts’,” she said firmly. Her mind was made up. “Consider it an order from your boss.”
“Raina—,” Christopher started, but he stopped at the look she gave him. He pursed his lips. She could tell he still wasn’t happy about it, but he said, “Okay. Boss. I’ll follow orders. But, only for a short time. And I’ll pay you rent.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she brushed aside his offer and turned her blinker on, pulling to the side of the road near a run-down diner about half a block from the shelter.
When she stopped the car, she wrote down her address for him and gave him the piece of paper. They arranged that Christopher would get his things and go to Raina’s that evening.
“I’ll see you tonight. Dinner is at 6:30. Don’t be late!” she warned him playfully.
&nbs
p; “Yes, ma’am.” Christopher said. If he’d been wearing his usual cap, she sensed he would have tipped it at her. His old-fashioned manners made her smile.
She watched him disappear in the throng of people and her heart went out to him. With the way he spoke and carried himself, Raina was sure that he had been a huge success once.
She wondered what had happened to change his life so dramatically. She shivered in the warm sun at the thought that bad luck could happen to anyone. She crossed her fingers and said a quick prayer for herself and the kids. If something like that ever happened to them, Raina knew it would kill her. She knew she was only one bad month away from ending up on the street herself.
She could never let her sister and brother-in-law down and worse, the children’s welfare would be in jeopardy. She wondered again how other parents handled the pressure of knowing that if things went wrong, their families would be facing certain disaster.
6
Carrying a black rucksack on his back, Christian slid out of his Bugatti, two blocks away from Raina’s house. He couldn’t risk being seen. He waved to his driver and proceeded to walk down the street. It was a quiet neighborhood, Christian thought, admiring the tiny neat lawns in front of each house and the well-maintained house fronts.
He thought back to what might have prompted Raina to invite him to live in her basement. It wasn’t until she’d dropped him off that he realized the address he’d randomly given her was near the homeless shelter and her mistaken thought process clicked with him.
She is such a kind woman, he thought to himself, not for the first time. Raina really had been insistent on helping him, and there wasn’t a good way to dissuade her without drawing more attention to his lies. Again he felt a twinge of guilt for even lying to her in the first place.
Still, he was happy at the unexpected chance to spend more time getting to know her. Perhaps this would also give him the opportunity to pick her brain about the goings on at the hotel. His nerves felt taut with anxiety though. He would have to be very careful in the next couple of weeks so as not to blow his cover.
He stopped when he reached her house, a semi-detached two story home that bore the house number in a bright uplifting yellow color. He could see that it had once been well-cared for, but now there was paint peeling and bricks were crumbling. He noted the crooked steps and the front porch that was sagging. There was no visible door below the stairs to the front door that led to a basement. He straightened himself, adjusted his cap and climbed up the steps.
It was as though Raina was waiting by the door for his knock because; she opened it as soon as his hand rapped on the door. He looked at her well-fitting cream slacks and a sleeveless matching pink blouse. She had shed her work persona and she looked easy and relaxed at home.
“Hi Christopher, welcome.” she said and threw the door open.