Ronnie’s eyes narrowed but she kept her tongue. “You said you wanted to talk to me about Rose?”
“I’ve found a way to help her out.”
“Help her out?”
“Yeah.” The large woman sat up. “I’ve found her a job in Cobleskill. She can start on Monday. It pays six dollars an hour.”
“Why would she want to work in Cobleskill? That’s an hour away. Besides, didn’t you notice that she has two broken legs? She’s in no condition to work.”
“It’s in a telemarketing office. She won’t have to stand up, just talk on the phone. Of course that means she’ll have to move back with me.”
“She already told you she wants to live with me. Why would she change her mind now?”
Delores shook her head. “You don’t understand. Rose and I have a deal. She owes me for taking care of her and promised to help out in any way she could.”
“Let me get this straight. You want her to move back with you and work at this telemarketing job so she can give you money?”
“I think that’s only fair. She lived under my roof and ate my food for years without paying anything and now it’s time for her to pay me back.” Delores crossed her arms and leaned back.
“So she owes you for everything you did for her when she lived with you?” It sounded ridiculous but no one was laughing.
“You could look at it that way. I look at it this way. I could have rented her room to someone who would have paid me. She owes me the money I lost by not being able to rent it. When she left I had to start paying for a babysitter on bingo and bowling nights. My generosity can only go so far. I’m not rich, you know. I can’t afford to be as charitable as you.”
Ronnie gripped the edge of her desk.She now had no doubt about Delores’
reason for coming to her office.
“You decided that Rose owes you money because she lived with you when she was a teenager, is that right?”
“Exactly.”
“And since she owes you all this money you feel she should move in with you and work at this job so she can pay off what she owes you, right?”
“Right.”
Ronnie’s lips pulled back into a smile much like a cobra just before it strikes.
“But since I’m her friend you thought you’d come and see if there was something I could do, right?”
“Well, we’re not talking about much to someone like you. If you’re really her friend I’d think you’d want to help her out.” Delores said indignantly.
“And I could help Rose out by paying off her debt to you, is that the idea?” Ronnie was tired of the game and the dirty looking woman who was trying to use Rose.
“How much?”
“Well, you have to take into account how long she lived with me and then…”
“I said how much?” Ronnie did her best to keep the hostility out of her tone. “Come on, I’m sure you had a figure in mind when you walked in here. How much do you think Rose owes you for taking care of her?” She pulled the checkbook out of the drawer and opened it up.
“Five…no, ten thousand.”
“Ten thousand dollars and you’ll walk away and leave Rose alone?”
Dollar signs danced in front of Delores’ eyes and greed sang in her heart. She almost agreed, then she realized that the rich woman was giving in much too easily. “Wait.” She stood up and walked over to the desk, leaning her chubby hands on the polished wood. “What if I said I wanted fifteen thousand or even twenty?”
“Is that what it would take?”
“You’re really willing to give me twenty thousand dollars?” Suspicion set in. “Why?”
“I have my reasons.” She picked up the pen to write the check and stopped herself. She had no intention of using the pen that Rose got her. Reaching into the drawer she pulled out another one and began writing.
“It’s B-i-c-k-”
“I know how to spell it.”
“You know,” Delores laughed nervously. “I always knew she’d find someone to take her in.” Her eyes widened as the zeros were added to the amount box. Feeling victory within her grasp, she relaxed and rested her hip against the desk, much to Ronnie’s annoyance. “Twenty thousand dollars. Humph. May not seem like much to you but I can get a new trailer for that.”
Ronnie stood up and tore the check out of the book. “And for the cost of a trailer you are willing to get out of Rose’s life and leave her alone forever, right?” Delores reached for the check but she held it up in the air. “That’s the deal. For twenty thousand dollars you stay away, never call or stop by. You’ll forget that she exists.”
“Give me that check and I’ll forget all about her,” Delores promised, her forefinger and thumb grasping at the corner of the paper.
“Don’t you even want to say goodbye to her?” The executive held the check tightly, refusing to give it up without an answer. She did not expect the one she got.
“Why? Is it worth more money if I do?” Delores looked at her expectantly.
Ronnie forgot about the videotape in the shock of hearing the cold words. With an angry tug she jerked the check back and stood up, her six-foot frame towering over the shorter woman. “You bitch.” Blue eyes blazed with fury. “You never cared about her at all, did you?” Her hands balled into fists, crumpling the check. “You took her in just for the check each month and to have a built-in babysitter!” Knuckles turned white under the pressure and the check suffered more damage.
“The check…” Delores pointed out. “We have a deal.”
Ronnie lowered her head, the long black hair hiding her face. “The money. That’s all you worry about, isn’t it?” Her voice was quiet, low…the calm before the storm. “You used Rose for money. You used her as a child to get money from the State and when she was struggling to survive you took money from her.” Jerking her head up, Ronnie locked eyes with the woman she hated. “Now she’s lying there with two broken legs and instead of worrying about her you’re trying to get money from me.”
“You want to get rid of me? Give me the check and I’m gone.” The large woman held her hand out.
“You want the check?” Ronnie flattened the rumpled check out, then held it out in front of her. She tore it neatly in two, then put the pieces together and tore it again. “I’m sure the State of New York paid you far more than you ever spent on Rose.” Another tear. “There were weeks when she spent next to nothing on food for herself yet sent you a check because you managed to convince her that she owes you somehow.” She threw the pile of confetti on the desk. Delores could only stand there and watch as her plan fell apart. “You have used Rose for the last time. Get out of my office before I have Security throw you out.”