The Road to Finding Home by K.B. Barrett
Chapter 1
Eleanor
How about dinner tonight?” Her next-door neighbor smiled at her, showing way too many teeth.
Oh no! Not again.
Every single woman who lived in an apartment building in the city had to look out for that one older man who was really friendly, too friendly, and always had a smile at the ready. Unfortunately for her, she lived right across the hall from him.
“Sorry, I’ve already got plans,” she said softly, keeping her head down, hoping that if she didn’t make eye contact it would discourage him, while simultaneously praying that the key slid in smoothly and didn’t stick, so she could escape before he started asking why.
“Ahh… you never…” Her phone ringing saved her from him finishing and her having to answer. She lifted her phone and mouthed sorry to her neighbor as she slipped in her door and shut it behind her quickly.
“Hello,” she answered while setting her purse and takeout bag on the entryway table.
“Is this Miss Eleanor Thompson?” A male voice that she had never heard before asked.
“Yes, this is,” she muttered distractedly, looking over her studio apartment. She hadn’t been keeping up with house chores lately, too busy trying to meet her deadlines, and her messy house was showing the effects of it.
“This is Mr. Carson. I’m an attorney in Crater, and I’m overseeing the settlement of your family’s property for the state and on behalf of your brother.”
Her brother?
Oh no.
“What?” she croaked out, her heart pounding double time at the mere thought of her family being brought up.
It seemed that even when running as far away as she could, her nightmares still followed her.
“Yes, your brother, Frank,” Mr. Carson answered in a curt tone, clearly bored with her. “Now, normally, with a person being a ward of the state prison, assets are left up to the ward as to the care of them during their stay.” He said the words as if a stay in a prison was an everyday vacation.
“However, with your parents being deceased and since your family home has a considerable amount of debt attached to it, the state is requiring a sale for payoff. I’m here to contact you to inform you of this and to inform you the sale needs to be taken care of by the 30th of September. If you fail to comply, then the state will take possession of the home and perform a short sale, including all items still in it.”
She tried taking all the information that he was throwing at her in but she only had one thought.
Her brother was in prison?
Why wasn’t she surprised?
And did she really want anything to do with this? Just the thought of going back to that place, that town and that house sent shivers racking through her.
“Miss?”
There was nothing in that house left for her except heartache.
An image of Ben flashed in her mind.
Oh no.
Dread settled inside of her, of what she knew was coming.
There was probably some of his stuff in the attic. If she had any hope of keeping the only memories of him left from being tossed out like the rest of him, and her life, then she was going to have to suck it up and go back.
She owed that to Ben.
“Yes, sorry, I’m here.” She listened to the man drone on about paperwork and everything else she was going to need to do, but her mind was stuck on one thing.
She had sworn that after Ben, she would never go back.
Never go back to where her childhood had become a nightmare.
Looked like never came too soon.