Speak Low If You Speak Love
No Choice
Zoë was shaking her head as she walked past a few tables where the town drunks were starting their night actually getting dinner before heading out to drink. They always bugged her. Tonight was no different. She closed her eyes and told herself that one day she was going to make it out of this stupid town. She wanted to leave so bad. She had been trying for years but she never seemed to make it. Although she was thinking about calling her Grandmother in California and seeing if she could go stay there, and maybe work at the restaurant that her grandfather had owned for thirty years now, that had been in the family for generations. Her aunt Jolene was just waiting for her grandmother to die so she could sell the place. When Hawthorne grabbed her ass again she turned to face him.
“Hawthorne, how many times has Chase told you to leave us girls alone?”
“Oh c’mon miss Zoë, you know you want…”
“I believe she was telling you politely to leave her alone, so why don’t you quit being rude so the rest of us can enjoy our dinners in peace?” Zoe looked at the dark haired man that had spoke and smiled. He nodded to her and swallowed hard as he turned around to face his friends and band mates. They were raising eyebrows at him.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Tony said looking at Jacoby and shaking his head. Jacoby rolled his eyes and couldn’t wait until they were out of this town and he wouldn’t have to see the girl again, hopefully they would be gone by tomorrow.
“Dude seriously what is your problem today?” Jerry asked Jacoby.
“I don’t have a problem…”
“You’ve just been really hard to talk to that’s all.”
“Could it be because I’m still not over Heather?”
“Dude, she fucking cheated on you. You need to get over her.”
“She won’t let me see my daughter Tobin.”
“Ah well that’s cause enough to be in a bad mood.”
“Will she let you at least talk to her?” Jerry asked.
“No.”
“Bullshit, that’s your kid, and that’s a fact that has been proven, remember that.”
“I know Jerry I just don’t know what the hell I’m going to do about it.”
Zoë waited on them until they left to go back next door to the inn. The other costumers in there that night were nice to her and she should’ve known something was up when her land lord avoided her when he came in for dinner with his girlfriend. She had been polite instead of asking if something was wrong and she didn’t like how he wouldn’t look at her at all. She sighed and continued working even though she had this heavy feeling in her heart and she was scared to go home. Because she had a feeling that she knew what it was.
That night as she was walking out of the Dining hall Zoë had tears falling from her eyes as she looked at the paycheck in her hand. She was fifty dollars short of making her rent. She got in her truck and as she drove home she thought about a way out of this. She was already two months behind in her rent and she was trying to make it up but that wasn’t working very well. She wasn’t going to have a choice she was gonna have to take a third job which meant she was gonna have no sleep at all and she was going to be going insane. When she got home there was an eviction notice on her door. She wanted to cry even more. She unlocked the door and slammed it shut once she was inside. She had no where to go. She glanced at her phone and picked it up. She went to dial her grandmothers number but the phone had no dial tone. Great they turned her phone off. She could see in her apartment at that moment because of the moonlight shining in. She went to flip a light on and it didn’t come on. She sighed and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She had to do something.
It was two months later that she found herself standing in her grandmothers bedroom looking down at the woman that she had turned on when she turned 18, and then once she had thought she had everything she had won her back and now here she was begging for help, from a sick old lady that was practically on her deathbed. She watched as her Aunt Jolene glared at her and walked from the room. Zoë sat beside her grandmother on the bed and the woman took her hand.
“Zoë you came…”
“Grandma, I asked you if I could.”
“I know baby…” she was interrupted by a coughing fit and Zoë wanted to hold her and not let go. “…you’ll take care of the restaurant when I’m gone. Don’t let Jolene sell it.”
“Grandma, you’re not going to die.”
“I’m an old, sick, woman Zoë”
“Grandma…”
“I already had the will rewritten. You’ll get everything including this place.”
“I don’t want it.”
“You need it more than Jolene.”
“Grandma.”
“Don’t argue with me.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Now, go, on Josey at the restaurant is expecting you. There’s a room being made ready for you as well.”
“Don’t go while I’m gone Grandma.”
“I’ll try not to my Zoë baby.” And with that Zoë walked out of her grandmother’s room and down the hall to the winding stair case and then down that hall to the grand stair case. She sighed as she made her way down the stairs. Had her grandmother just told her that this was all going to be hers? What the hell was she supposed to do with an 18 room mansion, that had a dinner hall, a huge kitchen, more bathrooms than bedrooms, a huge converted attic space and game rooms, as well as a formal living room and family room, a parlor, and of course a rec room for the kids when they had visited, as well as the informal living room, the pool house, and the gardens.
“Hawthorne, how many times has Chase told you to leave us girls alone?”
“Oh c’mon miss Zoë, you know you want…”
“I believe she was telling you politely to leave her alone, so why don’t you quit being rude so the rest of us can enjoy our dinners in peace?” Zoe looked at the dark haired man that had spoke and smiled. He nodded to her and swallowed hard as he turned around to face his friends and band mates. They were raising eyebrows at him.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Tony said looking at Jacoby and shaking his head. Jacoby rolled his eyes and couldn’t wait until they were out of this town and he wouldn’t have to see the girl again, hopefully they would be gone by tomorrow.
“Dude seriously what is your problem today?” Jerry asked Jacoby.
“I don’t have a problem…”
“You’ve just been really hard to talk to that’s all.”
“Could it be because I’m still not over Heather?”
“Dude, she fucking cheated on you. You need to get over her.”
“She won’t let me see my daughter Tobin.”
“Ah well that’s cause enough to be in a bad mood.”
“Will she let you at least talk to her?” Jerry asked.
“No.”
“Bullshit, that’s your kid, and that’s a fact that has been proven, remember that.”
“I know Jerry I just don’t know what the hell I’m going to do about it.”
Zoë waited on them until they left to go back next door to the inn. The other costumers in there that night were nice to her and she should’ve known something was up when her land lord avoided her when he came in for dinner with his girlfriend. She had been polite instead of asking if something was wrong and she didn’t like how he wouldn’t look at her at all. She sighed and continued working even though she had this heavy feeling in her heart and she was scared to go home. Because she had a feeling that she knew what it was.
That night as she was walking out of the Dining hall Zoë had tears falling from her eyes as she looked at the paycheck in her hand. She was fifty dollars short of making her rent. She got in her truck and as she drove home she thought about a way out of this. She was already two months behind in her rent and she was trying to make it up but that wasn’t working very well. She wasn’t going to have a choice she was gonna have to take a third job which meant she was gonna have no sleep at all and she was going to be going insane. When she got home there was an eviction notice on her door. She wanted to cry even more. She unlocked the door and slammed it shut once she was inside. She had no where to go. She glanced at her phone and picked it up. She went to dial her grandmothers number but the phone had no dial tone. Great they turned her phone off. She could see in her apartment at that moment because of the moonlight shining in. She went to flip a light on and it didn’t come on. She sighed and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She had to do something.
It was two months later that she found herself standing in her grandmothers bedroom looking down at the woman that she had turned on when she turned 18, and then once she had thought she had everything she had won her back and now here she was begging for help, from a sick old lady that was practically on her deathbed. She watched as her Aunt Jolene glared at her and walked from the room. Zoë sat beside her grandmother on the bed and the woman took her hand.
“Zoë you came…”
“Grandma, I asked you if I could.”
“I know baby…” she was interrupted by a coughing fit and Zoë wanted to hold her and not let go. “…you’ll take care of the restaurant when I’m gone. Don’t let Jolene sell it.”
“Grandma, you’re not going to die.”
“I’m an old, sick, woman Zoë”
“Grandma…”
“I already had the will rewritten. You’ll get everything including this place.”
“I don’t want it.”
“You need it more than Jolene.”
“Grandma.”
“Don’t argue with me.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Now, go, on Josey at the restaurant is expecting you. There’s a room being made ready for you as well.”
“Don’t go while I’m gone Grandma.”
“I’ll try not to my Zoë baby.” And with that Zoë walked out of her grandmother’s room and down the hall to the winding stair case and then down that hall to the grand stair case. She sighed as she made her way down the stairs. Had her grandmother just told her that this was all going to be hers? What the hell was she supposed to do with an 18 room mansion, that had a dinner hall, a huge kitchen, more bathrooms than bedrooms, a huge converted attic space and game rooms, as well as a formal living room and family room, a parlor, and of course a rec room for the kids when they had visited, as well as the informal living room, the pool house, and the gardens.