Diamond in the Rough

The sound of crying wakes him from his alcohol and drug fuelled sleep. Bleary eyed and hungover he staggers to the kitchen in a pair of boxers. Shyne is in her high-chair, her mouth covered in grey slop that Krista is feeding her.
He sits down at the cluttered table and looks around the kitchen, the pile of dishes by the sink and overflowing trash can, a stack of empty beer cans in a box by the fridge.

"Thought you were gonna clean up this shithole" Jem says as he rubs his bloodshot eyes.

"I don't got time to play maid" Krista barks back.

"You're here all fucking day and the kid sits in the high chair."

Krista turns to her brother and stands with her hands on her hips.

"It takes five fucking seconds to throw out the trash."

"I have a kid, Jem. I can't just drop everything when you say so." Krista shovels another mouthful at Shyne.

Jem sighs heavily, angry that Krista will allow their home to look like a hovel. He doesn't think it's right how she sits on her ass all day when he's the one with his neck on the line.

"Nah, but you can snort shit up your nose" Jem retorts.

Krista shakes her head and runs her fingers under the tap.

"I want to get clean, Jem. I wanna go to rehab like Doug and when I come out we'll be a proper family"

"Family?" He scoffs "you can't even look after yourself. Whose gonna look after Shyne when you're in rehab, huh? Cause I ain't"

"I love Doug, Jem. I'd do anything for him if he just let me" Krista whines.

"He doesn't want you, Kris. He's moved on. What part of that can't you get through your thick skull?" Jem snaps. He's had enough. He's sick of hearing his sister complain about being rejected by his best friend, his brother.

"I know he loves me"

Jem gets up from the table and grabs his coat, Krista follows him into the hallway.

"Kris, you don't know shit"

****

The local news had been reporting the bank robbery for days and still the police and FBI had come up with nothing. They had no suspects, no forensics. No nothing.
Fiona closes the newspaper and looks around the coffee shop and at the people. These bank robbers could be any one of them and she would never know. Her next door neighbour or the guy who knocks on her door every week to clean her windows for a few dollars. She realises that it could be anyone. It could be one of her friends that she only recently encountered when she returned to Charlestown, but she can't go around accusing people without any proof. For all she knows it could be someone in her office.
She doesn't want to think about it and hasn't gone to the bank since because it's possible the crooks may strike again and she doesn't want to be there if and when they strike.

Fiona thanks the woman behind the counter and walks out into the street, car exhaust fumes heavy in the air. She starts walking in the direction of her office, but crashes into someone on the sidewalk.

"Shit...I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going" she says in apology to the stranger.

"It's fine" he says.

She looks up at him. He looks at her.

"Hi" he says in recognition.

"I didn't think you would remember me from the other night" she says with an awkward smile.

"Yeah, I remember. Hard not to remember"

Fiona looks away from his intense eyes. Is he flirting with her?

"Is that a compliment?" She teases.

"Kind of, yeah" he rubs the back of his neck. An awkward silence growing between them.

"Well, I better get going. I have mountains of paperwork to do"

Jem watches her as she starts to walk away. He jogs up to her with awkward smile, nervous.

"Hey, I was wondering if I could take you for a drink sometime" Jem says.

Fiona ponders it for a few seconds, worried that if she's spotted with the bad boy that her profession would suffer.

"Sure." She says with a smile. "Here, I'll give you my number and we can arrange something."

There's a twinkle in his eyes as he reads the number.

**

Fiona groans as she looks around the sitting room that is full of unpacked boxes and wonders when she will ever have the motivation to finish what she started. Moving had been an adventure, especially when her parents had objected, but this new career opportunity had already swayed her. For as long as she could remember she always wanted to do something good and give something back to the community. Her town house is decorated to her exact satisfaction, cream and terracotta with huge canvases up on the walls. Frames photographs of friends and family are dotted around the house, reminding her that she is never alone.

She doesn't know where to start in this mammoth of messes. She considers divine intervention when her cell-phone beeps and chimes. She doesn't recognise the number, but opens the message.

When are you free for that drink? Jem

She smiles and feels that churning sensation she always got as a teenager whenever he looked her way in the corridors at school. She sends him a message back and goes upstairs to get ready. It's definitely one good excuse to forget about the boxes.