something different

Jade?”

She jumped and stopped. “Yeah.” She looked up at him. “Sorry.”

“That’s fine...” His thin voice trailed away.

They continued walking beside each other, shifting closer to the lines of trees segregated every couple blocks of concrete so other people could get by them. Finally, Carole tried whipping up a conversation. “Millions. Multi-millions. You’d think you’d be safe.”

Her voice shook. “Safe? Who’s safe? Government is sagacious. We’ll all roast in the oven by tonight.”

“Don’t be so negative.” He slapped one arm around her as he used the other to hail down a taxi. “Here in Olympia, I think—”

“I’m not negative.” Jade sighed, long and heavy. Carole scrunched his face at her.

“How are you going to get that money you inherited from your…who?”   

“Don’t know.”

They stopped in front of a set of stairs going up to her townhouse door. She turned around after climbing the first one. She jerked her sweatshirt shoulders up and down. “I don’t even know where it came from. But I know I got it!” She spread a wide smile.  

“Yeah.” A puff of cold air exhaled from his lips. “Anyway, I think we should just trust the system. You know? So much to think about. It becomes a burden!”

Her voice was tight. “But I’ll have to get that money—”

“You need to figure it out.”

Then he jammed his hands in his jean pockets and sulked off towards the waiting taxi, whipping the bang that was in his eyes all the time away. Jade watched the darkness silhouette his tall figure. She shivered when a cold wind sliced her neck, and pounded up the steps. Yanking out her house keys, she jammed one in the door and let herself into the very dark place.

Jade flicked on a light and kicked off her shoes, sauntering into the kitchen. While the onions, Bell peppers and leftover turkey pork loin sautéed in the deep skillet over the glowing red burner, she thought about all that money. What would she do with a multi-million dollar inheritance—give it to the animal shelter down the road?

“I’m just a college senior.” She lifted and shook the pan and then set it down again. “But since it’s an inheritance, I’ll have to do something.”

She sat down with her dinner at her computer to look up ways rich people—especially Hollywood celebrities—give their money away. Clicking the back arrow every time she saw a picture of a beautiful but overpriced mansion or depressed animal desperate for help as it lay behind its prison of a cage, Jade closed her laptop. Can’t I think about that stuff later?

She went to ravage the pantry and cupboards. Plucking something off the high shelf, Jade tore it open, headed for the big leather couch and cordless, remote control less TV that—at the literal blink of an eye—turned on or off as well as to the desired channel. The front door’s knob shook some, and then the door’s creaking was followed by heavy footsteps. Jade turned and saw her pink fluffy scarf draped over her maroon jacket and extending almost to her cowboy boots.    

“Hey!” She waved and then removed her boots, dropping them next to Jade’s sneakers and then took over the food on the stove.

Don’t need a wave, just the hello. Jade asked her whether she has any suggestions as to what she should do about her inheritance.  

She looked in the cupboards. “We have any Lucky Charms? Not in the mood to eat leftovers.”

“I made something. Eat it.”

Turning to the finishing advertisement, Jade fell against her seat. She changed the channel and ignored her roommate’s whine that that commercial was funny. Then sat up straight as someone blabbed about alien-like drones monitoring some parts of southern Olympia. People asked these strange metallic disks what they wanted, and the drones would scan their hands with a green light and then the desired object would appear in their hands. It was electronic magic.

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