"How come?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm almost nineteen."

"Whatever girl helped you to get this job only told you about it to get him to stay away from her. He must be having his way with her. You do understand what I'm talking about?"

Tessa was upset that maybe she had made a mistake by taking the job, but she needed the money. Bravely, she said, "I'll work long enough to make lots of money and then find other work." With that said, she put on the uniform.

Elsa laughed as she placed her hands on her hips. "That's what I said fifteen years ago. Look at me, I'm still here." Her grin changed to a frown. "I've had plenty of talks with Mr. Houston, mostly in bed. I've had one abortion and one miscarriage Mr. Houston never knew about. I'm fat and worn out to him. I don't know what it is about me, but he kept me around and made me head maid. I guess I was one of his first maids."

Tessa was frantic. "None of that will ever happen to me. No more talk. Where do I start?"

Elsa smirked. "Welcome to the money h.e.l.l house."

Tessa followed her out to her first job of cleaning the kitchen.

"Something to drink?" the flight attendant asked as Tessa jumped.

"Yes," Tessa said, but smelled the roasted peanuts on the rolling cart. "Peanuts, please, if that's okay."

The flight attendant handed her the drink and peanuts. Tessa enjoyed the snacks, until she fell asleep. She woke up to the flight attendant making an announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been clear to land at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Please make sure your seat belts are securely fastened."

Chapter 10.

The Houstons and Baron received the official news from the autopsy that both Rupert and Alana died from ma.s.sive heart attacks. This allowed them to proceed with the combined funeral as planned.

Many came to Lake Murray Church to the services of Rupert and Alana. Rows of flowers lined the front of the church. The funeral consisted of ma.s.ses of men dressed in black suits. The women were dressed in sleeveless black dresses. Some wore black hats on their heads to avoid the burn of the hundred-degree weather.

The Houstons stepped out of the limousine from oldest to youngest. Each sister was dressed in a white linen sleeveless dress. Milandra made sure of that. Kenley insisted on not wearing a white hat like her sisters. Her hair bounced on her shoulders.

Inside the church, with their heads up high, they walked down the aisle holding each other's hands. Milandra gave strict instructions-especially to her baby sister-that there would be no tears shed in the public eyesight. No photographer would dare print photos of the Houstons' daughters crying in a newspaper. No mockery would be made of them.

Kenley held tight to her tears. At times, she felt the pressure of trying to stay true to being a Houston. Too many rules came with it. She looked over at her sisters and followed the stern look on their faces. The only thing that dripped down their faces was perspiration from the humid heat. They went up to the caskets and took one last look at their parents.

"I can't do this," Kenley said as she tried to pull away from her sisters.

Milandra gripped her hands tight. "Kenley Houston, if you really loved Mother and Father, you'll not embarra.s.s them in this way. They wouldn't care for you behaving improperly in front of the public."

Milandra jerked her hand discreetly and Kenley stood along with her sisters, saying good-bye to her parents for the last time. She closed her eyes tight when she felt the need to cry. Noelle took deep breaths to keep from falling apart.

Baron made his way down the aisle and leaned over to speak to them: "h.e.l.lo there, ladies, do you need any tissues?" He held up a box of Kleenex.

"Mr. Chavis, we're our parents' daughters. Don't dare bring tissues to us in front of the public," Milandra said, embarra.s.sed.

"Calm down. I was only checking," he said as he sat in the front row on the right side.

Noelle wanted to defend him, but it wasn't the right time.

Aniyah, dressed in a hot pink suit, entered the back of the church. Her top clung to her body and her skirt stopped nowhere near her knees. Dark shades covered her eyes. A wide-brimmed, pink straw hat was pulled down over her face.

Aniyah stood up on high-heeled sandals to match the rest of her outfit. She sat in the first row that she came to in the back of the church. She slid all the way over to the far right of the pew.

People continued to flow into the church. Aniyah looked up, and to her surprise, Tessa walked in. She slid down in the seat, turning her head away from the aisle, to avoid being noticed by Tessa.

Tessa was dressed in a black dress. A small black hat accented her dress. She wiped her tearful eyes. She strolled to the front until she approached the Houstons. "It's been a long time," she said as she looked down at Milandra, now all grown up.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are?" Milandra said.

"I used to work for your parents when you were younger. The prettiest girl I ever did see. You had such a beautiful mother."

"What's your name?" Milandra asked, curious.

"Tessa Sanchez."

"h.e.l.lo, Tessa. I do remember you. You're the help who used to let me lick the spoon from your chocolate cake."

"You remember that?" Tessa smiled.

"This is my sister, Noelle, and our youngest sister, Kenley."

Tessa looked over at Noelle. She realized that if she had not lost her baby, Rupert Houston would have two daughters the same age.

Across the aisle, Baron studied the back of Tessa, but when she turned around he could not believe his eyes.

"Tessa," he whispered. She was just as beautiful to him as when he had met her decades ago. Her long, black hair flowed down her back. Her body had gained a few pounds-in all the right places-which made him hunger for her more.

Baron wanted to go up to her, but the guilt of his encounter with Aniyah kept him in his seat. He held his head down, hoping that she would not notice him.

Tessa went up and viewed the bodies. She glanced over at Rupert's body while standing at Alana's casket. She cried, wiping tears from her eyes. "Forgive me," she said as she made the sign of the cross with her right hand. She held on to the rosaries around her neck and moved away to let others take their last view.

The services were short, and so was the last resting place ceremony. Aniyah didn't stay for the services. She exited the church while Tessa viewed the bodies.

Baron looked for signs of Tessa at the Houston Estate. Hopefully, she had come back to the servants' quarters to visit old friends, like Elsa, who didn't make it to the funeral. Milandra ordered that she stay at the estate and prepare the food for their guests.

Once the house was cleared of family and friends, he sat down with the Houstons.

Elsa took charge and poured them hot tea. She kept her ears open to hear what their conversation would be. She wondered if her job would still be secure now that Rupert and Alana Houston were gone.

Milandra waited until she finished pouring them a cup of tea.

"Excuse yourself, Elsa."

"Yes, Miss Houston."

Elsa made her way out of the room. Milandra brought her attention to Baron.

"Let's get down to business, the reading of the will. My sisters and I want to see what Father has put into place for us now that Mother is gone, too."

"Do I have to stay and listen to all this?" Kenley asked, not caring for any talk on business. She wanted to run along, get rid of the clothes she had on, and change into a pair of jeans. She was ready to contact her friends to drown out her pain.

"Of course you do," Noelle said. "This is your future we're speaking of also."

"Kenley, grow up. You have no idea who you really are," Milandra said.

"I'm a teenager!" she shouted. "I'm not old enough to be handling paperwork and all that stuff. May I be excused?"

"How dare you raise your tone of voice to me? I forbid you to speak to me in front of company in such a way. Apologize to Mr. Chavis," Milandra scolded her.

Kenley pouted. "I apologize. I wish Father and Mother were here," she cried out, falling back onto the sofa, no longer sitting in an upright position like her sisters.

The attorney took over the conversation. "Well, tomorrow in my office we can have the reading of the will. If there is anyone else to notify, I'll do it this evening."

"What do you mean?" Noelle asked.

He hesitated. "I was speaking in general as a lawyer. But I must go over the paperwork one last time to make sure everything is in order. I should be going."

"That means I can go, too," Kenley said, beating him out of the seat.

"See you in the morning at eleven o'clock. Is that sufficient?"

"Mr. Chavis, we'll get an early start. Make it nine," Milandra said.

The sisters saw him out. Noelle wanted her sister to escape right along with Kenley, but Milandra was her twin for that second.

Chapter 11.

Aniyah tossed her hat onto the bed. She raced to a newly purchased bottle of rum and poured a drink. She spoke out loud, "What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you, Tessa? How could you come back here to see a dead man who took your innocence? He threw you away like garbage. Are you crazy or what?" she asked, as if her aunt was there in the room with her.

Aniyah took another gulp of the rum. She continued to speak out loud: "How weak can you be? What is it that made you return here to spoil my chance of living the rich life? I may not be your daughter, but I'm your blood. Everyone says I look just like you, but in no way do I act like you. No man stomps on my heart and gets away with it. No man stomps on my family's heart and gets away with it. The man-dead or not-must pay. Tessa, go back to Mexico!" she yelled. "You won't mess up my good fortune."

Aniyah threw the gla.s.s across the room, shattering it against the wall. She kicked off her shoes and put the bottle of rum up to her mouth, swallowing a mouthful.

After a few swallows she pa.s.sed out on the bed, spilling the bottle of rum and soaking her ruined hat.

She awakened at the time that most people would be leaving work. She realized that the funeral services were over and Rupert was covered with the soil of the earth.

Her head throbbed and she drank a gla.s.s of tomato juice.

Baron ran across her mind and she picked up the phone and called him.

"h.e.l.lo," Baron said, praying that she had vanished.

"When are you going to read the d.a.m.n will? I can't wait any longer. I want what is rightfully mine."

"I've spoken with the Houstons. The will will be read in the morning at my office."

"Did you tell them b.i.t.c.hes about me? I hope you did."

He paused. "I'm afraid not. They're emotionally drained. Today wasn't the time for me to tell them the news about you."

"You're saying they're more important than me because I'm his b.a.s.t.a.r.d child?" Aniyah replied.

"Calm down," he said, but at the same time he thought, Women! "I'm not saying that. I know you're grieving, too." He remembered the service. "Your mother, Tessa, came to the funeral, but you weren't there with her. How come?"

"I was there. You didn't notice me because you were too busy taking care of my freakin' sisters. Did you speak to my mama?" Aniyah wondered, hoping her secret was still intact.

"Things moved so fast. I didn't get a chance."

"We aren't speaking," Aniyah said, thinking quickly. "She didn't want me to find my papa."

"Your mother knew what kind of reaction your father would have. She probably didn't want you to be rejected."

"Where are you?" Aniyah wondered.

"I'm on my way home. Another long day."

"Come over, please. I need company." Aniyah saddened.

Baron drove in the direction of his home. Tessa Sanchez was back in Lake Murray. Whatever chance he had to rekindle his relationship with her might be squashed. His closeness to Aniyah had put up a blockade between them.

"It's late. The reading of the will is at nine o'clock in the morning. Get a good night's rest. See you in the morning." He hung up.

Aniyah ran and got the brand new telephone book she had seen on the ground outside of her apartment door. She searched for his home address and she called a cab.

Fifteen minutes later, the cab was parked outside her apartment complex waiting on her. She jumped in.

"This is where I want to go." She pa.s.sed the driver a slip of paper with the address on it.

The driver blew a kiss at her. "Hot! And I don't mean the heat from my cab."