Page 42 of Sexting My Ex's Dad
“Thank you,” I mumble, avoiding her gaze.
With practiced fingers, she starts processing the transaction, punching in numbers and swiping through screens.
“Would you prefer cash or a transfer to your account?” she asks, her voice professional but not unkind.
“Ca-cash, please,” I stammer.
“Uh-huh.” Her eyes flicker back to the screen, and I can sense her subtle curiosity about the situation. It takes everything within me not to squirm under her gaze, not that it’s any of her business anyways.
As she walks away to retrieve the cash, my mind races with thoughts of what this money means. Twenty thousand dollars – it’s enough to get my brother’s account back current. But the price I paid for it... is it worth the stain on my soul?
The teller returns, carrying an envelope filled with the money. She hands it over with a small smile. “Here you go.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
I turn away from her, making my way out of the bank.
With each step, I think of Elio because that’s the only place he’ll exist now – my mind.
24
STELLA
The care facility comes into view, and I park the car with practiced ease and quickly make my way inside. The staff here recognize me now, offering warm smiles and nods of greeting as I pass by.
They’re a lot nicer when they know I’m here to pay a bill.
“Hey Stella,” one of them calls out. “Leo’s been asking about you all morning.”
Really? I hate that I made him wait.
“Tell him I’ll be right there,” I reply.
I stride toward the reception desk. A familiar face, Carol, sits behind it, her eyes lighting up upon seeing me. “Stella! It’s been a while,” she says warmly.
“Hi Carol, it’s good to see you again.” My smile doesn’t quite reach my eyes, betraying the burden I carry. “I’m here to take care of Leo’s payments.”
“Of course, just give me a moment to pull up his file.” Carol’s fingers fly across the keyboard, her gaze focused on the screen in front of her.
I clutch the envelope tightly in my hand, feeling the weight of its contents and the sacrifices that brought me here.
“Alright, everything’s set,” Carol announces, looking back up at me.
“Here it is,” I say, handing over the envelope. My voice is steady though my heart races. “There’s twenty thousand in there. It should cover his past due balance, and I’d actually like to pay for next month as well. I can swipe my card for the other four thousand.”
“Look at you go, girl.” Carol smiles. “You somehow always manage. You must have a guardian angel.”
“No guardian angel.” I shake my head. “Just luck that’s beginning to run out.”
Carol types a few more things on the keyboard, clearly unsure of how to respond to my words. The cash register opens, and she carefully places all of my hundreds in there. And just like that, the twenty thousand is gone. “You can swipe your card for the other four thousand dollars.”
I nod and take my card out of my wallet before swiping it. Even though I know it’ll go through, I still let out a sigh of relief when I see the word ‘approved’ in bulky, green letters.
“His room was recently moved. I can take you to his new one.”
“Yes please.”
Carol gestures for me to follow her, and I do, my thoughts already trailing down the hall toward the room where Leo waits.
