Page 18 of Skid
Regardless, I had to find out what was going on. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, and Baylor danced around me as I dialed the number to the electric company. It rang a few times, and then a voice way too chipper for so early in the morning said, “Good morning. Mid-State Electric. How can I help you today?”
“Hi. I’m calling about an issue I’m having with my electricity.”
“Oh? Are you experiencing an outage?”
“No. Actually, the power just came back on.”
“Okay. So, what is the issue?”
“Well, it was disconnected a few days ago, and I haven’t been able to make a payment yet. I think there’s been some kind of mistake.”
“Are you calling from the number connected to the account?”
“I am.”
“Let me take a look for you.” The line went silent for a minute, and then she came back and said, “Alright, Ms. Porter. It looks like your account is in good standing.”
“Excuse me?”
“The bill and reconnection fee have been paid in full, and everything is up to date.”
“But that can’t be right. I didn’t pay it.”
“Well, someone did. It was processed.”
“Do you have a name for the payment?”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Porter. I don’t have access to that information.”
“You don’t have access?”
“I guess you could say that the payment was made by someone who wanted to remain anonymous.”
Anonymous.
The word echoed in my head as I looked over at Baylor, who was sitting in front of the television with a big smile on her face. I didn’t need to know the name. I already knew who’d paid the bill, so I ended the call and started changing out of my pajamas. I was torn between disbelief and something else I couldn’t quite name.
Gratitude. Embarrassment. Anger.
Maybe all three.
I put on some jeans and a sweatshirt, and my hands were shaking as I started brushing my hair. I caught sight of myself in the mirror, and I could barely recognize the woman staring back at me. She had tired eyes and a flustered expression, like she was barely holding it together. She reminded me of my mother, and that made my heart ache a little.
There were so many days when I missed her and wished things hadn’t played out like they did. I hoped that someday I would see them again, but that was a problem for another day. Right now, I had a man to see about a bill.
“Baylor,” I called out, trying to sound calm. “Get dressed, sweetheart.”
“Where we going?”
“To run some errands.” My voice came out sharper than I’d intended when I said, “Now, do what Momma said and get dressed.”
I knew she was excited about getting to watch her cartoons, so I wasn’t surprised when a little pout swept across her face. But she didn’t argue. She just got up and started tugging on her little black pants I’d laid out, along with her pink sweater.
While she was busy, I rushed into the kitchen and opened the pantry. I took out the metal cookie tin and grabbed the money I’d hidden there, then went back over to the bedroom and collected the Christmas money I’d hidden in my sock drawer. I ignored the tight feeling in my chest as I shoved it all into my purse.
I knew this meant there would be no tree and more than likely no presents, and that broke my heart. Baylor deserved a magical Christmas, not one filled with empty promises. But sadly, that was all I would have to offer this year. My throat burned as I zipped the bag shut and said, “Okay, sweetie. Let’s get moving.”
Baylor followed me out to the car, and once I had her buckled in, I started the car and drove toward downtown. My mind was racing the entire time. I had no idea what I was going to say to him. I just knew I couldn’t let this go.
