Jezebel Koko Brown (best books to read non fiction txt) 📖

epicbenders. She’d secretly hoped that since the source of herailment was now six feet under, she would’ve kicked the habit.

Obviously, old habits diehard.

“Where do you wanther?” the cab driver asked as he barreled into the foyer. Trudy stepped back barely avoiding his work boots.

Trudy pointed toward theparlor. “Put her on the couch.”

Following orders, the cabbiehoisted Celeste on his hip and carried her into the next room. Without any by your leave, he dropped her cousin face down on thesofa. Celeste bounced once and then settled into the midnight bluevelvet with a muffled sigh.

Wasthat drool?Trudy grabbed a doily from one of the end tables and shoved it underher cousin’s cheek. She’d paid too much for that couchfor it to be ruined with cheap gin.

“That’ll be$1.20, ma’am.”

Trudy’s eyes widened.“Where did you pick her up New Jersey?”

“The Bohemian.”

Trudy rolled her eyes. Whatthe heck was Celeste doing two neighborhoods east of here? Anyfarther and she might as well have been in Manhattan!

Trudyleaned down and pried a beaded clutch from her cousin’s glovedfingers. Despite her condition, her cousin still held onto her purse.

“Here’s twodollars for your trouble,” Trudy said, handing over the fare.

“Thankyou kindly, ma’am.” The cab driver turned to leave withTrudy in his wake. As he stepped onto the stoop, he stopped. “Iknow it isn’t my place, but your cousin’s too pretty agal to be acting like she belongs in some gutter.”

Sheshould have taken the man to task for his forwardness, but it wasdifficult arguing with someone when you agreed with them. Instead,she closed the door and locked it.

Determinedto fixher meal before heading uptown, Trudy headed to the kitchen. She madeit about as far as the entrance of the parlor.

“What in the world areyou doing on your hands and knees?” Trudy asked from thedoorway. She just about had enough of her cousin’s high jinks.

“Tryin’to get up,” she said, with ‘up’ sounding more like‘hiccup’, “but I slipt and fell. Come over here an’help me.” Celeste flapped her hand, but Trudy refused to budge.

“Prettypleazzz,” her cousin implored.

A self-proclaimed softy,Trudy walked into the room and helped her cousin from the floor. Theway was slow going, but they eventually made it to the stairs, whichled to the tiny, row house’s two upstairs bedrooms.

“Where you goin’?I need to go datta way,” Celeste said, turning them both towardthe front door.

“And where do youthink you’re going?”

Celeste lifted her hand andslid her thumb nail between her teeth, reminding Trudy of aprecocious little girl. “I’s got a date wit Sugah Shane.”

Trudyturned toward the stairs. “You did.”

Celesteadded just enough momentum to keep them turning so they ended upfacing the front door again. “I do,”she affirmed.

“Lord help me, I thinkI’m going to kill her,” Trudy muttered to the ceiling.

Celeste wrapped her armsaround Trudy’s waist. To sweeten the pot, she rested her headon Trudy’s shoulder. “You won’ have to kill me ifyou walk me to the door,” she implored.

Since she wasn’tgetting anywhere, Celeste could be stubborn as a mule, Trudy decidedon a more rational route. “What time’s your date?”

“Fourish.”

“And what time is itnow?” Trudy pivoted until they faced the grandfather clock atthe bottom of the stairs.

Celeste leaned forward witha squint. “Says eight something or other.” She pursed herlips and leaned forward further still. “Is that on the level?”she asked.

“On the dot.”

It didn’ttake long for it to sink in. Nodding her head, as if accepting hercurrent situation, Celeste pulled away, disentangling herself. To beon the safe side, Trudy moved between her and the front door. Thankfully, Celeste shuffled toward the stairs instead. She didn’tget very far. She only climbed two steps when she started crying.Shoulders slumped, she plopped down on the stairs.

Trudyalmostfelt sorry for her. Not because she’d missed her date. Therewould be plenty more. Celeste attracted men like flies to shit. Notto say Celeste was a waste. She was a peach…but she had demonsborn from the bad hand she’d been dealt the day she was born.

Unlikeother people who turned to religion for strength or solace or kepttheir misery bottled up, Celeste turned to the bottle. But no matterhow high the proof, she simply couldn’t turn any of her cardsinto a winning hand.

Sureshe’d been close a half a dozen times, but never a streak. Inturn, Celeste had become reliant on a temporary fix that preventedher from ever having any kind of real happiness.

Still, inspite of her apparent foibles and due in large part to an emotionallydistant father, Celeste had never been a sloppy drunk nor overlydemonstrative. Concerned by the sudden outburst, Trudy reached out tosteady her as Celeste slowly sank to the stairs.

“Come on now don’thave a melt down on me now,” Trudy shushed her, while fishingin her cousin’s hand for a handkerchief.

“Sorry,” Celestemumbled. She accepted the hanky, Trudy held out for her, but didn’tuse it. Instead, Celeste crumpled the fine linen in her hands andallowed the tears to flow unchecked.

“Bad day,” Trudyventured.

Celeste nodded. Trudy waitedfor her to expound. She had all the time in the world now, sinceeating before tonight’s gig flew out the window the minute thecabbie carted Celeste through the front door.

“Why didn’t youtell me about the Reverend…how he…how he,”Celeste clamped her mouth shut and a faraway look entered her eyes

Beforeshe fell over the edge again, Trudy reeled her back in, “Whatabout the Reverend?” she prodded.

To herrelief, Celeste seemed to snap out of it. Sniffling, she reachedinside her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. She unfolded it,and then handed it over. Celeste’s finger shook as she pointedto a line labeled ‘manner of incident’. “Why didn’tyou tell me?”

“Where did you getthis?”

Celestepushed herself from her seat on the stairs. Fists clenched, she pacedor rather weaved back and forth. “Stop trying to sidestep thequestion, Trudy! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Trudy’s mouth feltlike someone suddenly stuffed it with cotton balls.

“I–I didn’twant to cause you any more grief. Despite how you both parted ways,it was a shock even to me. Suicide just isn’t natural.”

Done rambling, Trudyanxiously licked her lips. Hopefully, her cousin would be able topiece it all together