1
February 2001
Bella waved goodbye to her teacher as they split up at the end of the road. Almost as soon as she was out of sight Bella tripped over a loose paving flag and landed on her hands and knees. She silently used a word that she wasn't supposed to know when she noticed her school shoes were scuffed at the toes from the fall. She knew full well that she couldn't get another pair for a couple of months and wondered if a black sharpie would cover the damage enough for the others at school not to notice.
She blushed and looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed her trip, but the road was empty as usual at that time of day so she wiped her grazed hands onto her backpack which had fallen off her shoulder, to dislodge the small stones stuck in her skin and inspected her knees. The last thing she wanted to do that night was try and get blood spots out of her uniform. Luckily even though the scrapes were painful there wasn't any sign of flowing blood. Even the thought of it made her lightheaded and she took a deep breath to make sure she wasn't going to faint before getting to her feet.
Shaking her head at her own clumsiness she made her way to the small house she lived in with her mother and let herself in with her key. Even though she was late home from school she knew her mother wouldn't be in as yet.
She flicked the light on and sighed heavily as she tried the useless switch one more time. She knew that it wasn't a problem with the bulb… once more Renée had forgotten to pay the electric bill, they had been cut off.
At least the gas would still be on, even without lights they could still manage, she thought as she turned on the ring and lit a match. She put a pan of water on to boil… it would have to be noodles for dinner again as she hadn't gone to the store today, so there wasn't much in to eat.
The lack of electricity was annoying, but not the end of the world. Unlike most of her peers she had never been one for watching too much TV anyway, and there was no other sort of entertainment in the house that needed electric, so it was good that she preferred to read a book. She rummaged in the pantry and took out the emergency supply of candles, she got a saucer and, lighting the wick off the gas flame, she dripped the first drops of molten wax onto the pot and stuck the candle upright.
It was cold in the house, and going to get colder… the start of February wasn't the best time of year to lose the heating, even in Phoenix it got cold at night in winter, and this winter had been particularly cold. Carefully shielding the candle she made her way to her bedroom and grabbed the quilt off her bed, she checked Renée's room… of course she wasn't there, but Bella picked up the dirty clothes off the floor and made her way to the washing machine, she loaded it and put soap powder in, ready for when the electric came back on and she could get some washing done. She wondered where Renée was! It was almost 7 in the evening by this time. She had left school at 5:30 having had to stay behind for some extra tutoring that the school hoped would help her skip yet another grade. She was advanced for the year she was in, in all her subjects, except science, (and Gym in which she was a walking disaster area) so they were 'helping' her by giving her extra lessons twice a week.
This meant though, that on Tuesdays and Thursdays she couldn't make it to the small shop nearest her home before they closed, Renée had very strange ideas about food, brought on by an ex boyfriend several years ago (the boyfriend only lasted three weeks, the food ideas a lot longer)… never wanting to eat anything that was more than a few days old (Bella didn't have the heart back then to explain to her erratic and harebrained mother, just how long most of the food had been sat on the store shelves or in warehouses waiting to be distributed) so she tended to placate her and shop fresh every day that she could.
She contemplated getting changed into her night clothes, but the cold air of the house persuaded her that she would probably be warmer as she was. She did slip on a pair of thick leggings though, and took off her skirt. Dragging the quilt downstairs she made a small nest near the kitchen table, the heat from the ring wasn't much, but was better than nothing. She checked the water, it would be a couple of minutes before it was boiling and she could add the noodles. She went into the dark hallway and scooped up the unopened mail that her mother had hidden in the drawer in the table, and the couple that had arrived that morning after she had left for school, and made her way back to her nest.
She sorted through the pile… junk mail she threw in the small bin at her side, if nothing else they would help start a fire in the living room later. She was left with bills, Gas, Electric, Water, Phone, they were all known and expected, a mail order catalogue, a bill from a credit card, a receipt for leatherworking lessons?!
Her stomach rumbled as she was opening that last. When would her mother learn that the basics of life should come first? Over $250 on leatherworking! The unpaid electric bill was only $225! She got to her feet, too numb to be angry now. She slipped a small handful of noodles into the boiling water and opened a can of tomatoes, she tipped them into a bowl and was about to put them into the microwave when she realized once more there was no electric. Sighing she took a small pan and lit another gas ring and put them on to heat.
She picked up the credit card bill. Renée had promised her father faithfully never to get another card after the trouble they had the last time. She read the statement, her mother had not only booked leatherworking lessons, but one on basket weaving too! The total bill was for over $450, the interest rate, 29% if it was not paid in full. On the small wage her mother brought in Bella knew they just could not afford it!
She scooped out the noodles and tipped the tomatoes onto the top, wishing she had something with a little more taste to eat. She ate quickly and for once left the plate in the sink, too tired to bother having to heat up water for the washing up.
She made her way into the living room and made a small fire, she curled up in the quilt, she would have got on the sofa but the candle on the hearth and the fire only gave sufficient light for her to read if she sat close, she opened the Jane Austen collection and started to read where she had left off 'Mr. Bennet's property consisted almost entirely in an estate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daughters, was entailed, in default of heirs male, on a distant relation; and their mother's fortune, though ample for her situation in life, could but ill supply the deficiency of his.'
The front door opened and shut and Renée could be heard trying the light switch. "Bella!" she shouted "The bulb has gone in the hallway! And I spilt ketchup on my blouse, can you get it clean for tomorrow?" she sighed and got to her feet.
Her mother came into the room, she was in her mid 20's and had medium brown hair that reached her shoulders, her fair freckled skin and dark brown eyes weren't visible in the poor light of the room. She reached for the light switch on the wall before realizing what had happened. "Oh shit! They were quick off the mark this time, I hoped they would wait another week." Still saying nothing Bella held up the bill, the demand, the final demand and the notice of cessation of service. Her mother scowled and dropped onto the sofa. "Damn!" she said, then when another thought intruded she perked up. "You should see my new shoes though! Oh they are so pretty." Bella scowled at her mother, who sneered back, "Don't worry I have found a way to make some extra money anyway!" she brightened up as she exclaimed, "You will never guess!" again without saying a word Bella held up the credit card receipt.
"Oh!" Renée scowled again, "You'll see, this will work though. You never have any faith in me, you should be more supportive, I'm trying to make life better for us!"
"Like all the other schemes?" she at last spoke, not really believing that she was actually answering her mother back. "Tupperware, cost us $400 and you never made a cent, Avon, we walked the streets for 9 hours and you made a total of $14, home knitting, you ruined the wool they provided and had to pay the company $30 compensation," the list went on but she had had enough. She picked up the quilt, the book and the candle and went to bed, leaving her mother alone in the dark.
However her voice called up the stairs after her, "Don't you walk away from me young lady! Do I have enough clothes washed and ironed for work?" Bella didn't answer.