Chapter 9 - Errands

"You can't be unhappy with new jewelry on." That's what Dorothy's mother always told her. Which was why Dorothy was in Poseidon Plaza shopping for earrings. Richard's threat to turn off the money faucet was only that - a threat. She had full access to his accounts and the several hundred dollars in crisp bills in her purse proved his threats wrong. And she was still going to treat his little whore with the disrespect she deserved.

Diamonds on the Waves always had something cute. The goldsmith there loved to tease out the gold into swirly gossamer shapes. They put Dorothy in mind of the sun. This isn't supposed to last forever, she reminded herself. We – I can go back someday. Once the nuclear war destroys the surface I will emerge. I will live like a queen because I will have money. I will see the sun again.

Until then, however, she'd have to content herself with little sunny earrings. Or maybe a nice broach. Or a neckla-

"Muriel, dear, what…what are you doing here?" Dorothy asked in stunned horror at seeing her erstwhile Lady's Club friend working behind the counter.

"Working," Muriel simply answered. "I had to get a job. Everything down here costs money. Air costs money. They factor that into the price of your rent, do you know that? Because I didn't Dorothy. But I know now."

"Surely your husband – ex-husband – surely you got enough in the settlement to cover that though, right? Right?" Dorothy pressed her. "You had that arranged, right?"

Muriel sighed sadly. "I thought I did, but the rent on my little apartment was raised again this month. Each month it goes up by about a hundred dollars. If I want to stay in Adranos Place I have to bring in more income. Otherwise I'll end up in Apollo Square or worse."

Dorothy frowned. She had no real concern for Muriel's situation, yet as a woman who was standing near the precipice of divorce she was alarmed by this information. Richard can sing for it for all I care, I'll never sign anything, he's got no escape, she smugly thought. "I guess you shouldn't have agreed to a divorce then, hm?" Dorothy curtly replied to Muriel's tale of woe.

Muriel pressed her lips together. "I didn't, dear Dorothy, I had no choice. I loved Alphonse. I still do. I didn't want to leave him."

Dorothy felt an icy feeling slip down her spine. "What in heaven's name are you talking about?"

Muriel gave her a condescending eye roll. "There's so many things you've haven't really thought about too hard, aren't there Dorothy? Have you considered the consequences of living without a real government? The only thing that matters down here is money. People with money can get whatever they want, and those without money are hung out to dry."

"I have money," Dorothy protested. "Lots of it."

Muriel shook her head. "No, your husband has. There's no such thing as shared marital property in Rapture. You don't earn the money yourself, you don't get squat."

Dorothy's eyes widened. "That can't be right," she stammered as she shook her head in disbelief. "Who told you that?"

"My own lawyer." Muriel smiled at Dorothy with a baiting grin. "It's not so bad working, honestly. Makes the days go by faster. Plus I get to handle this pretty jewelry all day. And I get lots and lots of gossip."

Damn your gossip, Dorothy thought angrily. "What exactly did they tell you that made you sign the divorce agreement?" Dorothy pressed, trying to wrap her mind around this unpleasant discovery.

"Thurmond Merrill, that was my husband's divorce lawyer, he's got permission from Ryan Security to more or less do whatever he wants. I can't imagine what that costs him in kickbacks to the big cheese. So if I didn't sign the agreement at the terms they negotiated - they have to give me something because Ryan doesn't want a bunch of homeless ex-wives dirtying up his city – I'd be locked up in the penitentiary," Muriel related to her, obviously enjoying the look of horror on Dorothy's face.

"They can't do that!" Dorothy gasped.

"They absolutely can. Down here anything is possible," Muriel replied.

Dorothy was stunned speechless. I've got to get out of here and think clearly, she thought while Muriel stared at her with interest.

"Don't be upset Dorothy," Muriel told her after savoring her discomfort for a few minutes. "Your marriage is fine, right? Richard really cherishes you, doesn't he? And you've stood by him despite his injuries. He's got to appreciate that."

"Yes, yes," Dorothy stammered out. Nasty Muriel.

"And even if, heaven forbid, your marriage should go pear-shaped, well, don't you worry, I can put a good word in for you with the owner here. We can be roommates too! Doesn't that sound like a fun time?" Muriel mocked her with naked enjoyment of Dorothy's obvious shock.

"I hardly think that will be necessary," Dorothy replied in what she hoped was a calm voice. "Everything is dandy with Richard and I."

"Of course, of course," Muriel agreed cheerily. "I'm sure he was at Thurmond Merrill's office yesterday for a completely unrelated reason."

Dorothy's blood turned to ice water. "What?" Her voice sounded so small to her ears.

Muriel kept that sickening smile on her place. "Each month I have to go to his office and sign a document to get funds released. I was sitting in the waiting room and who did I see come limping out of that vulture's office?"

"You're mistaken," Dorothy answered in a clipped voice.

Muriel shrugged. "You're right, there's got to be hundreds of young blond men in this city with black canes. I probably was mistaken. You shouldn't worry about it."

Dorothy's gaze fell upon the glass case with its delicate necklaces, but she didn't see them. I cannot let a divorce happen. I cannot be exposed before my peers as a failure of a wife. As a joke. I cannot leave Adranos Place. I cannot work some menial job.

I will not.

Dorothy tightened her grip on her handbag. "I don't see anything I like here," she mumbled. "I need to go." And without waiting for whatever cutting comment Muriel had ready, Dorothy spun around on her heels and headed out.

I'll kill him and pin it on that little slut, Dorothy ruminated while staring out the train on the way home. But that plan was too short sighted. She wasn't up to date on Richard's financial affairs. It would be foolish to eliminate him without having another source of income if there isn't as much money as I like.

Upon entering her home she dropped her coat on the floor. "Get in here! I know you're here!" Dorothy shouted into the apartment.

Lupe emerged from the kitchen. The little whore didn't even have a uniform on, just one of the drab grey plaid skirts and a pale yellow blouse. At least it was better than the dress she had come home yesterday in. Lupe had tried to explain to her something about alterations but Dorothy did not have the time of day for any of her bullpucky. Her dark brown hair wasn't even properly put up, just pulled back and tied with a red ribbon. "Yes ma'am?"

Dorothy needed some privacy. "Here," she said as she opened her handbag. "I need you to go get some sparkling white wine from Worley Winery. And you have to go to the winery, they don't distribute the wine to retail stores. And I want you to get Mr. Chows for supper. I want you to pick it right before I want to eat it so it's still hot, so don't get it until half past six, do you understand?" That would give Dorothy a few hours alone in the house.

Lupe nodded. "What do you want from Mr. Chows?"

Dorothy threw her hands up in exasperation. "I don't care, surprise me."

Lupe picked up Dorothy's coat and opened the door to the closet to hang it up, and then retrieved her own nearly threadbare coat. "Alright," Lupe slipped on her plain black shoes by the door. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Dorothy stared at the unfashionable shoes and worn coat. I will not let that happen. "Go," she dismissed Lupe.

Lupe took her handbag from the closet. "Should I get enough for Mr. Stone as well?" Lupe asked as she opened the door.

"Get as much or as little as you please," Dorothy exclaimed, irritated with her constant questions. Servants shouldn't have this much backtalk.

"Yes ma'am," Lupe affirmed and shut the door behind her as she left.

They'll take my word over hers any day of the week, Dorothy confidently thought as she strode down the hall to Richard's small home office. She hadn't been into his personal space in years. She never had a reason to. Several times a week he would disappear into his office, presumably to balance his accounts and write out checks. She had never given it a second thought until today.

At least Richard had the decency to keep his papers neatly filed. She found his annual bank statements within minutes. Richard made slightly less than half a million dollars two years ago and slightly more last year. This year he was on his way to slightly less than a three-quarters of a million.

However, much to Dorothy's displeasure, the majority of that money was spent almost immediately. The rent on their condo was much more than she had known, taking nearly half the income each month along with bills and subscriptions and other household costs. Food and other sundries ate up another twenty-percent, there was a budget line that just read "that bitch" that ate up another ten percent, leaving Richard with another ten percent for his own discretionary use and the rest was put into a savings account.

There was about a hundred thousand in the savings account, which was not nearly enough for Dorothy. Damnation. She needed Richard alive. For now at least. Which meant that she was going to have to stave off the divorce.

The high amount of expenses did have a silver lining, however. It meant that Richard could not handily afford a divorce, at least not outright. Dorothy wasn't certain of the exact sum Thurmond Merrill required, but based on what Muriel had said it would probably be a great deal of cash. Perhaps we can come to an agreement until I can work out a long term solution.

Dorothy took care to put the documents back where they had exactly been so he wouldn't notice anything amiss. Dorothy wouldn't give everything away in negotiations though. She still needed her dignity.

Would you kindly imagine a page break here?

Lupe had sewn a knife sheath into the pocket of her coat and had stuck a paring knife in her pocket in case her pursuant showed up again. It was not long enough to kill anyone, at least not in Lupe's inexperienced hands, but it should definitely buy her some time if she got grabbed again.

She had considered telling Richard about Van Der Graf but decided against it. She wanted to be fun and sexy and stress-free, and telling Richard that she evidently had a bounty on her head put that in jeopardy. It was not entirely impossible that he would find her to be too much trouble and turn her out. Certainly there were enough women in Rapture he could slake his thirst on. Best to leave well enough alone.

So Dorothy wants me out of the house, Lupe mused. Perhaps she'd like to have an affair as well. She was good looking enough. Some men had no problem looking past an atrocious personality. Let her have an affair. More of Richard's cock for me then. It had certainly been on her mind the last day, although she barely had a chance to see Richard, much less talk to him, and mucher less chance to get to his cock. She had overheard him and Dorothy shouting at each other last night while she was vacuuming. Lupe had wondered if it was about her, but she also realized that even if it was about her, it wasn't really.

At Worley Winery they didn't realize Lupe was a maid as she was wearing casual clothes. Turns out that the sparkling white Dorothy had sent her for was the most expensive wine they had, so they tried to woo their new big spender client with a few samples of their port vintages. As a result Lupe had a bit of a bold spring in her step when she left Arcadia with her wine bottles.

It's not even five yet, she thought as she looked at the massive clock at the Atlantic Express station. I've still got two hours until I can pick up supper. I hope Dorothy is getting her money's worth. What am I going to get at Mr. Chows? An idea struck Lupe and she smiled. I'll ask Richard what he wants.

She went into a pay phone booth to consult the address book. She flipped through the pages until she found the entry for Stone and Sons. Triton Court, she read and then consulted the map. She'd have to change trains at the Medical Plaza, but if she was lucky maybe be able to catch Richard as he left work.

The whole ride there she felt giddy, as if there was lightning or magma rushing through her body. It was a few minutes to five when she alighted from the train. She kept a firm grasp on the sturdy bag with the wine boxes in it. Lupe hustled past small little cafes and bistros, bars that were already half-full of people, newsstands, tobacco stores, and blocks of office space.

Lupe found the sign for Stone and Sons several blocks down. It was a large section of space, nothing down here was buildings, not at least in the way they had been in New York or Los Angeles. There was a large silvery metal 'building' with burnished brass accents and the name of the company in red neon outside. From outside she could see a large, well lit space with a wide circular reception desk in the middle. She dared not to enter though.

There wasn't a lot of empty space in Rapture, not even in the business districts, so Lupe tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible across the 'road' from Stone and Sons. A steady stream of men and a few women in smart suits and skirt ensembles began to leak out of the front door. None had a cane, however, and after twenty minutes Lupe began to lose hope. The genuine disappointment she felt surprised her. She had really wanted to see Richard.

Just as she was thinking she should give up and go, Lupe spied Richard walking through the front door. Thankfully he was alone. She hastened over to him, slowing her pace down but not as slow as she had in Little Eden. "Mr. Stone," she called out to him in a low tone. "Wait up!"

Richard paused and turned around. "Lupe, what are you doing here?" Richard asked with a smile playing on his lips as if he didn't know.

"I need to know what sort of Chinese food you'd like for supper, Mr. Stone," she simply said. Every time she called him 'Mr. Stone' there was a tingle of pleasure in his eyes, so she did it at every opportunity.

He was visibly surprised at this. "Oh, I don't know, just whatever the special is I guess. You came all the way here just to ask me that?"

She shook her head. "Not just that. I want a raise," she coyly mentioned and stepped a few inches closer to him.

"Do you?" He took a glance at her. "What sort of a raise?"

She slowly stopped walking and leaned against a shining aluminum pillar. He came to a stop next to her. "I think you know which kind of raise I'd like," Lupe replied after a moment while pointedly staring at his crotch.

Richard bit his lip. "When are you wanting your payday?"

"Right here, right now," she boldly said. "Won't that be something else? If everyone saw you having a little fun with the maid?"

He was motionless for a moment, and when he spoke there was a mixture of need and embarrassment on his face. "Yes, but-"

"Ice cream," she interrupted him and gestured at the ice cream stand several yards away. "I want you to buy me some ice cream, Mr. Stone."

He fingered the scrollwork on his cane and exhaled slowly. "Yeah, sure," he acquiesced. "One of these days, you know, you're going to get into real trouble with your demands. You're going to get me all wound up and not even being in public is going to save you."

"What flavor do you fancy?" Lupe purposefully avoided responding to his threat. "Peach," he automatically answered. "But I doubt they've got it here."

"I like strawberry," she said. "Get me a strawberry one. Just one scoop though, I still have to pick up supper."

They did not have peach but they did have strawberry. Richard had to content himself with chocolate. Lupe took a lick of her ice cream and led him into a connecting tunnel to the next 'block'. A few people hurried past them on their way to home, but they were essentially alone in the tunnel.

"What's in the bag?"

"Wine. Mrs. Stone had me pick some up," Lupe replied. "Bubbly stuff." She licked her ice cream again and came to a halt in the middle of the tunnel. "Sometimes it really is beautiful here," she pondered aloud as she stared into the glowing sea. "It's easy to forget because we still have cares and worries, but this place can really take your breath away."

Richard leaned his cane against the wall of the tunnel. "My breath is taken away," he agreed and put his now-free hand on her shoulder.

Despite Richard's sudden affection, or maybe because of it, Lupe suddenly felt very sorrowful. "We left Argentina when I was little," she found herself saying. "I don't remember much of it. But they had the best ice cream in the world there. It was thick and silky and soft and it just put the flavor in your mouth better than other ice cream does. Or maybe it wasn't that good and I just remember it like that because I was small."

Richard said nothing but his mere presence was comforting in a way she couldn't articulate.

"I want to go back there," she whispered. "Someday. I want to go back to the Plaza de Mayo and eat that delicious ice cream again and feel the sun on my skin and-" a few tears came from her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. It wasn't supposed to be like this, this was supposed to be a good time, she wasn't supposed to be a problem for him.

"Maybe you will. Maybe we all will. The future is not set in stone," he tried to comfort her. "You just need to hold on. You need to hold onto something. Or someone."

Lupe took another big bite of her ice cream. "This is good ice cream though, it's light and…" her mind raced to find something to say about it. "Strawberry-y."

His hand found hers. "Mine is also sufficiently chocolatey."

They ate their ice cream in silence for several minutes. What I wouldn't give for this to be a different place that I met him in. A freer place. A natural place.

"Richard?" Lupe said quietly once she finished her ice cream.

"Yes?" His voice was a soft murmur, as if they were whispering to each other in the dark.

"I feel better when I'm around you," she admitted. It felt strange to say that. It's just supposed to sex. Money and sex. You're screwing it up. You're not going to be able to escape with Helena.

Richard took her hand but said nothing.

"I have to go," she realized bluntly. "And you too, you have to go home now, and I have to pick up supper."

Richard didn't let go of her hand. "I want to take this slow. I'm in a delicate position at the moment. But I want this. So badly. You can't imagine how badly."

Lupe could but didn't correct him.