Chapter II
Amber grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the hall. "Dad said someone was coming to stay with us but he didn't say that it was going to be my Aunt though." She pulled her through a kitchen with a table pilled with food and cake. "I'm having a birthday party tonight at six." Amber said pulling her though a door. Amber jumped on a bed in the middle of the room. "Dad was getting this room ready last week. I thought it was for my mom but dad wouldn't tell me." Rizpah sat next to Amber.
"Do you know your mom?" she asked looking round the room. There was a desk, a dresser, and a closet. It was simple but nice.
"No," Amber said "dad said that when he found me I was a little baby," Rizpah thought about this the little girl sitting next to her looked almost like an exact replica of her except for her eyes and dose.
Matt walked in carrying all four of Rizpah's saddlebags. He set them on the bed with a grunt. " What do you have in here?" he asked Rizpah who had turning to her bags and started to empty them out.
She put her jars of money on the dresser and her beloved cat, whiskers; Matt gave to her for her fourth birthday, on her bed.
"Goddess, you still have that." Matt said picking it up "didn't I give this to you about eight years ago?"
"Nine" Rizpah corrected him automatically.
There was a door slam and a yell from the other room. Amber jumped up and ran out of the room yelling. "Papa!" Rizpah looked at Matt.
"Not her real papa. Henry, that's his name, kind of adopted me as a son when I came down here." Matt walked toward the door. Come and meet him before everyone else gets here." Rizpah followed him out of the room. Sitting in a chair was an old man about in his sixties; he did look like a grandfather. He held Amber in his lap and pulled out two packages. One was a lot smaller than the other was. "Well," Henry looked at Matt, "If your dad says you can, you can open this little present before everyone gets here." Amber looked over at her dad.
"Daddy may I please open one of papa's presents to me." For the second time Rizpah was surprised at how well behaved Amber was. Matt put his hand on his chin in a mock thinking.
"Hum…" he said, "should I let you open it? Hum…" he put his hands out in a shrug. "Well I guess I'm stuck you said please so yes you may." Amber laughed and took the present Henry was holding out to her. Amber squealed when she found what was in the paper. Little peaces of dark stuff were in a little bag.
"Cocoa! Papa thanks! I'm going to wait to eat it though because my party is going to start soon." Just as she said that, someone knocked on the door. Rizpah watched Matt walk out of the room not knowing what to say to this strange man she sat down in a chair at the table and Amber turned toward her. "Aunt Rizpah are you ready for my party?" Rizpah looked at the little girl and just then noticed she was wearing a party dress and Henry was wearing a nice outfit.
"You know I have the perfect dress for your party. Let me go get it on." Rizpah walked out of the room into her bedroom.
She went through her bags until she found a light green dress that Paul always said she distracted the guys with. She pulled it on and put her curly hair up into a bun with her favorite gift from Paul, Flower pins. She washed her face and looked into the mirror. She looked good she decided.
Rizpah walked out of her room to see three more people. A little boy about Ambers age, another boy maybe about seventeen and a lady that was fifteen years older than Matt.
Matt and the lady were talking about school. The older boy a was playing with Amber and the little boy than Amber spotted her. "That's the dress you're wearing. It's beautiful Aunt Rizpah!" Amber came up to her and walked around her like a vulture.
"So Amber who else is coming to your party?" Amber jumped at the chance to recite her long list of friends.
When Amber was about halfway though her list, there was a knock on the door. This time Rizpah got it since everyone else was preoccupied with ambers list. Rizpah opened the door to a boy her age and a little girl hiding behind his leg. "Come on in, parties in the kitchen." The boy stepped in then turned around.
"Come on Patty, Ambers waiting for us." The girl named Patty did not move. Rizpah seeing she was not going to anytime soon crouched down at eye level. "Hi Patty," She said "I'm Ambers aunt Rizpah. I have herd all about you. Amber while going through her list of people that were coming said your name at lest five times because she was so excided you were coming!" the little girls eyes brightened and she took a step forward. Rizpah held out her hand and she took it. The boy who brought her just stared then took patty's other hand.
"Daddy do you think Amber will like her Present." Rizpah did not show the shock on her face. This boy was no older than 15 and had a three year old kid. Rizpah still held on to her hand as the boy answered, "Yes, I do. She doesn't have many friends that just give her money." Rizpah and her two companions entered the kitchen to a scream.
"Patty, you're here!" Amber took Patty's arm and they went to play with the little boy. Rizpah felt a pair of eyes on her and she turned to see Patty's dad looking at her.
"Matt never said Amber had an Aunt or that he had a sister." Rizpah smiled.
"While I wouldn't think so since we haven't seen each other for seven years. He had to leave the house at thirteen." Rizpah walked over to the table were the lemonade was and started to pick up the ladle when a hand took it out of her hands.
"Its not proper for a lady to poor her own drink."