One Toe Out (A Complicated Love Story) Read Online Free

she said. “You’re under no obligation to him. If you don’t do it, realistically, he’ll find someone else.”
    Simone pulled away from her mother; she straightened her back and pulled back her shoulders as though she was ready to take on the world.
    “ I know. But on the other hand. I finally won’t have to think about money, I can travel the world, we can travel the world,” she said excitedly. “I can start a business; I don’t think his pre-nup nixed that idea. And Momma I can buy you a new house. And you won’t have to work anymore,” she said breathlessly.
    “ What about you? What happens when you want to date?” Lillian asked, ever the practical one. “Obviously, you two won’t be having any type of marital relations, so what are you going to do about your womanly urges?”
    Simone blushed. While she and her mother had an open relationship and talked about everything under the sun, it still embarrassed her to be talking about sex, specifically her sex life with her mom. “We talked about it. As long as I’m discreet it’s okay. He was very sweet and understanding about it.”
    “ But will that be enough?”
    “ It will Mom,” she insisted, but her mother still looked skeptical.
    “ Money doesn’t keep you warm at night.”
    Simone eyed her mother. “Sure it does, it keeps the electricity from being turned off,” she said sadly, remembering when she was younger there were times when their electricity was cut off, because her father, Lillian’s ex-husband had spent time in and out of prison, and there were times when Lillian didn’t have enough money to pay their bills. And when he was out of prison, he rarely spent time with his children or provided any financial support. No one had heard from him in years. They didn’t know if he was dead or alive.
    “ I’m sorry baby. I know growing up was hard…very hard. I know you remember us getting evicted from apartments and taking the bus to the welfare office. But we’re okay now. We overcame all that. I just don’t want you to get yourself into some crazy situation, because you’re afraid that you’ll end up like me.”
    Simone hugged her mom. “Of course, that’s why I’m doing it,” she said honestly. “It’s like I won the lottery. I don’t want to be poor anymore. He and I will have an agreement, we’re partners. Isn’t that what most marriages are anyway? We’re just upfront with it that’s all.”
    “ It sounds fine…but I still don’t like it.”
    “ Trust me Mom. It’ll be the best thing I’ve ever done and as soon as the first two million is deposited into my account. I’m gonna buy you a new house.”
    “ Simone, you don’t have to,” Lillian protested.
    Simone took in their two-bedroom ranch house. They had a kitchen so small that they couldn’t open the oven door and the refrigerator’s at the same time, and bedrooms that could barely hold a full size bed. Her mother had been so proud when she had purchased the house fifteen years ago. She and Simone had shared a bedroom until her brother Lawrence had moved out, then Simone had moved into his room. “But I want to.”
    “ Are you going to have a lawyer look at it?” Lillian asked.
    “ I’ll see,” she replied airily and strolled off to work.
    “ Hey baby, what your name is?” a man-boy asked and Simone cringed, occasionally she’d run across men-boys like him, who still thought it was okay to not speak intelligently. She took his order then checked on her other customers. From the beginning of her shift she had been moving on auto-pilot, she couldn’t get J.T.’s proposal out of her mind.
    When it was break time, Simone grabbed a soda and went through the kitchen and stepped out into the alley. She had a chair there that she liked to sit in and rest her feet. With a sigh, Simone sat down. “If I take J.T. up on his crazy offer, I wouldn’t have to work for six dollars an hour, carrying food,” she muttered and took a sip of her drink. Simone