Read Online Sinful by Victor McGlothin - Free Book Online

police. She didn’t even care that it was my own stuff I was taking.” Merely for effect, Dior lowered her head in shame before continuing her onslaught. “I ain’t never felt so alone so I drove around until I got too tired to drive. If the dollar movies weren’t open until midnight, I don’t know what I’d have done.”
    Chandelle was cautious, but Dior’s words came from that place she once knew too well herself: desperation. “If you put your hand through the window, why isn’t it all cut up?” she challenged.
    â€œI wrapped my hand in my coat like they do on TV, or else I’d have one more thing I couldn’t afford to fix,” she babbled. “Please, just give me a couple of days to get something cracking. I can’t take nobody else flipping on me. When I fell asleep on the back row at the movies, two men woke me up and one of ’em called me a crack head, and you know I don’t get down like that, but still this manager and another man, they started loud talking me and then told me I had to go. Kevlin done dogged me. I ran the streets all night, and…now you’re looking at me like I’m lying. Chandelle, I’m not lying,” she lied most assuredly, with misty eyes to help further her cause. “If I could, I’d do the same and look out for you. You know I would.”
    â€œOomph, this is too much,” Chandelle said, massaging both of her temples with outstretched fingertips. “Sit down, girl, I won’t trip. Besides, your mother was there for us when mine got laid off. Blood is thicker than tears,” she’d determined.
    â€œThank you, Chandelle, thank you so much,” Dior sighed, while celebrating quietly so as not to disturb Marvin. “What about him?” she asked, gazing toward the closed bedroom door.
    â€œYou let me worry about that. Put your things in the other room. But this is not a permanent situation. You will look for a job tomorrow and every other day until someone’s willing to pay you for something.”
    â€œI will, Chandelle,” Dior agreed, although with reservations. “I’ll come out of this on top, you’ll see. Uh-uh, you won’t regret this, not one bit.”
    I’m already regretting it, Chandelle thought, while turning the doorknob and praying that Marvin had somehow fallen asleep. Unfortunately, Marvin was fully dressed in the Appliance World uniform, khaki slacks and top. Feverishly lacing up his shoes, he was visibly consumed with getting away from there. “Do you have a minute before you leave?” she said, secretly wishing he didn’t. “We should talk.”
    â€œNo, and no we shouldn’t,” he replied rudely. “I don’t want to discuss it and I don’t like the idea of Dior crashing here because she’s always putting in work on some scam.”
    â€œFor someone who don’t want to discuss it, your mouth sure is moving overtime,” Chandelle fired back, louder than she meant to. Dior’s dilemma had her in a rough spot. She’d given her word to help, and that was that. “I’ve…already told her I would. I should have talked it over with you first, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. She’s busted, tired, and probably hungry too. How can we turn our noses up at that?”
    Marvin snatched a thin jacket off the bed. “Watch me!” he yelled, brushing by her like she was a hat rack. “She’s trouble, Chandelle, trouble.”
    â€œWhat family member isn’t? Look,” she debated, extending her hands to summon a calmer spirit. “Honey, today’s sermon was meant to address this exact issue. It’s like a sign or something. What does the Bible say, ‘I was hungry and you gave me meat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in,’” she recited as best she could from Matthew 25:35–36. “Now,