Chapter 4

My head went blank with a rush of noise.

I circled Lily at once, checking her over, but she wasn't hurt, her clothes were all fine, and apart from her backpack being snatched and torn, everything about her was normal.

Lily knew what I was afraid of.

She spoke up fast.

“Mom, I'm okay. Besides taking my backpack and calling me his wifey, he didn't do anything else.”

“He didn't even touch my clothes.”

I picked up the backpack and looked through it. Almost everything was still inside, except for...

I frowned. A thought had started forming, but before I could say anything, Thelma knocked on our door.

She was holding a few meal boxes, smiling from ear to ear.

“I heard all about what happened at the front gate today. My son says he really likes you and wants to marry you as his wife.”

“Sure, you're a little small, and you're not exactly a beauty, but my son likes you, so I like you.”

“We don't have anything fancy at our place, so I put together a few meal boxes. Consider it the betrothal gift, my formal proposal to your family. From now on I'll supply all your family's meals.”

“But it can't be all coming in and nothing going out. This house of yours will have to come with her as the dowry, given to my family.”

“And my son moves in tomorrow. He'll take the room next to your daughter's, so they can get closer...”

Lily went white with fear and darted straight back into her room.

Marcus couldn't take it either and ran for the kitchen to grab a knife. Thelma, afraid my husband was actually about to lose it, grabbed her meal boxes and bolted.

Marcus was still shouting, ready to fight it out, but I was the one who went calm and held him back.

“I asked around with the previous landlord. Her son may be intellectually disabled, but he's actually gentle and sweet. He never harasses girls. He doesn't even know what a wife is.”

“She's only doing this to force me to give in and buy the meals!”

“So I've figured it out. I'm going upstairs right now to order the meals.”

Marcus and Lily exchanged a look.

They both thought I was joking. Neither of them saw me as the kind of person who'd bow to bullies.

But I just smiled.

“Don't worry, I'm not bowing to anyone. I'm ending this once and for all. I'm going to teach her that there's money you just can't take!”

Neither of them understood, but in the end they chose to back me.

So I went and found Thelma myself.

Thelma assumed I'd come to make trouble and started working herself up again, calling for Boyd to grab a knife and protect her, muttering something about how it isn't a crime when a mentally ill person kills someone.

I quickly explained.

“I'm here to order meals.”

“You were right. It isn't easy being a single mom, and I shouldn't have refused to work with you, shouldn't have come down on you like that.”

“I've come around.”

Thelma thought I'd finally caved, and she was thrilled.

“Exactly. We're both moms, we should be helping each other out. Why make it into a fight?”

“When you get down to it, we're both doing it for our kids. Since you don't trust my meals, why don't you take the eighty-eight plan? Trust me, one bite and you'll be back for more.”

I rolled my eyes. What was there to come back for in pre-made meal boxes she bought online for pennies.

But I didn't say much, just shook my head.

“How about this. I want to order one day of the eighty-eight first, to try it.”

“If it's good, I'll sign up long-term. That work?”

Seeing how agreeable I was, Thelma clearly wasn't worried I'd back out, so she said nothing more, just signed the contract, and I paid on the spot.

The moment Thelma saw the money land, her eyes disappeared into her smile.

“Don't you worry, I've got professional ethics. My son will never harass a customer, so you and your daughter can relax.”

I didn't say much, just smiled and left.

The next evening, right at dinnertime, Thelma knocked and handed in three meal boxes, then left our home with a smug little smile on her face.

Once she'd gone back out and up the stairs.

I looked at the three meal boxes in front of me, and with a cold smile I picked up my phone.

“The meals are here. The plan can begin...”