Blog #9- The Queen of Hearts

She delicately untied the red satin bow and lifted the lid of the box. In the middle of a plush velvet bedding sat a shining sterling silver playing card. The queen of hearts.

"Oh, wow. It's lovely, Claude," she said, "this looks expensive!"

"It is, my love. It's a rare collectible. But I thought, I already have 52, of course I can spare one for you."

It was a sweet gesture. But more importantly, Rose knew that if she sold it like all of his other presents, she would have enough to pay the rent, and maybe even afford a new dress or two. With the generous and frequent gifts, Rose could support herself alone in a new city without lifting a finger.

The next morning she woke up late. Rose wrapped his dress shirt with the embroidered CE monogram around her as a cover, and ventured into the kitchen. His usual "Off to work, see you later tonight, love," note was in it's place on the counter. Maybe if she knew that she would not be seeing him later tonight (or any other night for that matter) she would not have tossed it into the trash as casually as she did.

But all that was just a memory know. Without him to take care of her, Rose fell into a life that she never imagined for herself, but strangely did not dislike. Pretty soon the whole Foxberry would know what Mr. Jenkins had long known, what she desperately wished Stars would never find out, and what her poor father would have a heart attack and die if he learned about his good and Christ-loving daughter.

But in life, you have to play to your strengths, and Rose had one. And although there would be many men, Mr. Evans was the first.