7 Chapter 7

'The colors are not even.' She continue her haste.

'It is ok. Don't panic. Lets try to fix it.' Jen walks towards her and takes the pan handle from her hand. She roasts and evens out the color. She roasts until they turn gold brown and takes it out to cool.

'You are good. I mean the procedure is a lot. Prefer machine coffee.' Kassy complains.

'Does it taste the same?'

'Of course not. Are you kidding. This is another level amazing.' She continues.

'Who thought you to make coffee?'

Jen smiles and answers 'my mother. Her coffee was amazing. This is how we make coffee in our village. Our elders takes coffee as a means to gather and talk about economical, political, cultural and social issues. The procedure is long for a reason as it gave them time to interact. It is a beautiful culture. The outsiders say it is a waste of time but we think not. Modern people spend more time on technology and forget about how it is like to spend quality time with one another. To talk, share ideas, share love.' Kassy listened to her and speaks

'Never thought of it this way. But you could be right.' Kassy fighting not to loss the argument once again.

'Now that it is cooled. We grind it. But we make sure we don't grind it to much or much less. The particles must be fine.' Kassy nodes. Jen takes the coffee and put it in the coffee machine to grinds it. She shows her tto let her see how fine the beans but be. She then takes the boiler and first puts in the finely grind coffee beans then she takes a cup to measure the exact amount of coffee to drink.

'You need this cup for measurement. For two of us we take three cups of water.' Jen pours the water onto the beans.

'Why three?' Kassy asks.

'You need an extra one cup as the water boils water will be lost.' Kassy nods as she has gained a lot of knowledge. Jen set it to boil. As it boiled she set it out to cool.

'We cool it so that the bean particles set to the bottom and we get clear coffee.' She pours the coffee into the two cups and takes two scoop of sugar for each. Kassy stirs and takes a sip. She closes her eyes taking in the scent with.

'I don't know how you do it. But I can never.' Kassy continues.

'I can't make good coffee but I can cook. So how about Imake something to eat and you can watch a movie until am done.' Jen walks to the sofa and takes the remote to change the channel to watch something intresting.

Jen spent two weeks in the house with out looking outside. She stands by the window and takes in the air from outside the window. Even the air spells different she smiles at herself. She looks down from the building and sees everyday’s activity. She took a moment to think that life moves on no matter what. It was just a few days a go she felt like dying and now she looks down to see that would have brought no change to no one. Then Jen thinks of her parents. She takes a deep breath facing different emotions. She felt sad, she misses how her father would always tell her the sun don't shine if she is blue or her mother who would give up the world to see her smile. Her tears drop down. She dries it up using her fingers and gets tells herself it is all for the best although she does not believe it herself. Then she looks back into the house and thanked God. If God had not sent this kind hearted person into my life what would have happened to me? Jen thought. She nodes her head from left to right. She thinks again of how big of a burden she is to her. Jen was feeling better now she thought she had to start working in some way.

'Miss the outside?' Kassy asks walking towards her as she saw Jen standing by the window. Jen smiles approaching Kassy. She takes a moment and speaks.

'I was wondering if I could get back to work. Selling food.' Kassy folds her left leg on the sofa and looks at Jen.

'I don't think so. I mean it is too risky and also we are on debt. Not a single cent left.' Kassy gazes away. Kassys messy frizz hair along with her white shirt and pants in some way could show her stress over the debt. Jen looks at Kassy. She knew all this was her fault. She felt bad. Embarrassed of she has brought up on this women. A thought that has crossed her mind earlier the same day came up. Jen looks at Kassy but didnot have the nerve to speak. But there was no other way so she spoke.

'What if I work like you?' Jen spilled the beans and waits for Kassys reaction.

Kassy turns her face to Jen and laughs. She laughs so loud that Jen was very confused with the words that came out of her mouth.

'Did I say something funny?' Jen asks with confusion.

'Of course.' She stops her laughter wiping her eyes. 'Do you have any idea what it is like to be me?' Kassy speaks with wrathfulness. Jen was shocked as she never saw Kassy this way. Even with all the financial stress she deals with every now and then she has never been this way. Kassy tries to control herself. She continues.

'I was pushed into this life because I didnot have a choice. My parents died in a car accident when I was 9. Then my fathers brother took me to take care of me.' She takes a deep breath controlling her emotions and Jen could see in her eyes she had a heart breaking story. Kassy pulls herself together and continues.

'He was a gambler. He was addicted. He lost all his money, his car and finally his house. He lost everything except me. He had me so he lost me too.' Her tears run down like a river. Jen squeezes her hand that was placed on her knee.

'He sold me to an old man. A married man.' She cries.

'He made me live in a one room house. I wasnot allowed to leave the room. He brought me food and water there. I take shower in that same room. A cleaner would come and clean the room once a week. She was my only friend. But even she couldn't help me as she was scared.' She stops to talk as if she was in that same one room house at this moment.

'He raped me every night and goes. It hurts.' She pauses again with expression that the pain left a scar.

'Many years passed. Then I got pregnant. I didnot know. The cleaner did. She told me to tell him and as I did he threw me out of the house.' She cries stronger. Jen tears fell down with out her knowing.

'The cleaner took me in. But she couldnt help me for long as she was not financially good. She couldnt feed another stomach. So I left and started to do what I only knew how to, have sexual relation with random strangers.' She cut her story short and turn her face to Jen moving her eyes from where she placed them.

'I didnot have a choice.' Jen holds both her hands together with her hands and looks into her eyes.

'Neither do I.' Kassy let's go of her hands and walks to her bedroom. Jen follows. Kassy slams the door on her face. Jen stood by the door. Kassy had lots of emotions running up and down, Jen sat by the door to let her cool down.

'Can I come in now?' Jen asks increasing her voice volume. Kassy didnot respond. Jen opened the door to enter. She walks in and sits besides her on the bed.

'I don't have a choice. I can't go back home. I can't look at my parents. I can't cause them much humiliation and make them bow their heads than they already did.' Jen takes a deep breath.

'You helped me so please let me help you.'

'It is not easy as it looks.'

'Then teach me?' Jen asks desperately. Kassy looks at her with amuse.

'You don't want to do this?' Kassy tries to talk her out of it one last time. But as she saw Jens face she knew there was no way of convincing her out unless she got in first. So she agreed.

'Get some sleep, we start tonight.' Kassy covers her face with the blanket she had on. Jen walks to the living room to rest on the sofa. As she sat there she thought of the conversation more of argument she had with Kassy and the part she mentioned about pregnancy. 'What did she do with the child?' She thinks. Jen couldnot go back to ask as she was already to furious so she chose to wait for the right moment.

8:00pm

' Kassy wakes Jen up. Jen got up from the sofa and makes her way to the bedroom following Kassy.

'Change.' Jen picks up the dress lying on the bed. 'To this?' Jen asks knowing Kassys answer but praying it would change. Kassy nods yes. It was a black short dress that shows the skin from behind above waist and it looked very tight. Jen changed the dress and as she predicted the dress was very short and very tight. Kassy turns to see Jen she was shocked. The dress had fit her well.

'You look amazing.' Kassy complimented. 'If only we were going out for dinner.' Kassy looked disappointed. She throws a pair of hills towards her.

'I cannot walk on hills.'

'There is a first time for all.' Kassy smiles proving her first small point of why she forbid this from the start. Jen put them on.

'It fits.' Jen was amazed with how she found the right number.

'Looks like we have equal size.' Kassy spoke. She brings her up the chair to dl her makeup after she finished getting dressed herself.

'Not too much.' Jen spoke. Kassy respected her wish. She used something simple to bring out her look. She tires her hair down and puts a blond wig on top of it.

'All done.' Jen stood to look at herself. She was speechless. Having makeup on for the first time with the wig and the dress with the hill it completely changed her image. She smiles. Kassy looks at Jen.

'I love it.' Jen complimented. Kassy put down her mascara and sat Jen down. She explained every obstacle that happens during the night out. The type of customers that come, how to handle them, how to protect herself. She thought her all that she knows. Jen was prepared and so they left the building in search for money.