How I Met Bethany, conclusion

This experience started here.

So, I had invited this helpless stranger into my home overnight, and we were getting ready for dinner... (Sorry this is taking so long)

You don't have to apologize. I imagine our readership is very understanding of your busy life and schedule. She's very busy, readers. She works VERY full time, and on top of that she's been directing a play that just barely ended. And then she has to come home and take care of me.

You're no trouble. Well... that's not true. But you're the kind of trouble I enjoy.

*Smiles wickedly*

During dinner, she explained how she got into her predicament. “I never had nice clothes as a kid. I was always the kid in school that other kids made fun of. When I moved to college, I knew I was never going to be as poor as my mom. I was going to break the cycle, you know. Then I got a credit card.”

I pulled a face. I had never had a regular credit card, but every store card I had ever had turned into a bill-collecting disaster later, and I swore off cards forever. I saved now for things I wanted.

Bethany went on. “It was fine at first. I bought nice clothes and for the first time in my life I felt like a popular kid. People looked at me. I felt beautiful.”
She was beautiful, I thought, even sitting in clothes that were too big for her with her dark hair in a wet bun on her head.
“I was making payments like should, but then Christmas came, and I overspent. Then I got behind on my utilities, and ended up buying groceries with my credit card, and… I don’t know, eventually, I was stuck and broke, and my card was maxed. I tried getting another card, but I was denied.
"I was living with my boyfriend, but then he broke up and moved out, and suddenly I was living alone in an apartment I couldn’t afford, but stuck because I couldn’t afford the deposit and other stuff on a cheaper place.” She drew a heavy breath. “I couldn’t get my bearings. They shut off my gas and my utilities. I paid my phone bill faithfully.” She gave a mirthless laugh and held up her phone. “Because if my mother found out how bad things were… it would just be bad.”

“So, you have a lot of debt,” I said sadly.

She nodded. “Not enough to call one of those consolidation places, but enough to be screwed.” She shrugged. “When Brad lived with me, I didn’t have to pay rent. He moved out and left me with everything.”

I could certainly understand her desperate situation, although not why she did not just tell her mother and move home. It would be uncomfortable, but at least she wouldn’t be facing eviction and repossession.

“Well,” I said finally. “You can stay here for awhile. My friend Tom has some buddies with a truck that can go get your stuff from your place. You can find a job and maybe we can get you up and running again. Okay?”

Bethany put down her pizza and looked up at me. “Why would you do that?” she asked. “I’m a stranger and you have no reason to believe I’m a nice girl. I’m in heavy debt and I’m a thief.”

I smiled. “You’re not a thief. Besides, if you steal something from me, I know where you live.”
Her return smile was weak. “I’ll find a job tomorrow,” she promised.
It's not earth-shattering, but that's how our relationship began. The next installment of this story is called How it all Began. FYI, Pura and Bethany are the same person. Bethany is her vanilla name. Pura is her slave name.

Pura is the name I prefer.

Me too. And very soon I will tell the readers why.

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