Mahalia Dilemma

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Manicured protected lands with equally manicured driveways with huge estates tuckered away behind those manicured lands, were all Mahalia Osborne could see as she drove through Chesterfield's residential area. She never thought she'd seen this town again especially after she packed up and left ten years ago, the minute her scholarship came through.

It felt and looked just the way she left it-she still hated it. Chesterfield was home to millionaires and billionaire's, not to a orphan who didn't have a penny to her name, and was back here after ten years because her plan to make it was a bust and now she was without a job or a home.

Her Toyota Prius groaned and she groaned along with it, hitting her head against her steering wheel. Pull yourself together, Mahalia. Or you and your car are probably going to get tossed out of the private neighborhood.

The familiar path came into view,and she took a left turn and meandered through a stone lane private drive with tall trees she couldn't identify and then she was at the tall spikey spacey pole gates.

"Well,well, well." A voice said from the small security post, like in action movies, but Mahalia knew it had a kitchenette, a room and en-suite bathroom.

Mahalia smiled at Dwayne Harpers, who looked like he hadn't aged a day in ten years but from chats with her great-aunt Sally Anne Osborne, Mahalia knew Dwayne would be seventy one in three days.

He opened the gates with a button in his control room and let her drive through, still grinning at her, "The prodigal great-niece has finally returned"

"Hi, Mr Dwayne." Mahalia said lowering her windows.

Dwayne rolled his big shoulders and his big brown eyes too, "Girl you better get out of that car and come give me a hug"

Mahalia did as ordered, making sure her car didn't lock her out as she wedged her hip against it and gave the huge brown skin teddy bear a hug, making her eyes water. It'd been so long that she'd been hugged, and all the emotions she'd held bottled up, hit her in full force and then she couldn't stop the crying.

Dwayne felt her pain, even though he had no idea what was going on with her, he made soothing noises, rubbed her back and he did so until she was calm.

"Go on in before Sally Anne has my head for dinner for withholding you here" Dwayne said, with a laugh in his voice.

Mahalia parked her car in the guest spot under a huge tent like canopy and she sat in her car for three minutes making sure she didn't look like a roadkill and when she was satisfied she locked her car, then began the treacherous walk to the main house, Dwayne's words ringing in her ears. 'The prodigal great-niece'.

She was a prodigal great-niece, she left her great-aunt who was the only family she had for ten years, without even a visit for the holidays seasons and now here she was, with what little she could take with her off those ten years stacked in boxes in the trunk and backseat of her car, for an uncertain stay in Chesterfield.

The main house came into view and she gave a resigned sigh. A week ago she was starting at her negative bank balance and her eviction notice, and she was already scheming a way to try again, a way to get back on her feet but Mahalia knew she was beat.

You couldn't try again without a cent in your account and definitely not on the streets with the clothes on your back and then she knew she only had one choice, if she was going to make it in life she needed to first get on her feet and where else to get on her feet than in Chesterfield.

She looked at the large manor sited on the highest knoll, then smiled to herself. She used to enjoy sneaking to the back porch and watching the harbor and starry skies when she was a kid and now she could hear the running waters and she felt a sense of peace without even having to see it.