15-05-2021-052358It-Ends-with-Us

Thank you, Jesus.
I set it to brew and then go in search for a mug when the kitchen
door opens behind me. I spin around and I’m relieved to see that
Allysa isn’t always a perfect concoction of makeup and jewelry. Her
hair is in a messy topknot and mascara is smeared down her cheeks.
She points at the coffeemaker. “I’m gonna need me some of that,” she
says. She pulls herself up on the island and then slouches forward.
“Can I ask you a question?” I say.
She barely has the energy to nod.
I wave my hand around the kitchen. “How did this happen? How in
the hell did your entire house become spotless between the party last
night and me waking up just now? Did you stay up and clean?”
She laughs. “We have people for that,” she says.
“People?”
She nods. “Yep. There are people for everything,” she says. “You’d be
surprised. Think of something. Anything. We probably have people
for it.”
“Groceries?”
“People,” she says.
“Christmas décor?”
She nods. “People for that, too.”
“What about birthday gifts? Like for family members?”
She grins. “Yep. People. Everyone in my family receives a gift and a
card for every occasion and I never have to lift a finger.”
I shake my head. “Wow. How long have you been this rich?”
“Three years,” she says. “Marshall sold a few apps he developed to
Apple for a lot of money. Every six months, he creates updates and
sells those, too.”
The coffee transitions into a slow drip, so I grab a mug and fill it
up. “You want anything in yours?” I ask. “Or do you have people for
that?”
She laughs. “Yes. I have you, and I’d like sugar, please.”
I stir some sugar into her cup and walk it over to her, then pour
myself a cup. It grows quiet for a while as I mix in creamer, waiting for
her to say something about me and Ryle. The conversation is
inevitable.
“Can we just get the awkwardness out of the way?” she says.