Jill of All Trades

The Clock is ticking...

Tick, tock minute by minute goes by. The sound echoes through the large, but quiet room. Water dripping from a faucet, the sound boucing of the stainless steel sink. Lacey Hagin turned over on the herback, and looks at the ceiling. Her eyes scan the unfamilar surface and a tear rolls down her cheek.
"How did I get here?" she pondered. Why did she have to go and fall in love?

Lights flooded the room and the stead flow of voices interrupted her thoughts. She looked around and saw bodies in motion as a new day began. women of all shapes, sizes , and colors moved about preparing for room check.

"You better get up before they get here.", said a voice from behind her. Lacey looked at the woman standing there and said, " Before who get's here?"
"Before Ms. Harris and her crew get here!" , replied the woman, who was busy fixing her bed.
"Who's Ms. Harris?" , Lacey asked getting up pulling her cover straight on her cot.
"She's on the meanest Bitch in the world!", the other woman responded. " That bitch likes fuckin with you so she can put you in the hole."
"Oh yeah?", Lacey replied picking up her towel and toothbrush.
"Yeah." answered the woman. "Be careful cuz she really likes ya'll newbies."
"Well thanks for the heads up... by the way I'm Lacey." Lacey extended her hand and waited for the woman to respond.
The woman smiled, " My name is Asia, nice to meet you."
"How long you been in here?" asked Lacey as they walked to the washrooms.
"Five years girl." answered Asia. "Too long... seems like forever.
"What happened?" Lacey turned and looked at Asia.
"Long story, maybe sometime I'll tell you bout it." , replied Asia sticking the toothbrush in her mouth.

Lacey just looked at her, and went back to brushing her hair. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and asked herself... "How did I get here?"


CHAPTER 1

Three years earlier...

Yo Lacey, what's up?" yelled Rahim. "Girl, you lookin good!"

Lacey waved and smiled at her neighbor as she bent down to pick up her paper. It was a beautiful day!! The sun was shining bright, and a warm breeze wafted through the air.

"Whisper, c'mon boy." Lacey called out to her brown nosed pittbull. The dog was busy sniffing the flowers that lined the edge of her yard. He looked up at Rahim and growled. Tail wagging he approached Lacey. She looked her watch, "You better go now cuz I won't be home til late."
Rahim walked up to the fence that seperated his yard from hers. His eyes scanning her backside he licked his lips, " When you gonna let me take you out?" , he asked. Lacey turned and gave him her 'look' , "Boy, when your wife says it's cool."
Tall, broad shoulders, chocolate... Rahim was fine as hell! Lacey had scoped him out 6 years ago when he first moved in. What she didn't know was that Rahim was a Grade A dog. Lacey had never met a man who was so disrespectful to his wife. Yes... Wife!! A few times she had seen them out, and Rahim blatantly looked her up and down his eyes lingering on her chest. His wife was a pretty woman. You know, light skin, long hair... Lacey didn't understand it.

"Why do you always say that?" asked Rahim still staring at her chest.
"Why you always be asking me out and you have a wife?" countered Lacey. "Doesn't she satisfy you?"
"You know how it is... being married and such." , he answered casually looking at his manicured nails. "Sometimes a man has to quell his carnal desired in the name of ambition."
"Well you need to talk about that with your wife." replied Lacey. She spotted Whisper too close to the street and she whistled for him to come back. She turned back around and looked at Rahim , " What's the problem? You wife is beautiful, intelligent, and rich. I would think that she would be the total package." asked Lacey her curiosity gettin the better of her.
"Well... True she is all those things and more, but she us a prude in bed! I need a woman who will ride me in the middle of the afternoon and not be worried that the neighbors will see." answered Rahim. "And might I add... you and I could have some phenominal sex."
"Whatever, I guess we will never know." Lacey shot back at him as she walked into her house.

Lacey loved her house. It was a cute two story townhouse located in Cedarwood Park, on Philadelphia's east side. Right in the middle of everything. She had bought it 4 years ago when she decide that it was time to leave her daddy's house. During the time she was at the police academy, she managed to finish her classes at Temple and work part time. By the time she graduated from the academy she had her degrees in Criminal Justice and Forensic Science. It took alot of work, but she did it. So to reward herself she bought a townhouse and moved.
Lacey looked around at the light seafoam green paint on her walls and smiled at how the sunlight just illuminated her breakfast nook.. She was proud of her home! She had painted and decorated every nook and cranny in this house. The only thing that was missing was someone to share it with.