Chapter Two

Three months had passed. My cousins had demanded that I give up my room. Rima wanted her closet back. I now slept in the unfinished basement.

At night, I would wrap myself in two blankets to fight the damp cold. I didn't mind though, it was better then living upstairs with my cousins and Aunt Fatima.

They were constantly bickering. Fighting about who had the most clothes, who had the most expensive shoes, and demanding that Aunt Fatima marry one of her older suitors, so they would have more money to spend.

Downstairs it was quiet. Peaceful. I even had company. Three little grey mice had squeezed through a small crack in the corner and made a small nest in an abandon shoebox. I snuck them the crust from Rima's toast every day after breakfast. I had named them Zada, Iman, and Sahir. They were my only friends. Thanks to my cousins, the kids at school had teased me relentlessly. I didn't mind though. As soon as I turned eighteen, I would go away to university and start a new life, a life full of joy and new discoveries.

***

"AMIRA!" shouted Yara. "DINNER!"

I sighed and set down my notebook.

"NOW!" screamed Rima.

I didn't mind cooking all of the meals. It really was the least I could do to payback my Aunt Fatima for her kindness.

"I want beef stew and German chocolate cake," whined Rima.

"No! We had that two nights ago! We should have pork chops and a soufflé," argued Yara.

"Girls, girls, girls," said Aunt Fatima with a shake of her head. "I'm sure Amira won't mind making both, right Amira?"

My eyes widened. "Both? That will take hours."

Aunt Fatima's mouth formed a straight line. "Are you not grateful for your new home? Do you not like your new life here in America? It's not like other relatives were beating down the doors asking to take you in."

My shoulders slumped. "I can make both, Aunt Fatima. Please forgive me. I am incredibly grateful for all you have done for me."

"That's better," she snapped. "Also, after you're done making dinner, the floors need scrubbing and the fireplace needs cleaning."

Rima and Yara giggled uncontrollably.

Dinner took just over two hours to prepare. When I had tried to sit down and have a small plate of hummus and pita bread, Aunt Fatima clucked her tongue and pointed at the floors.

"Wouldn't you rather clean first?" she questioned with forced innocence in her voice.

"Yes, Aunt Fatima." I opened up the cabinets under the sink and gathered the bucket and floor cleaner.

"Now girls," said Fatima in between mouthfuls of food. "This weekend, we need to find you both a new dress, shoes, and jewelry. Everything has to be perfect for next Friday."

"The Ambassador's son is going to take one look at me and fall in love," declared Rima. "He'll propose as soon as I graduate from high school and we will live in one of his father's castles in Spain."

"No!" snapped Yara. "He's going to fall in love with me. We'll dance the whole night away and by the end, he'll want to give me a rock bigger then the one on his mother's ring finger."

"Yeah right," said Rima, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm the pretty one. The Ambassador's son is going to pick me."

Yara pounced across the table and grabbed her sister's hair, giving it a rough tug.

Rima screamed and flung her arms around, knocking her glass of sparkling water on to the floor.

As the glass shattered, they continued to scream at one another and pull each other's hair. It wasn't until Yara accidentally knocked Rima's bowl with her elbow and sent a half of her beef stew flying through the air and directly into Aunt Fatima's lap.

I suppressed a grin as my Aunt's face turned a deep shade of crimson. "BOTH OF YOU TO YOUR ROOM AT THIS INSTANT!"

Yara and Rima bumped into each other as they raced away from the table and toward their rooms.

"Amira, come here and help me clean this up now."

I set down the bucket of ash from the fireplace and fetched a wad of wet paper towels. "Here, Aunt Fatima, let me help you."

As I wiped up the mess, my Aunt let out a sigh. "Are you almost done?"

"Yes," I said quietly. "If you would like, I can treat the stains and wash your dress tonight."

"Thank you, Amira."

"You're welcome," I said as I gathered the paper towels and brought them to the trashcan.

"Aunt Fatima, I know this isn't the best time. But is there any way you might allow me to go to the ball as well?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I suppose you'll want a new dress as well?"

"No, no, no. Not at all. I was thinking I might be able to borrow one of Yara or Rima's old dresses?"

"I'll think about it. You would have to have all of your chores done ahead of time and I'm not buying you a single thing. I already promised the girls new dresses and as you know, money does not grow on trees."

"Oh! Thank you!" I squealed. I gave my Aunt a quick squeeze. "Thank you so much!"

*********************

Dearest Lovelies,

Thank you so much for reading chapter two of Amira and the Red Bottom Shoes! :) I hope you enjoyed it! Are you feeling the Cinderella vibe?

All votes and comments are always appreciated!

Hearts,

Kelly Anne Blount xoxo