I woke to a sneaker prodding my stomach.
I groaned.
“Good. You alive. You look dead. What the fuck you doing on sidewalk like homeless lady? I come to check for trespassers and what I find? You. My tenant. Sleeping in gutter! Jesuuuuus!”
Trang.
I pried open my sleep-crusted eyes. Bad idea. Letting in the daylight made my head hurt even worse.
“What time is it?” I mumbled.
“Time for you to get your ass off sidewalk.”
He grabbed me under the armpits and hoisted me to my feet. I still hadn’t opened my eyes. I groaned.
“Is there anything left in my place?”
He shook his head no. “It all cleared out now. Thanh-Thanh got some of your stuff. Not much, I think,” he paused for a second. “Gia, why you here? You have no place to sleep now?”
I opened my eyes. He looked concerned.
“Everyone else at Red Cross shelter. I take you there,” he said.
“Thanks. But I need to find Django and Thanh-Thanh.”
“They at the church. For now. Nobody knows where to go after that. I have insurance on building, but it’s not enough.”
“You’re the owner?” I was shocked. I’d thought he was the building manager.
He looked slightly embarrassed.
“Yes. I’m owner. I don’t want my tenants to know. They think I too big for my britches, you know? I don’t want them to feel intimidated. All tenants – except you — old ladies my mom was friends with. I want them to think they are taking care of themselves and no burden to me. I only charge them two hundred dollar for their apartments. They think that is normal rent for people. My way of paying back my mother. She died, but she wanted me to take care of her friends so they don’t end up on streets. Now, I don’t know what to do. They too old to work. They can’t pay regular rent, prices too high, you know.”
I blinked twice and drew back to look at Trang.
“Jesus Fucking Christ. You’re a saint. A god damn saint. Right under the same roof as me and I didn’t even know. Trang,” I looped my arm through his. “I got a plan. I got money and I got a plan. Don’t you worry another second about where you and your mother’s little old lady friends are going to live. I got it all taken care of. On one condition, though?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “What?”
“If I don’t go to prison for murder — and that’s a big ‘if’ — you let me and Django live in the same building as you guys again. I’ll take care of getting the building — it will still be in this neighborhood. Maybe we’ll raze the building and rebuild right here. But I want to live there, too with all of you. That’s my offer.”
I stuck out my hand.
He chewed his lip for a minute, eyeing my outstretched fingers. I waited. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. Like there was anything to think about.
“Deal,” he shook my hand.
I needed to see Thanh-Thanh and Django. But first I had a stop to make.