The room seemed dark and larger than normal as Katti looked around. She 
just came in from work, pulled off her shoes and laid back on the sofa. The
thought of facing another day, the same old routine weighed heavy on her slim
shoulders. Katti had worked her way through school waitressing at a local 
resturant. Spending nights in the restruant and days in the class room, studying
in every spare minute she could, to wind up here. In an appartment on the upper 
northwest side of town. The money wasnt bad with tips and all she made a pretty
good living, but not enough to get her out of this appartment, or out of this 
town.

Back in HighSchool Katti had dreams of living a glamorous life. She want the big
house, fancy cars, and of course the man of her dreams on her arm. Life isn't as
simple as dreams though. The worse blow came when both her parents died in a car 
accident coming back from a party New Years Eve eight years ago. Suddenly Katti
was alone, well not really alone, there was Jake her kid brother, just ten years
old. At seventeen she felt it her responsibility to take care of him. So whether
she would even finish HighSchool became a question. After the funeral expenses, 
the insurance money would barely pay the bills. So it was no question that
she would quit school and get a job to help out. The first years was really hard.
Once in a while, she would wait on old school friends, and watched as they all
went off to colleges and got an education.

Jake was in and out of trouble most of the time. How could she really blame him.
She wasnt able to stay with him all the time, so being on his own just left him
time to get into one kind of trouble or another. By the time Jake was 13, he pretty
much did as he wanted. Katti would fight with him all the time, his reply was
just to stand up and say "Your not my mother, so fuck off".  It was during this
time that Katti decided to go back to school. She signed up for night school, to 
finish High School and get her diploma.  The day she stood in line to receive it
was one of the proudest days of her life. Her teachers all liked her, saying with
her brains she could go far. Yet far took her forever, here at age 21 she just
graduated from High School. 

Jake, at age 15 robbed a local retail store and was sent off to finish growing
up at a reformatory for boys. Katti, sat in court that dayed and cried. It's all
your fault Jake screamed at her as they took him handcuffed away. An hour later
she was still there crying, thinking about all the events that led up to this 
day. Yes it was all her fault, maybe if she had more time, maybe if she had been
older, maybe if she had been educated. A deep voice from behind her spoke out.

"Maybe, maybe, maybe is never going to change a thing. Nothing you can do for 
the boy now except to keep in contact and maybe help him financally". 

"Excuse me" Katti turned and tooked up into the most beautiful eyes she had ever 
seen.

"You were talking out loud" he replied "And I just was telling you that all the
maybe's in the world isn't going to help now. Your brother will just have to
learn his lesson on his own" smiling down at her, he continued "here let me help
you with your coat" Reaching down he took her arm and lifted her to her feet.
Holding her coat so she could slip her thin arms in the sleves. {this arms, yes}
he thought to himself {her arms were tiny and frail looking, altogether she wasn't
much more than a tooth pick. "Would you like to get a bite to eat", he asked.

"No" Katty answered with a smile that could melt ice on a cold day. "I have to 
try to get myself together and get to work, I told my boss I would come in 
right after the trial".

Again he felt strange looking at her, something about her, he couldnt put his 
finger on but he wanted to. "Well then let me walk you out and see you on your
way". Taking her arm they strolled out the double doors of the court room, down
the corridor, through the doors to the open air of the street.

"Where do you work" he question as he waved for a taxi, putting her inside, 
closing the door he bid her goodbye.

In the taxi, Katti couldnt remember if he said his name, or if she had said her's.
Yet, she closed her eyes and could see every detail of his handsome face. So
for at least the ride to work, her mind was taken off Jake and focused momontarly on
the stranger with the warm hands and handsome face.

Katti pulled the afternoon shift that evening. With her mind on her brother Jake she
just didnt focus on the comings and goings of who and what was around her. Time slipped
by like eternity, she thought the night would never come to an end. And when it did what 
would she do, go home to the apartment alone. Where did she go wrong, what had happen
to her and to Jake. Poor Jake, tears formed in her eyes, trying not to let them show
to the public she escaped into the ladies room. Throwing cool water on her face she
peered into the large mirror over the sink of the basin. Katti looked at the features
in her pretty face. Her dreams of making something of herself lasted long enough to
see it all come to an end. "Momma" she cried, "help me pleeeeeeease". Then Katti
sobbing beyond control slid to the floor holding her body tight in a ball. 

A knock on the door, forced her to look up, yet still not able to speak the words 
coherent enough for anyone to understand, she sat mute. The door crept slightly 
ajar and a voice came from behind it. "Katti are you in there, Katti are you alright?"

Katti looked up to see a head poke its way into the restroom. Still crying but more
in control Katti barely whispered: "I'm ok, what are you doing here?"




















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