“ Hey baby! How’s my market this morning?” I ask my best friend Jammie as I enter into the indoor part of my trading house. She looks up from stacking the currents into a pile on the fruit table with one of her dazzling girly smiles as usual.

“ Hey Taya honey! The Trea Trading House is up and running at full capacity as it should be. We’ve had two other packs come to trade with us today, that’s where all these damn currents came from.” She looks down at the pile with a comical like frown on her face, obviously distressed by the amount of currents that we now have to get traded out.

“Don’t worry hun, we’ll get these things out even if I have to offer them buy one get one free or something. But we will get our wax worth out of these things. Anything else new in? I’d like to serve something new and exciting at the Inn tonight.”

“Oh yeah, let me think...” She pauses a moment as she looks around. “ Oh that’s right! We have a fresh batch of gooseberries in! You can make some of your famous gooseberry and apple pie!” She pauses again, this time letting her eyes roam over me from head to toe. “ I’ve been wanting sommuh’ that for quite some time now baby.” She winks at me faux seductively as she sashays away dramatically to grab some up for me, already making my mind up for me. I shake my head in playful astonishment as she returns. This female is entirely too much!

“ If you’ve been wanting it so bad why haven’t you just asked for it baby?” Her jaw drops open in mock surprise at my lewd response. I wink at her as I spin on my heels and begin heading out of the market. She taps me on the behind playfully as I walk away eliciting a chuckle from myself as I leave.

“ Don’t start something you can’t finish woman. And keep an eye on my market. I don’t want to come back and see half of my things gone by the hands of thieves. I already have one thief to handle at the Inn.” I call back to her over my shoulder as I approach the doorway.

“ Don’t you worry your pretty little head big mama, I’ve got this shit here covered. Run along and go to finally fire that wretched bitch.”

I don’t tolerate foolishness in my business. I will fire you just as soon as I hire you if I feel like your bringing anything besides positivity into my work place. Which is why I knew I had to go on ahead and fire Afimei when I found out that she has been stealing things from my Inn’s guest rooms at night after I leave. One of my other employees told me of her thieving expeditions one night just as I was heading home after work. I stayed around hiding up in the branches of a massive oak tree waiting on her to make her way out of the back of the Inn with my things in tow. Sure enough, she came sneaking out of the back with two of my prized candleholders and one of my kitchen’s top quality pots. As pissed as I was at the time I didn’t fire her that very second. Why? Wasn’t she clearly guilty? Yes, yes she was. But at the time I was already investigating claims that she was conning the male patrons of my Inn into exchanging wax for sex and other foolishness while still on my clock. Now I generally have a no tolerance policy, one strike and you’re out. But even if I was thinking about reconsidering my policy for her, she would have to go either way with her stealing and conniving ass. That’s two strikes at one time and I don’t do that.

If I’m kind enough to let you work at my Inn in order to get your little ‘coins’ up and you take advantage of my hospitality then you have to go. I have to maintain a certain level of strictness in order to keep my business prosperous, I will not allow some ingrate to come in and mess up everything that I’ve worked so hard for. Which is what has lead to fire about three others since I’ve established my two businesses. I learn very quickly some people you just can’t help, either they want a better life and are willing to work for it or they don’t. And if you want to squander around in your own self pity and squalor then you’ll have to do that on your own time and your own dime because I don’t have the patience for that. I don’t like when things mess with my inner peace and her buffoonery has caused an imbalance in my system so therefore she must go!

“ Gold, please take these berries and put them on the kitchen counter for me. Get the apples out as well.” I pause a moment as I hand the bag over to Golden, my assistant, upon entering the Traveler’s Inn. She eagerly obliges my request and hurriedly makes her way back to the kitchen with the bag. She must sense I’m in the firing mood... Ah well. “ Afimei, I need to see you in my office now!” I finish, raising my voice higher so that Afi can hear me in the back of the house where she’s currently stationed.

I make my way back to my office and have a seat behind my desk, waiting for her to walk in. When did I get all of this green paint on my pants? I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly. It just goes to show that I’m working hard on my redecorating I suppose. I look up to the doorway, startled by a loud noise somewhere up ahead of me as Afi finally saunters into my office. A frown creeps across my face just at the sight of this stealing wench.

“ Please, have a seat. How are you tonight?”

“ Thank you, I’m doing fine. How about you Ms. Cetylin?” She asks me as she makes her way over the chairs in front of my desk.

“ I’m not doing so well actually, which is why I’ve called you into my office.” I stop momentarily to let that information sink in before I continue. “ It has come to my attention that you’ve not been upholding my rules and regulations as I told you to do when I first hired you. As you know stealing is not tolerated under my employment, nor is using my facilities to have sex on my clock for wax permitted.” I hesitate once more, allowing her to digest the fact that she has indeed been caught. Her face registers pure alarm; clearly she wasn’t expecting me to find out about her transgressions. Well, you thought wrong bitch. “I also told you that I have a no tolerance policy; one strike and your out. Well Ms. Brooks you’ve officially reached your second strike before I could even fire you for your first. That being said I’m going to have to let you go. I do regret that this situation couldn’t have worked out in a better way but these are the outcomes.” Her alarm now turns to angry dismay registering all through out her facial expression.

“ But...but... You can’t fire me!!! I’ve worked here too long to be fired!”

“ Well actually Afi, you see the way this whole job situation works out I can really do whatever it is that I want to do, because I own this place. So therefore, yes, I can fire you. And that’s exactly what I’m doing right now. I expect you to be off of my premises immediately upon the ending of this conversation and I expect you to walk out completely empty handed. I will send you last week’s worth of wax to you home tomorrow when someone comes to pick up the rest of my things that you’ve stolen. Now do you have any questions for me at this point?” She shoots up out of her chair heatedly and glares down on me trying to intimidate me.

“ You will live to regret ever opening you stupid little mouth to even say that your going to fire me! I will make your life a living hell!” She hisses in a menacingly low tone. That didn’t even sound scary. She really needs to work on her threats if she’s going to be trying to scare anybody, especially me. I smile up at her as she continues to stare me down.

“ Well while I’m in the process of learning to regret this decision I’d like for you to exit my property... Now.” She turns around quickly and marches to the doorway. “ And remember, don’t let your sticky little fingers try to grab anything else on the way out... I’d hate to have to retrieve them from you as well.” She stomps her right foot childishly as she exits my office finally. Get it together baby, you just look ridiculous. “ Rodger make sure she doesn’t walk out of here with any of my stuff! Please and thank you, sir.” I call out behind her.

“ Yes ma’am.” Rodger hollers back. I shake my head at the whole situation. Doesn’t she know that there are kids living around this place? I can’t have them finding out that she’s having sex for wax! They might try and grow up to do the same thing! What ever happened to making a good honest living? I could get over the stealing before I can get over that. It’s a damn shame what these wolves are willing to do just get an extra buck. I pay these sons of bitches well. To say that I’m disappointed would be an under statement. I try very hard to provide these lone wolves with a good place to stay and work in exchange for wax, and to know I’m being taken advantage of really upsets me. Most of my workers are rogue females with children or lone male wolves looking for a place to work for a while. I know what it’s like to be down and out, which is why I opened up this Inn to any credible wolf in need of a job. They can come here and live on the premises while they work. I even went so far as opening up a second house in the back of my property for some of them to stay in if they have small children. They work here as long as they need to get enough wax up to go start something of their own or maybe buy their own house. Some have simply enjoyed working here so much that they’ve just stayed with me since I opened the place up 6 years ago. I was in bad shape myself for a while before I opened up my market 7 years ago. I was only 15 and trying to make enough food and wax to sustain both my twin sister and myself. I was the one trying to raise the both of us with my grandmother’s help. I planted my own garden, sewed all of our clothes, cooked for us, and made as much wax as I could for our candles. I did everything that I could to provide us with a decent life, but it was hard. We never really had enough to eat and I couldn’t seem to ever make enough wax for us to have a candle lit up every night. So I one day I decided to put aside my stubborn pride and go and ask my good pack members to trade with me. I went from neighbor to neighbor trading various things. Sometimes I’d trade pies and cookies for eggs and sugar cane other times I’d trade what small amount of meat I was able to catch for clothe and wax. Whatever they were willing to trade with me I would take and make something of it.

This trading is what gave me the idea to open up my trading house in the first place. No other village had started one yet so I didn’t know how well it would work out but with as desolate as I was I could only so good things coming from it. I was already at the bottom of the well only thing left for me was up. I had my best friend Chrisnen build me a medium sized out door tent to house my first market in and I put up a sign out front that I painted myself to get my pack members attention. I expected business to be slow at first; I knew I was just starting out. But on my very first day of opening I had about half my pack come to my tent wanting to trade various things. I was trading what I had at first, then as the day went on I allowed them to bring their things to me and I’d give them a certain amount of wax for it then resale it for more. Within a months time I had out grown my little tent and had to have Chrisnen, Unzon and Borden build me a an indoor market building right behind my tent as well as a second tent for out front. I put in iceboxes for things that needed to be stores cold like fish and game meat. I have large bins and tables built to hold the various fruits and vegetables. Eventually I built a third tent myself especially made for housing the waxes that I was getting along with other building and clothing material. Within a year’s time I had gather enough resources to not only keep my sister and I living very comfortably but I was able to build the Traveler’s Inn for any wary traveler not looking to sleep outside. They could come in and eat a hot meal, bathe, and sleep all for a reasonably small amount of wax. Word spread fast through out the various packs about my market and my Inn. I had people coming from all over to take part in both and still to this day I’m doing just as well, better actually.

My sister eventually moved away from the house that we share with my recluse mother to live with her mate. They now have two beautiful girls Kambry age 4 and Treyannah age 2 both named after my father and myself. Kambry is for Kamadía and Treyannah is for Treamell and Treaominni. Even though she named her kids after me, we still aren’t close. My sister and I haven’t really spoken since she moved out. I was there at her children’s birth and at their birthday parties but other than that we don’t really speak. It breaks my heart when I see her out in the village with her kids by her side. They always look so happy and excited about life. But never once does my sister stop by to say anything to me. She only comes to the market when she knows I’m not there and she hasn’t ever come to my Inn, not even my Grande opening. I know that my sister resents the fact that I was there when my father died and she wasn’t. I still don’t think she’s forgiven me for that even though it’s been 14 years since he passed away. My heart feels heavy now just at the thought of all this.

“ Gold, I’ll be back tomorrow. Keep an eye out for that thieving bitch Afi, I don’t want her coming back trying to take anymore of my shit.”

“ Yes ma’am. You have a good night Ms. Cetylin. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Gold opens the front door for me as I make my way into the front of the Inn.

“ Thank you doll. I’ll se you then.” I hug Gold quickly before stepping out the door into the rainy night.

“ Toni darling, can you please make me some of that lovely chamomile tea of yours? I’ve been dying to have some.” I ask my dearest friend Atonia as I sit down at the counter in the village eatery. She spins around surprised, no doubt, that I’m here. Her face lights up with a joyous smile when she sees me, and my own expressions mirrors hers.

“ Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes Ms. Thing! Chamomile tea coming right up.” I smile at her as she turns back around to fix my tea. “ How are you doing this fine morning Taya?”

“ I’m doing just fine. How about ya’self ma’am?”

“ I’m doing marvelously now that you’re here my dearest. When did you and Chrisnen get back from your trip to trade with Big O’s pack?”

“ Late last night.” She hands me my tea with a concerned look on her face.

“ And you’re up already? Shouldn’t you be back at home getting some rest?”

“ Ah well, you know I don’t like to sleep late. I hate wasting a beautiful day away like this over a little sleep. I was up earlier in my flower garden pulling weeds and pruning. You and Jammie should come by later to see it! I need to get over to my mother’s to fix hers up as well.” She’s still frowning but I know she’s going to drop the matter. Toni worries about me just as much as Chrisnen does; they think that I never take time to relax. I suppose I give them good reason to feel that way. I don’t sleep well at night so I generally only get a couple hours of sleep before I’m up and at it again. I try to console my friend’s worries though by mediating everyday for at least an hour.

“ Mmhmm.” She clucks, dissatisfied.

“ I’m taking the first part of today off to go and check on my mother. I’ll swing back here tonight to visit with you longer.” I say as I get up from the counter, tea in hand.

“ Ok baby, be careful. I don’t want to hear about you fainting in the middle of the passage ways or something.” Her brows crease gently with concern as I turn to leave. I nod my head and wave back at her as I exit the building.

It really is a beautiful day out here, the morning dew hasn’t quite dried yet and the morning birds are still singing their sweet songs up above me as I walk through the village. Small children are out playing in front of their homes singing and bouncing about merrily. I wave at their parents sitting out watching them as I walk past. Chrisnen is out on his porch tinkering with something as I walk by.

“ Hey hun, want walk with me over to see my mom?” I call out to him as I lean on my arms in between the wooden pickets of his fence. He looks up from his work trying to see who’s talking to him. One of his gorgeous smiles greets me as he registers who I am. He sweeps his cherry wood colored hair away from his face absent-mindedly as he gets up. His broad, muscular chest has small flecks of wood strewn over it from the project that he’s been working on and his carpenter’s pants ride low on his hips exposing those delicious cut lines just above his pelvis. It’s sinful how good he looks this morning. Chrisnen grabs his shirt off the porch railing as he makes his way over to join me at the fence.

“ I’d love to walk with you Ms. Taya.” He says as he kisses both of my cheeks in greetings. I smile up at him merrily.

“ Good because I wasn’t looking forward to walking alone.”

“ Never while I’m around.” He winks down at me as I loop my arm through his.

“ Well how are you on this fine morning sir?”

“ All the better now. How about yourself?”

“ I’m doing just lovely now. Although I did miss your company last night.” He grins at me salaciously, a mischievous gleam twinkling about in his eyes.

“ I missed yours even more. Shall I make it up to you tonight my dearest friend?” Muscles deep in my belly clench together with anticipation at his oh too tempting promise.

“ Yes. Yes you shall my good sir. In the mean time have you heard anything about this supposed meeting that the elders want to hold?” I look up at him curiously as we walk side by side. He shrugs his shoulders unconcerned.

“ I hear tale that it’s about choosing another alpha pair.” I feel a frown spreading across my face before I can catch it. There they go with that shit again. Why can’t they just leave everything the way it is now? We are doing just fine without an alpha pair and have been since my daddy died. Why can’t they just leave that shit alone?  I sigh, now heavily irritated. Chrisnen whips me around in front of him, his arms now wrapped around my waist as he forces me to walk backwards along with him. “ Don’t stress yourself over it baby. It’s not a big deal. You know how the elders are, they just want to restore the ‘natural order’ of things.” He says trying to soothe my now smoldering thoughts.

“ Mmhmm.” I hum back trying to calm my nerves. Stressing never helps anything. I take two deep breaths and force myself to think of happier things. Chrisnen leans his head down to kiss my forehead, making me smile once more.

“ Now that’s more like it.” He smiles at me too, helping me to relax even more.

I eventually make my way back to standing beside him sometime before we reach my mother’s house. Our lighthearted banter comes to a stop as we finally reach my mother’s property. To my utter amazement my mother is standing out side looking at her flower garden that I’ve been coming to fix up for her for the past three years. She’s quite a bit thinner now than back in her hay day and her long burnt auburn colored hair flows somewhat unkempt down her back as she observes them... but she’s outside! She hasn’t come outside in almost ten years, so seeing her out here almost makes me feel like I’m hallucinating. But I can’t be if Chrisnen is staring at her just as bewildered as I am. My goodness! I simply can’t believe this!

“ Momma?” I call out to her hesitantly. She turns around to face us with a slightly confused look on her face. Then as we come closer she smiles at us warmly.

“ Good morning my dear. Is it you that’s been keeping up my flowers for me?” I nod at her still too much in shock to reply verbally. “ Well they look absolutely stunning.” Her robe rustles gently around her small frame as the winds blow. Her frail state isn’t anything I’m not accustomed to. She’s been an empty shell, almost, since my father died. She tried to keep herself together the first year after he died but once I turned ten Xyera and I were on our own. She went up into her bedroom and came out only a total of five times since. We went into her room and brought her food, changed her bedding as she showered, cleaned her room up for her so no dust would accumulate, and every so often she’d allow me to open her windows up for her so that she could feel the sun shining down on her as she lay in bed. Many days however, weren’t so cheery. She would sink down into herself as she rocked quietly away in her rocking chair crying softly to herself over the loss of my father. It broke my heart every time I saw her that way.

She’s the reason I decided a long time ago to never take a mate, never even fall in love. I refused to buckle and fold in at the seams due to the loss of love. I’d much rather stay a lone female for life than to ever cave in like that.

“ Good morning Mrs. Cetylin. How are you doing today?” Chrisnen ask her coming to my rescue. I’m still trying to pull myself together here. Just hearing my mother’s voice after all these years is jostling me.

“ I’m doing wonderfully now that you two are here. Please, come inside, I’ve made tea cakes and cold apple cider for us this morning.” She looks at me directly as she speaks, her eyes pleading with me. I clear my throat before I speak.

“ Eh… sure mother.”

We make our way in behind my mother with me in front of Chrisnen. Yet again my mother has decided to catch me off guard by actually getting up and cleaning the house by herself. I’m usually the one to do it but I haven’t bee able to since last week sometime. She’s gotten up and reorganized the entire living room, giving it a more open and friendly appeal.

“ The living room looks great ma’.” She turns to face me with the loveliest smile on her face, her eyes smiling just as much as her mouth is. Now that’s the smile I remember! This is the mama that I remember! My returning smile is just as bright.

“ Thank you baby. I was thing of you and Xyera as I redecorated. You two always told me that I should move this old furniture around a bit.” She pauses a moment, gesturing her hand towards the couch. “ Please, take a seat. I’ll be right back.” We do as we’re asked and head towards the couch as she disappears into the back of the house towards the kitchen.

“ I can’t believe it!! What’s going on here?!” I whisper fervently over to Chrisnen as we await her return. He looks down at me just as bewildered and shrugs his shoulders.

“ Here we are! I hope I can still make my tea cakes half as good as yours are my dear.” My mother says as she rejoins us with the teacakes and cider in hand.

“ Thank you.” Chrisnen and I both chime together quietly. I smile as I take a bite of her lemon teacakes; they taste just as good as I remember.

“ These are wonderful mama, thank you.” Her face lights up with pride.

“ Well it’s good to know that I still got it!” She stops to take a bite of the teacake on her plate before saying anything further. She looks up and glances over me briefly, as if she trying to finally see me for the first time in years. A fairly despondent shadow crosses over her eyes as she looks at me, a look of pain almost. “ My, my, my, Kamadía. You sure have grown up into a fine young thing. And you still have your father’s eyes.” She sets her teacake down before continuing. “ I sat up in my room yesterday thinking of all the time that I’ve let pass in you girls lives just moping around over your father’s death and I literally got sick to my stomach. I let you girl’s whole childhood slip right through my fingers over my own selfish grief. I never even stopped to think about how you girls must have felt losing not one but two parents. You all were too young to have to take care of yourselves and me as well. I should have never done that to you girls; I can never apologize enough for what I did. I will forever loathe myself for it. I let Xyera go off to get married and have kids without being there for her. I let you grow up and start your own empire of businesses, never once making it to any of your grand openings. I stayed locked up in myself for so long I couldn’t even remember what my babies looked like.” Tears begin streaming down my mother’s cheeks as she speaks, her voice getting all the more choked up as she continues. “ As I look at you now sitting here in front of me, looking just like your father and I, I can’t help but feel so bad for abandoning such beautiful girls to fend for their own safety and well being. That was my job as your mother and I failed you. I know that you may never forgive me, and I’m not asking you too. But if you could allow me the chance to get to know you now I’d be eternally grateful...”

I’m so moved by what my mother has said that I’m actually brought to tears myself. I’ve missed my mother so much over the years and to here her asking me to be in my life now, how could I ever refuse? I’ve always loved my mother and I’ve never stopped loving her. I forgave her for her shortcomings many years ago. “ Of course mother! I would enjoy anything more in this world.” I get up quickly and make my way over to her as she sits in her sofa chair. I hug my mother for the first time since I was 11, which was 11 years ago now. I hold her as tight as I can with out feeling like I’m hurting her, and I smooth her long wavy hair down over the nape of her neck. If nothing else goes my way at least I finally have my mama back. I can only pray that it stays this way no matter what happens.