Chicago Via Atrina

Lost deep inside O'Hare Airport, Tiffany found the terminal exit by following the most impatient crowd. FEMA's bumbling had left her without sleep for the past 36 hours so she was questioning her judgment. When finally emerging, she became stuck in the congested baggage area while waiting for her worn blue Samsonite suitcase to rise from the airport's bowels. She had escaped the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and still felt vulnerable so she stood timidly in the back of the crowd. She looked around. The crowd around her was well dressed in wool suits and silk dresses. Comparatively, Tiffany knew she was dressed like a waif in her church handouts.

She had lost all of her possessions in the flood and escaped with only the clothes on her back. Eventually, Pastor Jennings's wife had let Tiffany select a few discards from the church's thrift store so she had something to wear. She was wearing the best of the dregs: a faded blue hoodie, a dingy white v-neck t-shirt, short blue jean skirt and glittery faux jewel sandals. Appearing tattered and worn in the well dressed crowd, Tiffany fidgeted with her claim tickets in front of the luggage carousel while pondering her family's escape from the flood.

Chicago would be Tiffany's temporary home because her childhood neighborhood was submerged and her life was ruined. Unlike New Orleans, the levees in St. Benard Parish didn't fail but the storm surge topped the levees by five feet and flooded the town. She couldn't go back to her junior college because it was submerged in seven feet of stagnant flood water and she couldn't afford to go anywhere else. With her mama's house under water, her family split up and stayed with whoever would take them except for her papa who had died when she was a child. Her mama and brother were staying at her grandmother's little flat in Queens but there wasn't enough room for all of them so Uncle Jack agreed to give Tiffany refuge.

Slowly emerging from her stupor, she scanned the crowd for her uncle. They hadn't seen each other in many years. Her uncle had never been to New Orleans and Tiffany didn't go to Uncle Jack's wedding in Hawaii because her mama couldn't afford the airfare. Tiffany's face brightened. Across the luggage carousel stood a well-dressed, handsome man holding a placard with her name, "Tiffany", and an elegant thin woman chattering away into his ear. Tiffany recognized her uncle's strong jaw line and brown curly hair. He was thinner and taller than she remembered but she realized this was Uncle Jack. He was still built like a line backer but running had slimmed him down. They couldn't see her in the large crowd vying for a chance to grab their luggage from the carousel. Tiffany guessed the tall thin woman next to Uncle Jack must be Aunt Eva. They were the affluent members of the extended family. He was a tax accountant and she was a very successful attorney.

Tiffany excitedly screamed to them while waving her arms over her head but they couldn't hear her over the public address system, the crowd and the luggage conveyor. Tiffany was delighted to see them, so she rushed around the outside edge of the crowd and came up behind them. Just before she grabbed Uncle Jack's shoulder, Tiffany heard Aunt Eva pounding away at her uncle.

"You are an idiot from a family of idiots. Why are letting her stay with us? She was always trouble for her mother and now she will be trouble for us. She is just too wild. Damn you, you should have left the little white trash in some shelter in Louisiana. What are we going to do with her? We have no room for her and she will turn our home into a mess. She is just another idiot who couldn't get out of New Orleans before the rain. All she is going to bring from New Orleans is more stupidity and germs. "

Jack responded soothingly, "You have it all wrong, Eva."

Tiffany froze behind them realizing they were talking about her. Aunt Eva had a jolting voice that was unrelenting. Her shrill demands were like a hammer pounding her point home. Tiffany stared at them in disbelief while Eva continued her whining. "Why can't she stay with somebody else? You don't even know what she looks like and like an idiot, you're holding up a sign with her name like you're a chauffeur. She will always be in our way. Jack, can't you just give her some money and send her to her church's group home?"

Jack tried to calm his wife, "We need to take care of her. She is family and she won't be in the way."

Eva sweetened her tone, "Jack, she is not going to have a good time here. Our place is too small and she will be uncomfortable sleeping on the couch. She will be alone all day in the middle of downtown in a high-rise condo. There is no one her age in our building. She will not be able to meet anybody and we won't have time to look after her."

Jack tried to appease Eva, "Eva, Tiffany is my niece and my sister's house is submerged. What can she do? I haven't seen my niece in nine years and my sister calls me from a Red Cross shelter asking for help. What else can I do? "

Eva's voice returned to its shrill tone as soon as she realized she wasn't going to win, "Well, you are responsible for her and make sure she leaves soon."

In an upbeat voice, Uncle Jack soothed her, "Everything will be fine. You'll see."

Shocked, Tiffany withdrew to the back of the crowd without them noticing her and contemplated the situation. How could Uncle Jack have married such a bitch? Her mama said she didn't like Aunt Eva but she always thought mama was a little tough on people. Tiffany always liked Uncle Jack and had looked forward to seeing him. They always had the most in common of her relatives. She used to have a crush on him and followed him around like a little lost duck. Hence his nickname for her was Ducky and she hated it back then. He was only 10 years older than she was because his parents weren't careful later in life and Jack replaced her mom as the baby in the family.

Tiffany was embarrassed for Uncle Jack and equally furious that Aunt Eva thought so little of her family. Her aunt had never even met her. Tiffany's temper was ready to explode but she realized she had done many stupid things in the past because of her temper so she tried to restrain herself. Her mama and her pastor had repeatedly preached to her about controlling her anger before it got the better of her. She was trying because she still needed a place to stay.

As Tiffany dwelled on Eva's demeaning insults, the crowd thinned out so she needed to make a decision. She thought about her dilemma and decided to kill Aunt Eva with kindness. Tiffany realized she was intruding into Aunt Eva's world so Tiffany needed to give her a little latitude. She decided she would be the perfect houseguest until her mama found a new home for them.

When Tiffany's lonely plastic suitcase came around the corner of the carousel, she grabbed it and strutted up to Uncle Jack and Eva. "Hi, Uncle Jack."

Uncle Jack looked shocked as Tiffany hugged him. Tiffany knew she had changed since she last saw him, but she still thought Uncle Jack would recognize her. Everyone said she looked just like her mom. They both had sandy blonde hair with distinctive green eyes and long, long eyelashes. They had the same high cheekbones and puffy lips. Both of them were short with a narrow waist and long legs. Tiffany knew her Mom's breasts were bigger but she had no reason for shame.

Tiffany stretched up on the tips of her toes, kissed Uncle Jack on the cheek and turned to Aunt Eva. She gave Tiffany a dirty look that should have been a crime. In spite of Aunt Eva's attitude, Tiffany tried to reach out, shake her hand and tried to kiss her aunt on the cheek. Aunt Eva pulled away from Tiffany but Tiffany kept trying until it was too awkward to proceed.

Tiffany tried to thank Aunt Eva numerous times for being kind enough to give her a place to live, but Aunt Eva brushed her off. Undaunted and risking more embarrassment, Tiffany took Aunt Eva's arm and tried to hold her close while they walked out to get a taxi. With a look of disgust in her narrow eyes, Aunt Eva acted like she was allergic to Tiffany and jerked her arm away. At the cab stand, Uncle Jack pulled Tiffany aside and informed her that Aunt Eva had a germ phobia but he insisted her aunt meant well.

The cab was old and battered but it was the next in line. Aunt Eva got into the cab first and started telling the Hindu driver what to do. As a buffer, Uncle Jack sat between them in the cab ride back to their place. He placed his arm around Tiffany when she got in and they settled back for the long ride to downtown. Uncle Jack was a big brutish man with a warm gentle streak that he shared with everyone. Dressed in a grey suit with a blue striped tie, he looked down at Tiffany and smiled. While Aunt Eva reprimanded the driver for his lack of driving skills, Uncle Jack leaned over and whispered to Tiffany, "Hello Ducky, you look good considering everything you have been through. I was worried about you but now you're safe. I am very happy you are staying with us."

With these words, Tiffany put her head against his arm and due to the long tiring day, drifted off to sleep.

Jack felt her warm, soft body pressed against him but tried to ignore it. After a few miles, Jack looked down at his slumbering niece and hoped she hadn't noticed him staring at her earlier in the airport. He hadn't imagined this beautiful girl was his niece. She was a curvy little blond that you only see in films. The last time he saw her, she was an awkward child. Embarrassed, he realized he had fantasized about fucking her, his niece, his Ducky.

From across the baggage area, he had seen this stunning little blond in her tight short skirt amongst the travelers and mentally undressed her while his wife nagged at him. She was so sexy and young; he got a hard-on just watching her move in the crowd. He wasn't alone in appreciating her fine lines and noticed other men clandestinely staring at her abundant breasts and long legs too. His niece was a classic beauty and with sensual features but what caught his attention were her stiff nipples pointing out of her top. He wanted to suck on them.

Daydreaming, he had imagined the two of them together on a Saturday afternoon in a sleazy marina motel. He played the movie in his head. Naked. Sweaty and passionate. Cold bubbly champagne. White sheets crumpled at the end of the bed. Jack had decided she was a moaner with a shaved pussy and that she would love to fuck doggy style. He had been playing this game a lot with total strangers since his wife had become so sick but now, he was ashamed after he discovered he was scheming on his destitute niece. He had lost sight of his dream girl in the crowd and then he panicked when she was standing in front of him while offering him a kiss. Suddenly, he realized this goddess was his niece and not some stranger from his daydream agreeing to have sex with him. Jack was embarrassed but, thankfully, nobody noticed.

As the cab inched along the freeway, he looked down at Tiffany while she slept in his arm and noticed her t-shirt's V neckline bellowed outward. Sure that no one was watching him; he moved slightly to get the best view down her blouse. When the light was right, the gap gave him a great view of her soft, creamy cleavage and her breasts snuggled in a white lace bra. Her exposed round breast sent a shock wave to his groin and his hard-on returned. Stealthily looking around the cab, he checked to see if anyone else noticed what he was doing. His wife was editing a legal brief while arguing with the cab driver who was muttering to himself in his native language. Neither one of them even noticed he was in the cab.

He glanced down at his niece's long tanned legs escaping from her short skirt. Her legs were muscular but still soft and shapely. Her legs were spread apart a couple of inches creating a shadowy valley between her thighs. Luckily, the frayed hem of her denim skirt had bunched up around her thighs from sliding forward during her sleepy ride. But, sadly, the skirt's hem hadn't crept up far enough for him to see her underwear so he tried to imagine the color and style of her panties. Black? Lace? A thong? Maybe she wasn't wearing any? Maybe she would slip farther forward and he would find out. His mind continued to wander. What would these smooth legs feel like wrapped around his back? Squeezing him.

While pretending he was looking out the window, Jack took advantage of the moment and got a better look inside her shirt at Ducky's young breasts. Full, soft and round. Jack just stared. Her breasts were wonderful but he wanted to see more. Her breast was squeezed into an opaque lace bra so he couldn't see her nipple but saw its puffy outline pushing against the lace. Her soft young flesh was irresistible. Jack had to stop the nagging temptation to reach inside her t-shirt and scoop her breast out of her delicate bra. He knew he had been acting like a pervert since his wife had changed. For a moment he felt guilty, but since nothing was actually happening, he continued to stare down Ducky's blouse and fantasize about her for the rest of the cab ride.

Later, Tiffany awoke as the cab pulled up the circular drive way to the tall glass doors of the lobby of a high-rise condo building on exclusive Lake Shore Drive. She was impressed since it was different from their shotgun shack back home. Modern and well maintained, the tall building was quiet and situated back from the boulevard. A uniformed doorman opened their car door, greeted them by name, attended to Tiffany's luggage and escorted them to the elevator door. Her uncle introduced her to the big burly doorman and said "George, this is my niece, Tiffany. She will be staying with us while her home in New Orleans is cleaned up."

George took Tiffany's small hand and sympathetically said in a hushed but booming voice, "I cried my eyes out watching the hurricane make a mess down there. I am from New Orleans too and it broke my heart to so many good people in so much trouble. You need to stay strong, girl. Let me know if there is anything I could do for you."

Aunt Eva didn't say word to them as she got out of the cab and hurried ahead while Uncle Jack was being sociable. Quietly, they quickly followed behind her. Their footsteps echoed around the large lobby with its tall arched ceiling and a white marble floor with black veins. After the door closed, they silently ascended in the sumptuous elevator. Tiffany looked around the elevator and noticed that there were no scratches in the wood paneling and the metal work was polished. Intimidated by her surroundings, she remarked to herself, "I don't belong here."

Uncle Jack owned a one-bedroom condo on the fourteenth floor in the luxury high-rise overlooking Lake Michigan and a house in the suburbs that was being remodeled. Aunt Eva had decorated their downtown home in a minimalist modern style with lots of black leather and beige motorized sunshades. Their home was impeccable, clean and orderly. Everything was spotless. Even the vacuum cleaner tracks were untouched by footprints. Their home reminded Tiffany of a beautiful museum after everyone went home. Elegant but cold and void of life. In contrast, Tiffany was used to a warm home full of noise, activity and spicy aromas.

Over the next couple of days, Aunt Eva dictated Tiffany's living arrangements. With a toss of old sheets, Aunt Eva instructed Tiffany to sleep on the couch but only after everyone went bed. She also demanded that Tiffany was to wake up early before them and put away her linens so the house wasn't messy when the rest of the house got up for breakfast. Tiffany's duties included making sure there was little evidence she was staying there. But her main obligation was to make sure everything was in exactly the place Aunt Eva had left it. Reluctantly, Tiffany accepted that she had become Aunt Eva's maid in exchange for a roof over her head.

On her first night, Tiffany felt the rage of Aunt Eva's stern weasel voice as her aunt walked off to bed. Her aunt's ill tempered spirit emerged in her brisk, petulant speech. "You will perform your chores daily regardless of your health or other whims. Go take a shower now before I catch something you brought with you from New Orleans. Clean your clothes too. Everything must be sanitary. I have a weak immune system and I must not become infected because you failed to clean correctly. Scrub, scrub and then re-scrub. Use hot, hot water. Put everything back where you got it. Remember, a place for everything and everything in its place."

Daily, per Aunt Eva's exacting instructions, Tiffany cleaned, made breakfast, did laundry and cooked dinner. Aunt Eva had many details. She emphasized that water marks weren't allowed in the sink. Tiffany had to vacuum twice a day. The laundry hamper and the dishwasher had to be empty every day before they came home from work. Everything needed to be in straight lines and perfectly symmetrical. Her obsession covered everything from shoe arrangements, to spice jar order and to magazine placement. Aunt Eva didn't want the same dinner twice in a week and had a long list of food allergies.

Tiffany tried to appease Aunt Eva but she didn't like a thing Tiffany did and continually corrected her. During every conversation, Aunt Eva made sure she insulted Tiffany, her work or her meals. Obviously, Aunt Eva resented having Tiffany in the house. Tiffany tried to make peace with Eva but it didn't work. Tiffany never became more than a servant to her aunt. An intruder. A problem. Aunt Eva avoided Tiffany. Her aunt always stayed in her bedroom except when she emerged and spouted orders at Tiffany. She was like a troll coming out from under a bridge only when required. Immediately, she went back into her burrow.

To make matters worse, Aunt Eva had episodes that Tiffany and her uncle called "ghost hunts." About two weeks after Tiffany's arrival, Aunt Eva cornered Tiffany in the kitchen and started irrationally screaming that Tiffany was trying to poison her. Her aunt found a misplaced a bottle of seconal in the medicine cabinet where the ibuprofen was supposed to be. Tiffany was trapped against the kitchen counter top by Aunt Eva while she poked her long boney finger into Tiffany's chest while interrogating her. "Why are trying to kill me? I could have taken the wrong medicine. Are you trying to kill me?"

In frenzied frustration, Aunt Eva quickly reached out and slapped Tiffany across the face with a loud snap. Tiffany felt her head start to spin around. The slap wasn't as powerful as it was loud. Tiffany could still feel the sting as Aunt Eva growled, "You are stupid little slut, a careless idiot. You have no right to risk my life with your ignorance. If you do anything again, I will kick you out on the streets where you belong."

Tiffany's temper started to rise and she wanted to slap her aunt back but she restrained herself. Her aunt didn't reciprocate. She cocked her other arm and let loose with another slap. Just in time, Uncle Jack grabbed his wife's arm and stopped her assault. He stepped in between them to protect Tiffany and started handling Aunt Eva tenderly like she was in hospice care. "Tiffany didn't mean anything, dear. It was a mistake and it won't happen again. Why don't you get to bed and we will straighten things out."

Frustrated, Aunt Eva turned her anger towards her husband instead. "I see that stupidity runs in the family. You are no better than the rest of them even though I have tried so hard so make you better. You are nothing but an impotent little man. You said you would take care of her. Now, do it before you're both on the streets."

As Uncle Jack became gentler, her aunt's behavior worsened to compensate for his kindness. Aunt Eva's irrational fear made her desperate and dangerous. She rabidly attacked his intellect, common sense and manhood. He tried to ignore it, but you could see the pain in his eyes when her rage bit into a soft spot of him.