Family Landlords Raise the Rent to Force One Sister Out
The orange bags slipped from her fingers, the heavy paper crinkling as they hit the bare wood. A pair of black leather boots spilled out onto the floorboards. She looked at the empty living room, her eyes darting from the bare walls to the deep square dents in the beige carpet where my sofa and the stained oak coffee table had been.
She let out a high, thin screech that bounced off the empty walls and echoed down the stairwell.
“Lauren,” she screamed, her voice rising to a theatrical pitch. “Lauren, where is everything?”
I stood up from the bottom step and walked slowly up the stairs. I did not rush. I kept my silver watch dial between my thumb and forefinger, rolling it back and forth twice before I reached the landing.
“I took my belongings,” I said.
Vanessa turned on her heel, her face pale under her heavy makeup. She slipped her sunglasses down over her eyes, then pushed them back onto her head immediately, her fingers twitching.
