Read Hope For Garbage for Free Online

before you leave, could you find my Marc Jacobs sweater?  The red cashmere one?  Thanks.”  Mrs. Stewart waved over her shoulder and jogged up the stairs.
    Bea got up and walked over to the fridge.  She took out the chocolate cheesecake Lorene had made for dessert.  “Do you want a piece?” she asked, cutting a generous slice for herself.
    Lorene took her plate to the sink. “No thanks.  I think I’ll go look for that sweater before I leave.”
    “Screw the sweater,” Bea muttered from behind.  “I think she’ll survive without it.” 
    Lorene turned to find Bea sticking a big chunk of cheesecake into her mouth.  She wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this one.  Bea had issues with her mother; there was no doubt about it.  But Lorene felt it was best to approach the subject cautiously.  Even though she didn’t understand Mrs. Stewart’s priorities, it was important to stay neutral.  Painting Bea’s mother in a bad light wouldn’t help anything. “Okay, what’s this about?”
    Bea’s mouth was puffed out with cheesecake, but it didn’t stop her.  “Do you notice how she doesn’t eat anything?  I mean it’s ridiculous!  I’m a size six and I look like a cow next to her.  She’s obsessed with being thin.”
    “You know what Bea, I think she’s just stressed out.  She works very hard and it’s not easy dealing with those persnickety women all day.”
    This behavior from Bea was something knew.  She never seemed to care much about anything her mom was doing, let alone how much she was eating. Was this jealousy?  Lorene didn’t think so.  Mrs. Stewart was a beautiful woman, but so was Bea.  The girl was probably just worried about her mother, and unfortunately, she had good reason to be.
    Mrs. Stewart had lost a lot of weight.  Lorene thought the weight loss probably had to do with the stress of her job, or the fact that she was turning the big four-0 soon.  Or, it could be because Mrs. Stewart was insecure and didn’t think she looked good enough for that jackass she was married to.
    Bea’s father, Bill Stewart, was intolerable to Lorene.  He was a prominent business man in Cleveland and was on the board of directors for several companies.    He was never home, and fortunately, she only ran into him on rare occasions.
    Lord, the man was full of himself.  Yes, he was good-looking if you were into the tall, light and handsome.  But even someone who looked like Robert Redford—and probably had as much money as him—didn’t impress Lorene.  Unless he had a strong character, all of the other traits meant nothing.  The man acted so self-important, it was almost unbearable to be in the same room with him.
    The Stewarts obviously didn’t have the time to do their own shopping, so Lorene bought everything: the groceries, the clothes, even the toiletries.  Early on in her employment, Mr. Stewart presented her with a computerized list of what he needed on a weekly and monthly basis.  The man used more products than any woman Lorene had ever known.  Anti-wrinkle lotion, eye-firming serum, exfoliating scrub, clay mask, night-time cream, day-time cream…and this was all just for his face!
    All of these items were purchased at the cosmetics counter at Sak’s.  No Wal-Mart products in his bathroom.  When she bought him the Armani aftershave lotion in original formula instead of the sensitive skin formula, he acted like she had handed him a bottle of piss water.
    “Hello?  Lorene?”  Bea interrupted her thoughts.  “Don’t you think so?”
    “Sorry Hon.  Think what?”
    Bea shoveled another huge forkful of cheesecake into her mouth, “That she’s starting to look anorexic.”
    All Lorene could do was shrug, “I do think she’s a little too thin.”  But weight loss didn’t seem to be Mrs. Stewart’s only problem.  Lorene didn’t tell Bea, but Mrs. Stewart had started closet-drinking.
    Over the last few months, Lorene had found several empty bottles of