The first thing that I thought of when I moved into my apartment to live independently was that it sucks to come home and feel alone. I had watched countless movies where the lead would scream ‘Honey, I’m home!’ and not get a response back because they lived alone.
I’ve always thought it was sad and depressing whenever a character in a book or a film does that.
And so, when I first felt the power of loneliness on my first week of solitude in my apartment, I went out and changed it. I didn’t like being alone, but I also didn’t want some other person inside the apartment with me.
I got the next best thing.
“Is that a fucking snake, Mattel?!” Holly Trinity scree
“It might seem hard, but did you know that a neuroscientist had a study that said forgetting is adaptive. Regardless of whether you want to or not, your brain would remove small details about an event that happened to you. Until you can’t remember it anymore.”Eric, if that was his real name, sniffed again. Wiping the tears that pooled in his eyes. He was an adorable pudgy man. He wasn’t exactly my type, since it didn’t seem like his wallet was as pudgy as him, but he was a good conversation. After my set, he had pulled me over and asked me to sit with him.At first, he had pulled me to sit on my lap and buried his face on the crook of my neck.I usually don’t allow that, but soon afterward, I found the reason why he did so. He was crying.
“Excuse me, Sir,” Big Mama was already narrowing her eyes at Markus. He wasn’t really wearing a suit that shouted I’m Rich! so of course, Big Mama wouldn’t want him anywhere near her girls. Especially me, I often made the best tips here. “Would you be paying for her time?”I peek through Big Mama’s side to smirk at Markus. “Don’t bother, Big Mama. He won’t pay for anything.”It wasn’t surprising that he glared at me.Ha! Take that, you cheapskate. Big Mama huffed, raising her nose pointedly up the air. The thing she hates more than losing money are customers who don’t want to pay money. At the start of Ardere, she didn&rsqu
The keys jingle in my pocket and I was careful not to make that much of a sound.Everyone in the apartment complex is probably asleep by now. They wouldn’t like it if I suddenly started making a racket. I’ve already exchanged my heels for simple baby pink trainers so that my feet wouldn’t click-clack through the floor.Then I see a small bag had been hanged on my doorknob.I love you so much, Helen!It was a good thing too since I didn’t have enough time to eat dinner. After Markus had pulled me away from Big Mama, he had been annoying and even though I told him I wouldn’t give it to him unless he agreed on paying me, I eventually gave in.
I grumble something under my breath as I wait in line.The sky was dark, filled with stars, and the moon was shining brightly. It’s too freaking bad that I can’t even fully enjoy that because the line at The Dollar Pantry was long because an old woman was fighting with the cashier, Daniel, over an expired coupon. Frowning, I start tapping my foot on the ground, careful not to hit the basket that was filled to the brim with bread pudding.From a distance, I could tell that Daniel was already gritting his teeth. Something I learned from Ardere was watching mouths. Since the music had always been booming there during shifts, I forced myself to learn how to read mouths so that I could easily know who’s a potential customer or not. It’s a talent that I actually loved aside from being ridiculously good at math. A
“Useless,”I place the paper on my left.“Useless.”I place it on the left again.“Hmm…maybe if I…no. Useless.”Sighing, I scratch my cheek and look down. I was sitting on my living room rug, all around me were different colored paper cut into small rectangles. Daniel had given me a very thick magazine and I had been so excited because usually, those magazines that were filled with coupons were expensive. And he gave it to me for free. And here I was thinking that we were starting a new chapter in our friendship.It was Daniel, so I had obviously guessed wrong.
“Look at this, Mexi!” I press the small cut-up coupon on the side of Mexi’s aquarium. She barely lifted her head. She was still hiding inside the trunk of a small tree that I got for her. Usually, she was curious whenever I came close. Since she probably wasn’t hungry, she didn’t care about me. Mexi was like the usual pet, she only loves me when I offer her food. “I’m going to buy it and it’s going to look like you!”Markus's reply had annoyed me so much that instead of replying back instantly, I had decided to scan more pages of the magazine Daniel had given me. After a dozen more coupons on milk powder and diapers, I encountered a cute coupon that will actually be useful for me.It wasn’t even that good of a sale but might as well get it.
I look at my screen again, memorizing the aisles and products that were on it.It was a Wednesday, which meant it was shopping day. Since it was just a few days after payday, everything was on sale. And I meant everything. From food to clothes to furniture. It had already been a week since Markus and I had a deal and from the way that notifications keep popping on my phone, it would be an understatement to say that he wasn’t at all abusing the service.Regardless of the time, it could be in the middle of the night, it could be just the start of dawn, the bastard didn’t care. He would send me pictures and would expect me to answer them within 30 minutes. Technically, it was alright, however, what annoyed me was there was an instance where I didn’t see the text he had seen immediately.
“Move it,” I hiss as I push another elderly woman out of my way. “Stop blocking the aisle, lady.”The old woman flushed but otherwise got out of my way. Well, before she sent me a harsh glare and kept muttering under her breath about how ‘young people don’t know how to respect anymore’ as well as how ‘she was so much better when she had been my age.’ Of course, like how I usually did when I was being scolded, I let it inside one ear and out the other.The number of old people, both women and men alike that I have shoved, pushed, as well as glared at had already gone past the number of fingers I had. As much as I wanted to be understanding and nice that their old legs could only probably walk at a certain speed, my kindness can only take so much. Especially when I only had thirt