Aurora
Rain has always had a special place in my heart, the splattering noise of drops hitting the pavement, the sweet smell of wet mud and the soft rainy breeze makes my heart flutter with excitement and awe. But today, everything feels different, like for instance, the usual rainy clouds look gloomier than ever and there is a slight sadness in the air. I don’t know if it’s just me or if the universe is playing some sick game, but my spirits are down and I feel awful.
“Is it okay if I leave early Mrs. Hemmingway?” I asked her in the sweetest voice I could muster and gave her the puppy dog eyes. She sighed and I instantly knew she wouldn’t say ‘no’, Mrs. Hemmingway was a plump lady in her late sixties with auburn hair and cat eye glasses that gave her a very stern look, but I knew she has a stop spot for me. “Sure, but I need you first thing in the morning, the shipment is due at 7am sharp” she said with a stern tone and I gave her a serious nod.
“I’ll be there” I promised before picking up my carry bag and making my way to the exit before she changed her mind, “bye Mrs. Hemmingway” I called out before leaving. The clouds had gathered and it was dark outside but it hadn’t started raining yet, sometimes I wish I could just quit my job at Mrs. Hemmingway’s and do what I’ve always wanted. ‘But that’s not possible’ I remind myself, with mom’s condition getting worse by the day and the bills that are stacking up, if I leave my job at the ‘Common Library’ now, I might’ve just signed up to become a homeless woman.
I walk towards our small brick house and just take my time to observe it, it’s still strong but you can make out how old it looks, it is my father’s last memory, after he died our family collapsed and things weren’t as joyous as they used to be. Ella, my older sister, eloped with the love of her life and left us to deal with the fallout alone, I couldn’t blame her though, she put ‘herself’ first. Which meant mom had to look after me all alone. For a while thing’s seemed good enough, mom still had her job at the hospital as a nurse, even with familial issues I kept up my grades and we were happy. But that changed when mom’s health took a turn for the worst, it all started when I unintentionally saw red marks on her handkerchief, I questioned her about it, she assured me that it was a mere throat infection and everything would be alright.
I believed her, why wouldn’t I? But as the days passed by, I didn’t need her to point out the changes in her physical state. She was always pale and weak, her eyes became more and more unfocused and the number of blood-stained tissues were impossible to ignore, that is when I took her to the hospital myself. Turns out, I was right, mom had stage 2 lung cancer, I was devastated, I couldn’t handle all of this alone, I wasn’t even out of the high school yet. I tried contacting my sister but got no answer, I was left with no other choice but to complete my studies and get a job simultaneously. Mom could still move but all the work load was putting a strain on her health and I just couldn’t ignore it for my selfish needs, so I took jobs to support us as much as possible.
I shake my head to clear the fog from the past before sighing and walking towards the front door, nine years had passed since I graduated from my high school and nothing’s changed. My financial condition is just above being piss poor, mom’s health is declining by the day, medical bills are over flowing and I am stuck with three jobs that merely pay for anything. Opening my purse, I shuffle inside to search for my keys, I take them out and open the door. The smell of antiseptics hit my nose and I instantly feel nauseated, no matter how long I’ve been around them, they never tend to get old, it feeds as a constant reminder of my mother’s poor health and my helplessness in her situation.
“Hey sweetheart” Amelia says from her place near the kitchen counter. When I had to go out for my job, there was no way I could leave mom all on her own, I had to hire a home nurse so she could take care of her medicines and appointments. Amelia is a woman in her late forties, with dark hair pulled in a bun and a beautiful smile placed on her lips, I could not have gotten any luckier with a nurse, plus she understands my situation and charges way less than any other person in this field.
I give her a small smile, “Hey” I greet and ask “how is mom doing today?” Amelia’s smile dimmed and I knew things weren’t great, she sighed and said “we had an appointment with the hospital today, the doctor said her lungs are collapsing faster than intended and she might not have long to live Aurora”.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, I knew this was coming, I knew she didn’t have long, in the past few months all the light in her eyes had been lost, mom looked like a shell of a person I knew a long time ago. Lung transplant wasn’t an option but even if I tried, the risk was too much and I was unwilling to lose my mother sooner than I had to. For the past nine years I had taken so much loan for her health, I was out of options now. Still, I didn’t want to believe that the one person I truly knew, truly cared and truly loved was about to leave me like the rest of them.
I was going to be entirely on my own.
I shook my head, this is not the time to sit and wallow, I still had three hours before my shift at the bar, three hours I could spend with maa. I washed my face and hands, and grabbed the salad Amelia left for me on the kitchen counter. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me sweetheart” Amelia said while walking towards the living room couch, I smiled at her and nodded in response. Sliding inside mom’s room, I put on the biggest smile I could muster, and willed myself to not breakdown in front of her.
AuroraBy 9pm I was already leaving for my night shift at the “Smokes on the water” bar, it was one of the best bars in our small-town Greenville County, and although they usually do not hire anyone without proper training and experience, I was the exception. Nash, the manager of the place was generous enough to get me the job of a table attendant five years ago and since then, I’ve stuck around. Not that I had much choice, but I’m grateful for this job. With all the hefty tips these rich assholes give me, it makes the job worth all the indecent comments they make about my body. Amelia stays the night until I come back home, which I am very thankful for, I wouldn’t want my mom to be alone if things go south at night. I walk in through the back door of the bar and am immediately met with the smell of expensive liquor and money.“Thank God! You’re here!” Nash exclaimed with an exasperated sigh, I frown “but I am right
Aurora The whole night, I served them drinks, it was mostly Nash who was doing the drinking, so it wasn’t exactly a big task but being in such close proximity with Michael wasn’t helping either. Now when I look at him, all the traces of the sweet teenager I knew are gone, in his place is this indifferent, cold, broken man. Not once had he glanced in my direction or tried to acknowledge my presence, it was like I did not even exist for him. It hurt, it hurt so bad to be invisible to the one person whom you care the most about, but I didn’t want him to know that. I didn’t want him to know, that he was still my weakness, that he still had so much power over me. I kept my head held high and did what I came here for, ‘making money’, but it was freaking hard, with his cologne filling the air and the unrestrained masculinity that he emanated, I wonder how any woman could ever stay unaffected by him. When that thought crosses my mind, I chastise myself inwardly for even goin
MichaelWe walk towards the front door of the bar and Kayden opens the door for me, Kayden Donovan is a best friend and a potential investor in my next project. At 25 years old, Kayden has made his own fortune, he gave up his family money and started his own empire. That is why I respect him both as a friend and as a business associate. I place my hand on the inside of my jacket to retrieve my phone but when my hand comes out empty, I curse.“What is it?” Kayden asks with a frown on his face, I shake my head and say “it’s nothing, you should go ahead, I’ll meet you tomorrow” turning around I make my way back to the bar, “My phone’s in there” I say as a way of explaining and push the door to get inside. I take the stairs two at a time to the V.I.P section and rush to the table that we occupied; I don’t feel like spending even a single minute in this place but if the data on my phone is tampered with, I might ju
Aurora Numbness takes over me when I sit in his car and gaze out at the emptiness presented in front of me. I've had a fair share of ups and downs in my life but nothing comes close to this, no man has ever touched me sexually other than the one sitting right next to me. I close my eyes to get rid of the horrific images playing in my head, if Michael wouldn’t have been there, I would have ended up being violated in the worst way possible and there’d be no one to believe me. In the last nine years, my social life has been as dry as the Sahara Desert, I haven’t had time for a boyfriend let alone a friend. I don’t regret it though, I’d go through hell, if that meant I could keep my mother alive for just a few more minutes, oh my god! Panic grips me at the thought of my mother, even though she can’t move, she’d be worried about me not being there, tears spring into my eyes, ‘I can’t leave her alone’, I don’t want to. Its late and I know Amelia wouldn’t leave mom’s side u
AuroraI wake up at 4am and get ready for my morning shift at the post office, this job isn’t as exhausting as the one at the library, but after what happened yesterday at the bar, I don’t feel like moving an inch, my whole body is aching and sore. ‘You need the money Aurora’, I remind myself and sigh in frustration. After Michael left yesterday, I cleaned the blood on my lips and applied some ointment for my bruises, they weren’t exactly bad and I would be able to cover them with some light makeup but it still physically hurt to move. Then I made my way to mom’s room and cried, she wasn’t awake though and that was for the best. If she knew I was hurting, she’d be sad and it would take a toll on her health.I sluggishly drag myself out of the bed and brush my teeth lazily looking at myself in the mirror, the girl that looks back at me, is the one I don’t recognize. All the life has left my eyes and my body feels jus
Aurora I change into a pair of black jeans and a plane white boat neck shirt with my denim jacket and converse shoes. It’s been a while since I bought something for myself, I never really had a chance to go outside anyway, so I never bothered to upgrade my wardrobe. Now, as I stand in front of Michael’s office building, doubt creeps in, the whole building looks like the epitome of elegance. Without even entering inside, I know I’m going to stick out like a sour thumb. I take a deep breath and mutter to myself, “you can do this” with renewed confidence, I make my way to the glass doors of the building, they automatically slide open at my arrival and I stride inside. My jaw drops to the floor as I take in my surroundings, well… damn! This place is even more futuristic than I thought before. The floors and ceilings are all covered in white glistening marble, while the receptionist office and the couches scattered around are all plane black, there are modern steel chande
Michael I see as the shock leaves her face and she compose herself, closing her mouth and bringing her eyes to meet mine, “Don’t you think that is a bit too much money for an assistant?” she asks warily, she’s right. It is too much money for a woman who has no experience what so ever, but I saw her house yesterday and every single bone in my body doesn’t want to leave her alone in a situation like that. It looked horrible, empty and soulless not like the girl I left behind at all. Besides, I know Aurora, for all the bullshit things she did to me, she has always been a smart girl, a quick learner and a great organizer. It pains me to say that I still care about her wellbeing even after all these years and after all the lies she spewed at me, but this time around, I won’t make the same mistake, I will never keep my heart in line for her. “I will be expecting great results from you miss Sinclair, so no, I don’t think the money exceeds the amount of workload I’ll be putt
Aurora To say his words weren’t humiliating was the understatement of the year, I knew my outfit wasn’t exactly work friendly but he didn’t have to point that out. I needed new clothes, asap. So, after I left his office, I went to the nearest thrift store and bought some cheap work clothes, they weren’t tattered or faded, in fact they were better than anything I owned right now. I also had to do something about my job at the library, of course I wouldn’t continue there, I had to quit but without a two-week notice, I am not sure if Mrs. Hemmingway would be happy. I sighed, I kind of have to face the music sooner rather than later, why bother? I walked to the library because I couldn’t afford to waste money on a cab, now that I finally had ‘work appropriate’ attire to wear. When I got back, Mrs. Hemmingway was stacking up the last of books and was getting ready to close the shutter, I went up to her and she asked “how did the interview go?” without looking up, li