Irregularity

New Experience

‘Boring’

That’s how my life has been for a while now. Everything is so easy to get as long as you have money. Luxury cars, branded clothes, latest model phones, and even people. I can confidently say that I have everything. Everyone I know is doing everything they can to get what they want even when they already have everything and they are happy. So I thought I’d do the same, and my father would immediately give me what I demanded.

That’s how you can make yourself happy, by getting what you want. I was happy. The joy of getting what you want is satisfying and fulfilling, but that did not last long. And soon, I realized how boring and dull my life has been to have granted everything I wanted without doing anything nor working hard to get what I want.

As soon as I heard that we needed to move because of the nature of my father's work, I felt relieved and hopeful that this would somehow make me realize true happiness.

“Young miss, we are going to arrive soon.”

I looked at the world outside the window in the back seat of the car. This is the city where I will be living from now on. It’s much more different from Sector B where I only see busy people go on about their day for the sake of their job. A complete change of scenery. It's like I’m looking in a world that I didn’t know about.

“We’ve arrived at our destination, young miss.”

I thought I would come to hate traveling for that long, I did not expect that I wanted it to last at least for a while longer. It can’t be helped, a trip is bound to end when you arrive at your destination.

“So this is the building father bought, huh? It's a tad bit smaller than our home back in Sector B. I guess, that’s fine.”

“This is the best building around the area so your father did not hesitate to buy it rather than build a new one.”

Steppen, my father’s right hand man said, standing beside the door with an umbrella. He has been following my father for a very long time, maybe way before I was born. But there’s this part of me that hates him for some reason. I don’t know why but I feel uneasy when he is around.

“It’s convenient indeed. That’s a no brainer even for an idiot like me.”

I told him as he escorted me inside the building. Not bad at all. I was expecting that the buildings around Sector D would instantly crumble in a single touch like a sandcastle since they’re old, but this one is not too bad.

“You’re berating yourself too much, young miss. Your father will be saddened if he hears you.”

“Don’t give me that look. I know you think like that as well.”

I wanted to tell that straight to his face. I may be a father's daughter, but I’m aware of how other people think of me since I’m not good at studying and my father’s reputation has been dragged down. And since I can’t do anything to lift his reputation back up, I endured their belittling gazes.

Not long after, we arrived at the 5th floor through the elevator. The elevator seemed new and fancy for a city like Sector D, so father may have had them install this and replace the old one.

“Here we are, young miss. Please head inside, your father is waiting.” Steppen said, opening the door for me.

“Thanks,”

I went inside and saw father already starting with his work. I can barely even see his face through the piles of paper, father is working hard.

“Father, I’m here.”

I said as I stood in front of him, still busy as ever. As soon as he noticed my presence, he put away his pen and paper and turned his attention to me.

“My little princess is finally here. How’s the travel? Did you get bored?”

Ahha, the dark circles under his eyes again. He must have stayed up later for a few days again. Father may be a company owner but he pushes himself too hard to the point that his health is failing. If he continues to do this, it will only be a matter of time till he passes out again soon.

“Stop this, father.”

I grabbed the pen and paper away from his hands and placed them far out of his reach knowing that he would not stop and get some rest until I intervened.

“There’s still much I need to do, Ceri. Please let me work this one time only. I promise I won’t push myself too hard.”

That pitiful look on his face on top of looking so tired irritates me.

“You always say yet when something like this happens, you break your promise.”

“This time is different. You know it too, don’t you? A lot of things happened because we needed to move to another place. I promise, I will take a week’s worth of rest after this is finished.”

Father held my hand firmly, I know I can’t change his mind if he had already set his eyes on something. It's times like this that he needs my support, and so I shall.

“Fine. But this is the last time I’ll overlook this. There will be no next time. And please tell your employees to hurry up and move here. If I were them I’d feel ashamed for letting my boss do all the work.”

I handed father a cup of his favorite tea. Drinking energy drinks for a few days just to keep up with work will surely take a toll on his body.

“It’s not easy moving to another city. Especially to a city that’s behind in so many ways. I’m sure it was a hard decision for them to make. But don’t worry, they will surely be here so leave everything to your father and study well.”

Despite being so tired, father still managed to flash a gentle smile. It’s been so long since mother died and ever since then, father has been working non-stop. It must have been hard for him without no one to stand by his side. I will be a pillar that will support my father, because if I don’t, who will support him but his own flesh and blood.

Father held my hand firmly and kissed the back of my hand. It’s his way of saying thank you for supporting him, at least for me.

“I’ve already met your tutor. He is a hard-working young man around the same age as you. He may be from a public school in Sector D but his grades are on par with students studying in private schools. I hope you get along with him,”

It's rare for a father to praise someone that much unless that person caught the father's interest.

“I see. I hope he lives up to your expectations then.” I told my father.

He immediately flashed a smile and crossed his arms.

“It seems like you figured that young man caught my interest. You’ll know once you read his file. Here, take this so that you’ll know something about him.”

Father handed me the tutor’s file but I refused.

“I will find out about him when we meet. There’s no need for me to know about him in advance. More importantly, father, is my room ready?”

Father flashed a smile once more and handed me a key.

“I knew you’d ask for it so I prepared your room beforehand. The 3rd floor is entirely yours. Everything you might need is already prepared. Bathroom, kitchen, if you want to cook your own food, bedroom, and other facilities you might use. If I missed something, you can have Steppen take care of it for you.”

My father knows me best. If I want him to get some rest sooner, I have to stop disrupting his work. I excused myself and went to the 3rd floor to check it out for myself. Upon entering, I’m greeted by the familiar sight. They kept it similar to the room I have back in Sector B with little noticeable changes. It’s like I’m back to my old room and the only thing that changed is the view outside the window that reminded me where I will live from now on.

“In this place, I wonder what happiness will this place offer for me.”

After checking my room and making sure that nothing was missed, I went up to the 4th floor to have dinner with my father. It’s only been a few days since my father moved here first, and the dining hall is ready to serve his guests. As expected of father, he made sure to prioritize the most important things within the house.

When we were done eating, father went straight to the 5th floor to get started on his work again. It’s still too early for me to go to bed. I was informed that the process of transferring school is still underway, that means I’m still free for a few days. Luckily, the tutoring sessions will start 2 days from now. This will give me some time to get used to this city.

With that in mind, I laze around in my room chatting with my friends back in Sector B. They bombarded me with questions like ‘How different is life there?’ ‘Did you find anything interesting?’

I told them my initial thoughts of the city and their response is what you expect from people living in a totally different world. Well, I can’t expect them to think differently of this city. They lived a completely different life than the people here after all.

“So bored…. Is there anything better to do here?”

As I lie on my bed looking at the streetlights flickering outside, an idea comes to my mind. It is probably not a good idea since this is the very first day since I moved here, but if things get so boring like this, I can’t help and do what my brain is telling me to do.

I immediately changed to my disguise and wore a mask. I don’t usually sneak out often so I’m confident that no one will notice me while I’m gone. The security on the ground floor is so tight. Thankfully they were all gathered near the entrance and leaving the emergency exit completely unguarded, I made my escape.

Now that I’m standing in the streets that I was only looking at through my window, a refreshing breeze brushed my face. I feel a soothing sensation as if it is something I have longed for a long time.

“Now that I successfully sneaked out, what should I do?”

Compared to the streets of Sector B brimming with life even at this hour, the streets of Sector D or at least in my area are somewhat deserted with little people walking the streets. Since I’m already here, I might as well explore the area to relieve my boredom.

As I continue to walk further and further away, I can see more and more people walking in the streets. And not long after I reached the end of the street where our building is situated, my eyes were greeted by the bustling and busy people mingling with one another. Some of them are drinking together, and some are eating on the side of the street.

While admiring the sight I’m seeing for the first time, an alluring aroma tickled my nose. I looked for the source of the aroma and realized it came from a small shop packed full with people enjoying their meal. Just the smell from the dishes alone made me hungry again. This has not happened to me before, maybe it's because it’s a new experience?

Preoccupied by the exciting sight, I failed to realize that someone was calling out to me.

“Excuse me miss, are you perhaps planning to eat? There are a few customers who are about to finish. You can wait here until I have a table ready.” He said and offered me a chair in the waiting area outside the shop.

As if possessed, I quietly sat on the chair and waited, unable to understand what came over me. That server is quite considerate and it doesn’t seem like he is any older than me based on his voice and height. Is he perhaps a high school student like me? A part-timer?

I didn’t know why but I continued to observe his actions, and I can’t help but be amazed. He interacts with their customers so smoothly like a professional, and attends to their needs properly. I was so absorbed in observing that I failed to notice that he was calling out for me again.

“Hello, miss? A have readied a table for you. Please follow me.”

I followed behind him and got a clear view of the interior of the shop. It’s incomparably tiny compared to the restaurants I visited in the past. Well, that’s already understandable since I’m in Sector D but the ambience and the atmosphere in this place is calming. For some reason, I like this place more than the fanciest restaurant I’ve been to.

“What do you want to order?” He asked, and held out a small menu.

The entire menu is completely alien to me. The names of the dishes are something that I have never heard before. I’m in a complete bind. In times like this, there is only one answer.

“Can you give me the special?”

I told him and he just stood there.

‘Was there something wrong with what I said?’I thought to myself as we stared at each other. And as if he snapped out of a daze, he scratched his head and apologized.

“Sorry, it’s just that I was taken aback by your voice. Most of the customers who eat here are at least 25 years old or older, and based on your voice, you seem to be around my age so I was surprised. Special, was it? I’ll get back to you shortly, okay?”

So that’s what he was surprised about. I thought I said something out of place. Wait, asking for a special clearly means I don’t have any knowledge of the menu, right?

Not long after, he brought me a bowl still steaming hot. I don’t know if I didn’t eat that much during my dinner with father or my appetite just worked up right now, but it feels like I can finish this bowl of noodles and meat. There are also vegetables present in the dish but what makes me want to dig in is the beautiful aroma from the steam. That alone is a good indicator that a food is good if it smells amazing.

I hesitated for a moment knowing that it’s steaming hot, but as soon as I tasted the broth my taste buds exploded and before I knew it, I was nearly about to finish the bowl in just mere minutes. I burned my tongue and lips a bit but that doesn’t matter as the taste of the food is so much worth it.

“Please slow down while eating. Your food is not going anywhere. Please take this as a gift from the cook since you seem to enjoy his dish so much.”

The server placed a can of soda. I don’t drink soda much since I tend to look out for my health but it fits perfectly to my needs. I finished eating the entire bowl, and I feel so full. This is the first time I ate so much in a long time without any care in the world.

It has gotten late and there are only a few people inside the shop and it seems like they are about to close up shop.

“Good work. You can leave everything to me, Ren. Today is yet another tiring day and I’m sure you’ll study for your entrance exam soon so leave everything to me.”

He seems to be the owner of the shop but isn’t he the one cooking earlier? He must be tired as well but he is making his employee go home first. What a considerate boss. I figured that it was also time for me to go home and so I headed to the counter to pay for my meal.

“Ah, Ren. Can you take over for the counter? A customer you assisted early wants to pay.”

He immediately took off his apron and headed straight towards the counter with a smile on his face, but as soon as I took out my card to pay, his expression made a 180 degree turn. He immediately grabbed and pushed my hand away.

“Please don’t flash your card out in the open like that. Don’t you know it’s dangerous to do that especially when it's night?” He whispered to me while looking outside with his eyes.

I turned my eyes to the direction where’s looking and saw some thug looking guys staring right back at us. The moment our gazes met, I felt a chill run down my spine. I was too late to realize that this is Sector D. Though it is a city, I forgot that most of the people living here are trying to get by no matter what method they use, even if they have to resort to committing a crime.