"Babe" the lady said and rushed into the house, holding his cheeks as her frantic eyes searched all over his body. "I thought I'd lost you" she said and walked into the room, dragging his hands along.
"Let's never have a nasty fight like that again okay? I love you babe" she said and stood on her tippy toes to kiss him. When she saw he wasn't responding, she pulled away, as hurt flashed through her eyes.
She was a very attractive woman. She had brown hair which stopped on the swell of her breasts and they had golden tips which she probably bleached. She was very beautiful and her blue eyes looked like they were holding back tears.
"Did you really block me? I tried calling you several times but it wasn't reachable. I had to drive all the way here to make sure you were okay" she said looking up at him through her long lashes and her lips quivered when she finished and a single tear dropped from her eyes.
Chase lifted up his hands instinctively and wiped off the tears from her cheek and she hugged him tightly, sobbing into his chest and muttering apologies.
He stood there awkwardly and reached out his hand to pat her back.
"What am I supposed to say now? Oh hi, your boyfriend is dead and somehow, my soul got trapped inside his body?" He thought.
Even thinking it aloud sounded like a nut case to him.
Again, he had to play along.
"It's okay" he said. Although it wasn't okay. He actually wanted to know the issue they had that made him overdose.
"Do you forgive me?" She pulled away, looking at him like someone kicked her puppy.
He was already tired of the whole drama for the day so he said the sane thing that anyone else in his position would say. "Yes"
Immediately, her eyes lit up like a 5-year old that was promised a trip to Disneyland.
"Tell me you love me" she said and when he didn't respond, her lips began to quiver again.
He pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt the headache beginning to form.
He groaned internally as she looked like she was going to cry again. "I love you" he finally said and she hugged him.
"I thought you'd never forgive me" she said into his chest. "I love you too".
When they were seated, she was wrapped up around him. He was uncomfortable and tensed at first but soon, he gave into her warm touch.
"Why did you think I would never forgive you?" He pried, trying to know what the problem was.
"Babe, it's in the past now. Let's not talk about it okay" she sniffed and kissed his jaw.
He hummed and they stayed that way for a few more minutes till she stood up.
"I have to go now. I have classes tomorrow." She said and bade him goodbye and left.
He finally settled on the bed and immediately closed his eyes to sleep.
"I've had enough drama for a whole year". He sighed.
Soon, he's enveloped by the familiar darkness of sleep.
Morning rolled in quickly and he was eager to stand up.
Don't get it wrong, he wasn't enthusiastic to start the day, he was just happy to leave the tiny bed that creaked at the slightest movement he made.
He got up and yawned loudly while stretching his arms.
He went into the bathroom to take his bath and when he was done, he stopped in front of the mirror to fully analyze this person.
Theo wasn't the most handsome in the room but he wasn't ugly either. It was a relief for him, knowing that he didn't fall into the body of a round, short, bald man. He cringed at the thought.
Theo wasn't as built as him. Infact, he was almost scrawny. He analyzed as he looked as his thin arms. "With the right food and exercise, we would be on the right track". He said and patted his chest.
It was just then that he noticed the pendant that hung around his neck. It was a silver pendant that had the carving of a lion's open mouth. He held it around his fingers as he looked at it.
He wanted to remove it but then, he always loved accessories and since he had no wristwatches, he had to make do with it.
He dried his hair with a dirty towel that hung on the rack, making a mental note to wash it later.
He stepped out of the bathroom and rummaged through the wardrobe, which had very limited options.
He settled on the only pair of black slacks and a worn out white shirt and a brown shoe. It was a good thing that they had almost the same size. If he was going to get a job, he had to look presentable and that was the most presentable he could look.
He went through the stack of books and sure enough, he saw Theo's degree. He majored in business. "Not bad". He hummed and quickly put it in a file.
He looked around the room, making a mental note to do a little grocery shopping when he gets a job because he couldn't live off burgers forever, but right then, it had to suffice. He thought, as he took the change from the previous day and put it inside the wallet and was out of the house.
Again, the sun shone brightly and he prayed silently, wishing to get good news on the job so that he wouldn't add homelessness to the list of his problems.
He made his way to the now familiar road leading to the café to get breakfast. He didn't know where to start from but breakfast was a very good start. He walked into the café and this time, it wasn't as crowded as the last. He walked straight to the barista and she still very much looked like a doll, while chewing her signature gum. "Look who it is. I almost didn't recognize you. You look bad" she said and he mentally rolled his eyes but stopped. "What do you mean I look bad?" He asked, feeling a tinge of sadness. That was literally the best outfit in that wardrobe and if the lady who had zero fashion sense said it looked bad, then he could only wonder what other people would think. "Well," she started, waving her manicured fingers in his general direction. "You looked horrible the other time so today, you just look bad," she finished and laughed at her own joke. "Whatever. I'll have a large chicken burger with fries. I'd prefer the chicken undercooked with extra mustard and a la
The next three places he tried were even worse. He wasn't even allowed entrance from the security. They all treated him like the dirt under the sole of their shoes. "Get out of here, you homeless beggar." "This place isn't for people like you." Those were some of the harsh words that were thrown at him and he flinched each time a security guard or reception said it with disgust evident in their eyes. "I'm not one to give up" he muttered under his breath as he stood in front of the last place on his list. He wasn't expecting anything different from what he'd already seen but he wanted to be satisfied with himself that he tried his best. 'Gab and Gabe's'. The letters were boldly carved in front of the building. The whole building was painted in white and gold outlines. He had heard of them before. Gab and Gabe's was a chain of high-end hotel. They had branches all over the world. They sat royally in the top 5 businesses in the state and they held the position for over 10 years. Th
"I don't….." he began but his sentence was cut in his throat when a punch was landed on his eye. "Fuck" he screamed in pain as he felt his eyes throbbing violently. Huncho pulled out a knife and he began breathing heavily. He traced the tip along Chase's cheeks and stopped on his neck. "This is just a warning. I won't be merciful next time" he said and applied a little pressure on his hold and Chase felt blood trickling down his neck. "Let's go" he said and they left. Chase watched their retreating backs, his vision on his right eye almost shut. He managed to get back to the house and he rushed to the empty fridge and pulled out a pack of ice. He placed it on his right eye and he felt hot tears rolling down from his good eye. "Just what kind of life did this guy live?" He asked myself as the tears continued falling. He was tired. He was frustrated. He was hungry. I He was in pain. He left the pack of ice on his eye till it became numb. He couldn't feel anything but at the s
Chase felt like a kid in Christmas as he boarded the bus, making a mental note to stop by the café on his way back from work to properly thank Mia for her help the other day. The black eye he suffered from the hands of Huncho had almost completely cleared off by now and he was very grateful he didn't have to go in for his first day at work looking like a hoodlum. He stood in the bus, a grin plastered on his face. He didn't even know why he was so happy but he believed it had to do with the fact that he was picked for the job instead of the other brazen men. A couple of high-schoolers snickered and pointed at his ratty shoes but he paid them no mind. He wasn't going to let anything dampen his mood. He had brought out the best pair of white shirt he could find in Theo's wardrobe and after ironing it out for what felt like hours, it finally looked wearable. He paired it with a black slack that had more holes that a basket. It was either that or a pair of ratty jeans. He stood outside
"Boy, go to the restaurant on the other side of the road and get me chicken taco salad and a large latte with extra whip." Patrick ordered from the head of the round conference table. Before Chase could reply and go to him, he threw a 20 dollar bill at his feet and went back to his work on his laptop.There were six other well-suited men and women and they all began placing their orders and flinging money at his face and feet.With clenched teeth, Chase bent down and picked everything and just as he was about to go and get their lunch order, a boisterous voice stopped him. "Here's some money. You can get a steamed bun for yourself or something. You look hungry," Paul said and threw a one-dollar bill at his feet."Thank you, I don't want it," Chase gritted out."Don't be arrogant, boy, he's doing you a favor and you better not steal my change or something. Make sure you come back with the correct invoice of each item you buy or you're fired," Patrick boomed and the other people in th
The day slowly but surely came to an end and the longer Chase worked, he realized what monsters they were."Were all rich people that way? Was he that way to his employees?" He kept asking himself, even as he stood outside and the torrents of rain poured heavily. The weather forecasters had mentioned a little cloud today and if that was what a little cloud looked like, he didn't want to know what a sunny day would be like to them.He stood just outside the lobby, under a little shade as he contemplated going under the rain or waiting for it to stop. He fished out his phone from his pocket and the time was long after 6. He looked up at the sky and when he didn't see any sign of the rain letting up anytime soon, he braced himself to enter the rain.He pushed himself forward and walked on the sidelines. He held his hands across his chest to relieve himself of the biting cold that stung him with each droplet of rain. He kept going, holding on to the promise of a warm shower when he got ho
"I'm not going back there," Chase kept repeating to himself as the hot water from the shower hit his skin, loosening his tensed muscles, driving out the cold and probably wash off his shame.He had come to the conclusion that although the pay was in no way small, it wasn't worth the insult and the constant trampling upon his ego.He finished taking his bath and looked at his ruined shirt, saying a silent goodbye to it because he knew no amount of washing would take off the mud and coffee stain that now turned the white shirt to a dirty brown color.After dressing down for the night in pajamas pants that had slacked from excessive wearing and washing, he pulled a long-sleeved top over his head and walked to the living area which also doubled as his room.He walked to the fridge and after scanning the near-empty space, he came to the conclusion that he was going to sleep hungry because the only thing that stood in the fridge was a can of sardine that expired four months back."I'll cont
The office was eerily quiet as he entered. Even the preppy receptionist had not arrived. Another woman was there in her stead who didn't pay Chase any mind. Chase let out a breath of relief because the lesser people he had to deal with, the better his day would go.He went took the elevator straight to the 50th floor where the offices were located and walked straight to the conference room. He started wiping down on the large table that took up half of the room and the chairs around it. Soon, voices could be heard."Hey Trent, my office,' Paul called and as Chase turned to correct the name, he was already gone. He felt like the man purposely called him other names to piss him off.Other names are better than illiterate, don't you think?" his conscience mocked him and he rolled his eyes and went to Paul's office.He knocked once and was ready to apologize for not having his coffee at hand, reason being that the café nearest to the office didn't operate till 7am but his apology was imme