BXBX NOVEL Chapter 18: NEW LIFE
Chapter 18:NEW LIFE
"I apologize for the lights. I contacted the repairman but he was sick. Probably by tomorrow it could be fixed."
"It\'s no problem, Ma\'am," I respond. We walk through the corridors in silence.
"Just call me Amelie."? The old woman replied as we pulled into a halt into a particular door. She produced a key and turned the lock. I took a deep breath expecting to see the worst but I almost yelp with joy when Amelie turned the lights on, the spacious room with a small bed at the center, a round table with a chair where I could eat my meals, and a cabinet enough to hold few of my clothes met my eyes.
"Would this room be enough?"
I turned at her, eyes sparkling with gratitude. "I could not be more grateful for this. This is more than I bargained for." My eyes surveyed the room. It was neat, with no dust and cobwebs hanging on the ceiling. A green wallpaper covered the walls giving the room a cool atmosphere. There was a large window near the bed to give me a taste of fresh air when I needed it.
"Well then enjoy your stay here Miss—"
"Phoenix." I fill in.
"Ah, yes Phoenix." Amelie smiled and handed me the key. " You must be tired, I\'m sorry to take much of your time. I must be a bother to your plan of resting."
" Not at all Amelie. I\'m entertained by having you here." I? respond, smiling back. "By the way, here is my payment for the whole month."
"Oh, thank you, Phoenix, dear." Amelie took the envelope I handed before slowly making her way out the door.
Amelie turned one last time. "If you need something please don\'t hesitate to approach me."
"Of course, Thank you, Amelie." I nodded and watched her walk away. When I could no longer see her, I closed the door.
I placed my heavy backpack on the top of the bed and surveyed the length of the room. The minimalist style suited my taste and the large window made me feel more at home.
There were no appliances yet and I have no plans to buy any except for an electric fan to ventilate the room during hot weather. I pushed the sliding window open to allow the cool wind to get inside.
I took a fresh breath in and closed my eyes for a moment. A mini flower garden greeted my eyes and fondness sprung on the corners of my eyes recalling how Mom loved flowers, she has a? mini garden too in our home which was taken for collateral due to our unpaid debts.
A deep sigh escaped my lips.? I took my phone to check the time. It took me by surprise after seeing a lot of miscalls—fifty in total. All coming from Ace.
My fingers lost their strength, the phone fell and bounced on the bed. I made no move to pick it up, I simply stared at the still object in fear that it will burn my fingers once I reached for it.
The screen flickered, Ace\'s name flashed. Finally, the phone stopped blinking. But the end of his call was just the beginning of a more persistent approach. The phone only took a short pause before it continued with its task to annoy with its vibration.
I did not attempt to answer the repeated calls. I have no strength left to talk to my estranged husband. I just continue to look at my phone as if it was some kind of foreign object which should not be touched.
I have no idea how long I have been staring at the blinking screen, if it weren\'t for the cramps on my legs interrupting my deep thoughts I would not realize I\'d been frozen on my tracks for too long—nearly half an hour.
The call finally stopped.
I summoned a great amount of courage not to pick the phone and stepped on it repeatedly until it ripped apart. Throwing it out the window sounds a good idea too but I could not resort to drastic measures such as that since I could not afford to buy anew.
My swirling thoughts filled with violence were quickly dismissed off my mind before I broke the phone into multiple spare parts. I took a deep calming breath trying to regain my composure after losing myself for the second time, when I finally felt my emotions were more manageable,? I picked it up only to turn it off.
Before the phone died, she had a short glimpse of sixty missed calls. Ace has never been this persistent before. I wonder what he must be thinking while in a desperate attempt of contacting me.
About now,? his frantic messages reached fifty. I shook my head dismissing the idea of Ace troubled by my absence. Something was amiss, a thing of importance must be lost inside his hotel room, his wallet I think. He was desperately calling me if I had stolen it.
The idea was insane but it was just the most valid reason I could come up with.
I kept my phone underneath the pillow with no plans of turning it on for the next four hours. I\'m on the brink of losing my mind, I don\'t know what ludicrous things I\'m capable of after my mental stability finally snaps. Jumping off the tenth floor of a building sounds like a good idea. But quick death after taking a poison looks more appealing and far less gruesome. I prefer to die peacefully, the last would be my first option.
But killing myself was the last thing in my mind now. Taking a cool, refreshing bath sounds like a good way of decreasing my stress level. After taking a bath probably I will lie peacefully on my bed until I fall asleep. I need to maintain my peace for the next few hours to keep my sanity intact, it could only be achieved after a good rest