[1]
Imagine being stuck in this dead end routine. Your day starts at
5AM, you can't sleep for even one second more because you sold your
soul to some evil corporation and have to wake up early to please
your masters.
The only thing you like about your job is that it puts food on the
table and pays the bills. The food isn't even that great because
you're still hang up on your ex and you are very much single.
You go back to an empty home from the shitty job with shitty
coworkers that don't even like you except for an annoying person
that no one wants to be around.
Everyday you pray for the sweet relief of death but life isn't so
kind as to even grant you that mercy. You can't kill yourself
because you're still hoping that maybe one day, just one day your
life will turn around. But that only happens in fairy tales.
That's a day in the life of Tony.
The working day is done and there's no one to tell me, 'hey I'll see
you tomorrow.' All I can do is exit the building and walk to my car
under the cold moonless night, alone.
The drive is long, not because my house is on the other side of the
world but because of traffic. A drive that is supposed to take
fifteen minutes max usually ends up taking close to two hours. I
work from Monday to Friday. Fridays are good because I leave work at
16:00 but since today is a Thursday I left work at around 19 hours.
Two hours later. I just parked my car in the garage and here I am
standing in front of my door wondering how this happened.
"Oh shit, did I forget to lock up? No I'm sure I did."
I'm sure I locked the door before I left this morning, after all who
in their right mind would leave the front door open and be away from
his house for hours?. 'Could it be a thief?'
I know I'm not the bravest human being on the planet but I have to
go in at some point. I've been standing out here for twenty minutes,
I'm wondering whether I should call the police or not. Even if I
call them what am I going to say,'Oh hello I think someone broke
into my house but I'm too scared to see who's inside?' What if they
get here then I find out that I just forgot to lock the door
instead? Ok so I'll just take a peek, once I see someone I'm calling
for help.
I force myself to move but my legs feel a little stiff, they don't
want to move. The thought of, 'Where am I going to sleep?' is the
only thing giving me the courage to put one leg in front of the
other and I somehow manage to walk while shaking in my shoes with my
heart pounding really fast.
On my gray couch, I notice a young girl sitting carelessly in her
school uniform, the first thing I notice is her pink underwear. I
force my eyes to look away but I'm a little flustered.
She notices me staring and quickly sits properly, 'Oh shit she saw
me staring, what should I do now? And now my other member is
starting to betray me by giving away his position.'
"Oh hi," she says with a smile on her face, looking like she's glad
I'm here.
So this is the thief that broke into my house.
"Does that mean you're on a break from school?"
Whenever schools go on a break I receive a guest against my
will, this sort of thing started happening last year, she came over
twice and stayed with me for about three weeks.
"Yes, so can I stay here uncle Tony? Please, please?"
She says with her hands clasped together, she's so cute that I can't
even say no to her. I don't know why she's asking when she's already
in here.
Her staying with me isn't a problem, that's if she'll behave. Man
this is such a bother, now I have to call Him and let him know that
his daughter is here. He's the last person I want to talk to.
Actually I don't have to talk to him. I can just call Joyce instead.
"How did you get in? I am sure I locked the door."
I don't really know how signs of forced entry look like but I am
sure my door doesn't look like someone tampered with it and I know
that I locked it so how did she get in?
"I still have the key you gave me last time. See?"
She takes out a key and proudly shows it to me.
"I don't remember giving you a key."
I seriously don't remember giving her a key to my house.
"Yes you did. It was when daddy came to get me, you gave me one and
told me to come back whenever I wanted."
-liar!
"Never mind. Have you already told your mom that you are here?"
"Yes, she said it's okay so you don't have to call her."
I don't see her luggage anywhere. This house only has one bedroom so
her stuff would stick out like a sore thumb in my living room but I
can only see her school bag. So she came straight from school, which
means Joyce has no idea that she's here.
"You are supposed to tell your parents that you are coming here. Now
I have to start calling Joyce and let her know that you are here."
"N-No please don't tell... mama."
She wraps her hands around her legs exposing her thighs again, I see
something pink and laced. I can't take my eyes off it.
But why does it look like she really doesn't want to tell Joyce?
It's almost like she's scared of what will happen if I tell her.
"What? Why, your parents are supposed to know where you are
otherwise they'll be worried."
It's hard to think with what's in front of me. The time is close to
22 but neither Joyce nor Prince have called me to ask if she's here.
"I just don't want you to call mama. Please call daddy instead."
She's making things hard for me on two fronts. I don't really want
to talk to her father. Calling Joyce would be way more convenient
for me but why doesn't she want me to call her?
"Why do you want me to call Prince instead of Joyce?"
"If you call mama she'll come get me and I don't want to go back
home, so please call daddy instead."
She's right, the last time she came here without informing anyone I
called Joyce and she showed up an hour later to get her daughter,
she just might do the same again.
Ritar wanted to stay with me immediately schools closed in November
last year but Joyce wouldn't have it. She said that her daughter was
behaving badly by not informing her.
"But you didn't bring your clothes, you just can't keep wearing the
same uniform everyday."
"I left some clothes here, I can just wear those."
The problem with the school system is that pupils learn for three
months and take a break for about a month, in that month I
involuntarily become a baby sitter.
"Alright I'll call Prince. Start cooking while I take a bath."
I leave her in the living room and head upstairs to my room, there's
a shower in there so I don't have to come down to bath, two
bathrooms are super convenient. I'm still shaken by the fact that
she has a key to my house.
I quickly take my shower and head downstairs but something is
strange. I don't smell anything related to food, I don't even hear
the boiling of food on the stove. 'It can't be?! She's not cooking?'
I find her sleeping on the couch with a phone in her hands. I wasn't
gone for more than thirty minutes and she's already asleep. I guess
it's bread and juice again tonight.
I head over to the kitchen and pour some orange juice in a cup, I
want to use it to wash down the crusty dried up bread in my fridge.
I take my seat at the dining table and start chewing, just then my
phone starts vibrating, 'Prince!'
"Tony, is Ritar with you?"
Prince and I have never started a conversation with a greeting, it's
always straight to the point. I wouldn't want it any other way.
"She's here."
"Alright."
The call cuts and I put my phone down, that's how my conversations
with Prince have been for as long as I can remember. At least her
parents know that their daughter is safe, but for him to call at
22:48, does Prince even care? He should have started panicking
around 18 hours when he noticed that his daughter wasn't around.
After finishing my crusty bread I headed to my room to grab a
blanket for my guest, she'll freeze to death if I let her sleep like
this.
I find her sleeping with her underwear on public display, I trace
the length of her legs until I reach her maturing little ass.
I'm tempted to- 'And she's drooling all over my couch. She looks so
much like her. I really miss her.'
I look at the bulge in my sweatpant, that's not good. I cover her
before I do something I might regret and retire to bed.