Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 48632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
I wait to answer the call until I’m in my car. No longer am I able to be the carefree girl I once used to be. She’s gone, and in her place is a person who watches her surroundings, keeps her keys in her hand, with at least two of them threaded between my fingers just in case. I also carry Mace on my keychain and stay off my phone while walking around. It’s sad that my life has come to this, but staying alive and not having something taken away that I’m not willing to give is precious to me. I’ve even let go of any and all social media. The last time I posted was when my mom passed away. A post for the funeral, and that was it. I didn’t even reply to the comments, instead choosing to comment on the thread, thanking everyone for their condolences and calling it good.
The only thing I use the Internet for is recipes, maps when necessary, and making phone calls. I hardly even text anymore, which is saying something because nobody answers their phone when they keep it on silent. My roommates are honestly the only ones who send me messages, usually reminders for rent or letting me know if they’re bringing someone over. There are the rare occurrences where both of them won’t be home, and I’ll have the place to myself. That’s the one time I’ll take longer in the shower, sometimes take a bath, or enjoy sitting on the back patio with a girl-type dinner. Usually cheese, grapes, salami, and popcorn. Sometimes, I’ll even have a glass of wine, which, yeah, sure, I’m not technically twenty-one yet. That doesn’t stop clients or my boss from gifting me one every now and then.
I unlock my door while looking over one shoulder, then the other, and the moment I open the door, I slide inside then immediately reengage the locks. It’s not until I’ve started the engine, put the air conditioning on blast, and place my head on the rest behind me that I check the phone notifications. While I put my seatbelt on, I locate my phone in the designated pocket to easily find it just in case.
“Oh shit.” My stomach drops to my knees when I see it’s Ophelia’s call I missed. Usually, she’d send me a text message as a follow-up when I don’t answer. Instead, she left a dreaded voicemail. No one listens to them, and they stay in your inbox forever. This is it, the moment I’m going to lose a job that has given me the ability to put a roof over my head, stay in hiding, and slowly build up a stash of cash.
I don’t bother playing the message. My mind is already sliding over the deep end with all the oh fucks, especially after seeing Matthew fist his cock while saying my name. Surely, he didn’t finish his shower that fast after I left, only to call Ophelia and complain. My finger presses on her contact, and I bring the phone to my ear. The ringing on the other end of the line has my nerves on edge. I’d bite my nails, except when you clean houses for a living, the last thing you want to do is taste a chemical. It’s bad enough that some of them linger in your senses long after you’re gone. The longer it takes her to answer, the worse my anxiety becomes.
“Heya, Letty, you didn’t have to call me back.” Ophelia picks up the phone after what seems like a lifetime later. I breathe a sigh of relief. There’s a lightness to her tone, and when she finishes her statement with a soft laugh, I know I’m in the clear.
“Hey, sorry, I didn’t listen to the voicemail yet. I’m about to head home for the day and didn’t want to miss you at the office.” Technically, it’s not a lie since she called from the line at the building she keeps. It’s where we go every day, have a small meeting/venting session, grab the supplies we need, and either load up in a company vehicle or use ours for a daily stipend. I do the latter, simply because I love my car, it’s a comfort of sorts, and, more importantly, the last gift my mother gave me. The miles are still ridiculously low considering the traveling I did from West Virginia, so I decided to take the daily allowance and use that for not only gas but the wear and tear. Which, honestly, I’d need to take care of no matter what job I had.
“No worries, honey. I was just calling to tell you that whatever you’re doing at Matthew Carlisle’s house, please keep it up. We just had three referrals, which means you get a six-hundred-dollar bonus.” My jaw drops. That’s six months of the new rent increase.