CHAPTER TEN
One month has passed since she finally snapped back and found a job again in a call center and has a graveyard shift with a 9-6 shift but everything changed. Her personality changed. The brave, lively, and outgoing Sassah became cold.
Ever since she lived there, her everyday morning routine is to stare emotionless in the morning sky as if staring or hoping for something to happened without caring how weird she looks at the outside world.
It's her third weeksary in her job as a sales support. The most demanding and stressful job but pay the most. Her job is to call each client to confirm the agent's declared sales and tally the daily sale for the day as daily averaging sales. She saw happy third weeksary cards on her computer organized by her team. She tried to smile while saying thank you but she couldn't. She saw disappointments from their different faces.
"I am grateful, guys. It's just that, I couldn't move any muscle on my face like it has permanent damage and all it can do is frown." Making fun of her is useful, she thinks.
"I thought you didn't like this kind of stuff since you walk like a zombie" Meryll a cheeky girl like her old self said
"Yeah, anyone who handles this position only lasts for a week so we celebrate that you didn't give up!" The one nerd looking guy said and their team leader Anne supported it.
"Right! You surprised me. You look timid yet you're determined."
"Ahm nice…" She couldn't find any words to prolong the conversation because of such a strange feeling. She felt extremely lonely like she wanted to cry? Weird, she was just being appreciated yet she felt so emotional. Does she miss something here? As usually, she didn't intend to but she killed the joyful atmosphere.
She went home that morning and the first thing to see inside her room was a mirror. She stares for a little while in herself in the mirror. Looking at that dead like face was really an eyesore for her and knowing that it's her own face tripled the terrible feeling that built up inside her. As she cannot handle the heaviness of the negative feeling, she ran to the balcony. She stared up at the sky. She's expecting tears… but nothing comes. She's tired of the nothingness that consumed her and she eventually bursts out. She shouted out loud all the kept emotion inside her.
"Aaaahhhhhhhhhh! Aaaaahhhhhhhh! Aaaahhhhhhhhhh!"
"What was that?!" A shocked voice echoed in that little old room.
"Oh, she's human now?! She can talk?" An amused voice responded.
"Were you surprised by our little zombie neighbor's? She burst out now….."
"Lina… just get a cup of coffee to boss Red." Benny, Lina's husband told her.
"Sorry about that boss…." Benny continued.
"What was that?" The shocked voice came from Boss Red. Benny's boss as he works for him as his driver.
"She just moved in next to our room for a month now. She looks weird and sad. We always see her staring at the sky wearing always black and she will go inside after a while and will see her again next morning doing the same thing."
"Maybe, she's transforming into something noh, beeny?"
"Heh! Lina, stop referring to her as a zombie. She just looked depressed."
"Zombies? Yeah looked depressed, but she's obviously pretty too. Isn't anyone with her?" Red went outside to check the woman. She has messy hair, wearing a black shirt too big for her and paired with tight ripped jeans and white rubber shoes. She's really pretty even with that pale looking bright skin with bare lips from any cosmetics.
"Ah, boss Red, what you've observed is her pretty face huh" Lina teased Red but Benny gave her a warning look so she stopped messing around.
"We actually don't know. I personally don't see anyone living with her." She eventually replied.
"I think she's going through something. Every morning, she stares in sky like a retard and now, she freak out! Young people nowadays." Lina added while putting down a cup of coffee on the center table and sat beside her husband.
"Eh by the way, boss, what made you here? I already filed my resignation?" Benny changed the topic; he's always strict and serious. He's an old man in his late fifties and his wife is younger than him by some years. That's why she is so cheeky. They have a son and he was Red's scholar and now working in the Finance Department in one of the government agencies.
"Yeah, thanks for bringing it up again. I just went from Japan for a convention to introduce our newly developed formula to increase human health and immune system. When I came back, I already had a new driver? You know that I have a trust issue right?"
"Boss…"
"Yeah, I heard. I already talked with Nancy, she was just having a problem with her husband that's why she's irritated and bossy. I rather lost her than a thirty years family driver." Benny was originally her mother's driver that he eventually hired after her mom didn't want to leave her laboratory. Benny and his wife are dumbfounded by his straightforward words.
"It's settled then. Take this day as you're off and I will see you in the EPM tomorrow."