As he's gone again, leaving me in this rundown house, alone, and day changed to the night. It's dark and creepy. I could hear the rats squeaking, hissing and chattering. Along with a dog barking, the cat's hissing. I could hear a cracking sound, water dripping. Fuck!
I'm scared. I curled myself on the bed, again, covering myself with the blanket. I covered my ears. Wishing that he come back soon, and without knowing, it's already morning again. I could see sunlight entering through the holes.
Where is he? When will he come back? Did he leave me alone? Like everyone else? Like, mom? Dad? Even Henry. And now him?
Fuck, I shouldn't think about Henry, he's a fucking arse anyway. Fucking shit.
I slowly sat up, my whole body was hurting, I could feel that I'm burning. I sat on the bed, looking outside the window, hoping that he comes back soon. But I have no time to rest. Jade's right. I need a job, at least to live. So I woke up and went to the bathroom, it's disgusting, with a stench smell. The cockroaches? I can't describe it. They keep falling from the ceiling.
I shriek, thinking if I should use this freaking bathroom. But I need to pee.
Surprisingly, the water was still running. If I just clean up a little, it will be decent to use. The water was yellow, maybe due to rusty iron contamination which is oxidized iron. It would be bad for my skin but who cares? But for an abandoned house with running water? Great!
I took a quick shower to freshen up myself and get out of the house, through the back door. We used the back door to enter too. And I started to look for a job that day.
Ignoring the fact that my head felt like it was about to explode, I keep walked in and out of every store. And I think today is my lucky day. I found one, at a small bakery. I can start working tomorrow morning. I feel weird, am I being lucky out of a sudden? Haha.
Thus, I went back home, meeting Jade in the middle of my way. He was crying, panting, anxiously. When he saw me, he falls to his knees, crying even more.
"Where the fuck are you? Do you know how worried I was? Thinking that you might get caught?" he yelled, crying, falling to the ground.
I just smiled at him, "I got a job! I will start working tomorrow morning. What about you?"
He glared at me with teary eyes, sobbing. What a cry baby.
"Don't cry, I was looking for a job. Did you get one?" I crouched in front of him, patting him. "What a crybaby, Jade. I supposed you're the younger brother, huh?"
"I got one too. Sorry, I left you alone. You must be scared. I got a morning shift too. I bought something to eat, a cracker. We ran out of money, so we need to save them. I will get around £ 4 per hour. I will be working for seven hours. So I probably get around two hundred something per week, for my salary. What about you?"
Oh, so we're going to talk about the financials, in the middle of pavement? I sat next to him.
"Same, but I will work for twelve hours, five to four, so £4 times twelve...uh, how many will we get?" I'm a bit slow with mathematics.
"They'll pay you weekly or monthly?" he asked, ready to calculate.
"Weekly."
He stared into the road for a moment, to calculate. "Around £336? I think. And if we combined ours, it will be £549 something, times thirty days, we will get around £16 474 something. That will exclude all of the expenses. Exclude tax...if they minus taxes." he said, still calculating. Do we have to pay tax too? We are a fucking minor and homeless though.
"Is it good or bad?" I asked, since I don't know much, I've never cared about finances until today. I used to be favourite, remember. And even after being left out, I was living under a fine roof. Where they provided a bed, bathroom, clothes, and food. I have nothing to worry about. Until now.
"I don't know. Let's go to the grocery store, check out our needs and prices there. And we need to survey for a rental house or room too. The cheapest that we can rent. We still have some time now. Let's go."
And we went to the nearest grocery store, which took us about thirty minutes by walking. And Jade took out a paper and jotted down everything we needed along with their prices. And we went out and started to search around for the house.
I was under a culture shock. Financial shock? Whatever shock it is, I was shocked. The cheapest was around £1000, at that time, everything else was occupied. Obviously, we are unable to rent them now. So we still look around. Most of them wouldn't let us be the tenant since they think we're a runaway couple. Elope. Whatever they call we are.
It will be a problem if a cop shows up, they said. Since our parents might file a report.
We didn't even bother to say anything back.
Both me and Jade went back home to our rundown house and ate our dinner, some crackers and mineral water. Jade only eats five crackers. I ate about ten.
Jade let me sleep on the bed since I'm pregnant. Giving me the bed, and blanket, while he slept on the floor, covered with his jacket.
And morning come, we went to work.
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Today is my first day, my job was simple. Bringing the new baked pieces of bread, cakes, pastries, out and putting them on display. That's all. It's so simple and the owner and her husband are so nice. She kept asking where I lived and why I'm working at an early age, what about the school, and I said I was an orphan. She looked sympathetic.
She asked me where I live now, and I was a bit...honest and naive. I blurted out that I lived inside the rundown house on six streets. She gasped, and kept chanting 'oh lord'. She then offered me to stay with her, in her attic.
"It's fine, madam," I said.
"Oh no, sweetheart. It will be bad for you to stay there. I heard they will demolish that place soon, so they can build the new house. Soon or later, you need to get out. And as an adult, it's hard for me to see a sweet beautiful child, working by herself, living in that rundown house." she said, arranging the bread on the shelves.
The smell of newly baked bread, alluring, making my stomach growling. Lucky me, she didn't hear.
"I and my brother don't have much money to pay you, we will be fine, Madam," I said, and she threw me a sympathetic look again. I smile, hiding my sorrow. Her kindness makes me want to cry.
"It's fine, don't worry about the payment. Just stay there, we will prepare the foods for you too," she said. And I'm a bit embarrassed. Pride and ego, plus trust issues keep fighting and screaming inside my head.
Don't trust kindness. Look at you now. The last time you accepted the kindness, and you were betrayed by it, and what happened to you?
"I…" I stammered. Don't know how I should refuse her.
"We will reduce the rental fee from your salary. And for the food, we will give you the leftover bread or whatever we could give you, as a charity. It's our selfish decision, please accept it, Maddison. We were adults, and as adults, it would hurt our pride to keep our eyes shut, and let you be without any help. Call us selfish, but please accept it." her husband interrupted, bring the new tray of pastries, for me to put them on display.
"Please rethink about it, sweetheart," she said. And before I clocked off, they gave me a few leftovers to bring home. I couldn't hide how touched I am by their kindness.
And at least, I can feed Jade with these. He must be hungry. I felt like crying, I'm so happy!
I ran home, couldn't wait to give these to Jade. And when I'm home, Jade was cleaning his bedroom, to make it more decent. I gave him the paper bag, and he cried because he was too hungry, he gobbles down the bread and stops in the middle, and he put the bread inside the paper bag again. When I asked him why he replied with the most unexpected answer.
For dinner and breakfast, he said, and maybe for lunch and dinner for tomorrow too. He said, I'm lucky today, but the chances to get the leftovers again are slim.
I told Jade about my employer's offer and his eyes widened. He grabbed my shoulder and said with a very certain voice.
"Accept it, Maddie. Maybe we can stay there for a few months, not forever. Anywhere is better than here. Plus you're pregnant. You need a better place to stay, a new place, a new environment. I already did some calculations, we just need about three to four months, as long as we keep saving our money, we can rent the house for the two of us. The one-bedroom, one bathroom, and kitchen house. It's okay for the two of us, I've checked the rent, around £800, and the owner gave a discount, to £540 a month. He said he will charge us around £760 when we turn eighteen. But since we're minors, he will ask us to pay £540 a month, including the utility bills. But it's just the house though, no furniture or anything."
I nodded. I don't know if that's good but okay.
"If you accept the offer, we can save a little bit more. As for the food, if they gave us the leftovers, I think we could have saved the food for a few days. Max three to four days. But maybe it can last for a week." he said. "At least we won't be homeless. Don't you think we're kinda lucky? People hired us without a resume. Someone offered us a house. At least, at the very least, Maddie."
"Really?" I asked him, clueless. "Should I?"
"Yeah! Trust me, I will handle the finances! You just accepted the offer. Okay?"
Thus, I accepted the offer the next day, Mrs Johnson said we can move in today after I clocked off. She even asked Mr Johson to show the room, since we're out for delivery. It's quite big and close enough to go to work. But a bit far away for Jade to go to his work.
"It's not big enough, but I think it's okay for you and your brother to stay here. Right?" he said, opening the window. "The attic has the best light, and you can do laundry downstairs. If you feel bad using the washing machine, you can work overtime for one hour. We will let you use the washing machine, kitchen if you want to cook. As for the utility bill, don't worry about that. You can hang your clothes here." he said, showing three laundry strings after the window.
"Here is the bathroom." He shows the bathroom. Nice! "We don't have the bed here yet, but I will put in some bed soon, is it okay if I put only a single bed? It's quite big for two people. I'll give you a duvet, in case your brother or you want to sleep on the floor. It's quite thick."
"It's more than much, Mr Johnson," I said. He just give me a faint smile.
"We used to have a daughter, she was two years older than you. She always dreamt of having a room in the attic, but we lost her three years ago. Leukaemia." he said, with a fake laugh. "I think Maya saw her in you? She always missed that girl. And you are much younger than our daughter."
I just listen and don't know what to say.
"So don't worry too much, we know that you are having a hard time believing people, strangers at most, therefore I told you that we will reduce some of your salaries. I could see in your eyes, your pride and you're on your guard. Maybe because you don't have any adults to lean on. Therefore, as an adult, let me and Maya help you. This is our selfish wish. Just stay here until you really afford to move out. I know you won't stay here for a long time." He said.
Maybe because he looks genuine, I'm somehow relieved.
And what the heck! Is this the time where my luck started to shine?
Good lucks somehow scares me.