What has she done to receive this kind of treatment?! Zoe complained as she stared up at the starry night sky for the umpteenth time. The universe must hate her to put her through this much suffering.
No matter how much Zoe begged, no one agreed to lend their phone to her to make a call. After all, who would trust a total stranger at this time of the night? She was creepy and they avoided her like a plague. Sadly, that was the beginning of her misery.
When Zoe decided to contact her mother through her laptop to help her out from this distressing situation, it happened that her laptop was dead. That was when it hit her that she had used it the previous night to research ways to get more money and wasn't able to charge it when she awoke because she headed to the airport right away.
Zoe groaned in disappointment, stamping her feet out of irritation and fussing in the middle of the streets as everyone avoided her thinking that she had lost it or something. Why? Why her?! What has she done so wrong? She cried out miserably.
When she was finally able to calm down, Zoe began to think of ways to solve her current problem - the laptop was her final solution. Fine, she would get the laptop's charger and find a store to charge it while having her snacks. That had been the plan until she opened her luggage and couldn't find the charger.
Oh no…..
Her heart began to pound loudly in her chest as she frantically searched for the charger, not caring that she was tossing her clothes on the dirty floor of the streets. At this point, Zoe had fallen so low that she didn't care for a little dirt on her things. What mattered was finding that charger…..
But then, it was missing and she even upturned the luggage to make sure that it was stuck or hidden in the corners yet there was nothing. That was when it crossed her mind that the Landlady must have missed putting it amongst her things when she parked her stuff.
No, no, no, no... Zoe was filled with despair. This wasn't happening, not now! Why was this happening to her? What did she do so wrong?! Why was her day so shitty. She was so tired. She couldn't go back to her place for the charger, not after that fight with the Landlady.
Without caring for her properties littered on the ground, Zoe drew her knees up to her chest and crossed her arms around it before burying her face there and bursting into tears. Why was her life so difficult? No matter what she did, nothing seemed to work out. It was almost as if she was cursed or something.
After her family fell from their former glory, her hard work simply doesn't pay anymore. What was wrong? She just doesn't want to be poor. But it was quite ironic since that was the situation she found herself instead. Zoe cried and cried till there were any tears to spare and she was tired.
Unfortunately, crying was not going to get her problem solved so Zoe parked her stuff and resumed to get out of this dangerous hallway. It was a blessing that she hadn't been robbed yet considering there were no more people in sight. Perhaps, even the robbers know she has nothing valuable on her and left her alone. Zoe laughed at the disdainful inside joke.
She had to find a shade to sleep in just like other homeless people. "Homeless people," Zoe's breath hitched at that word. Was that what she was right now? Come to think of it, maybe it was a good thing that her parents aren't able to see how pathetic she is right now else it would break their hearts.
And that was how Zoe began to roam the streets until she was able to find an abandoned warehouse where she was shocked out of her mind. It seems that she was not the only homeless person on the search for accommodation because the hall was filled with people. She didn't know that her country had this number of the homeless population until now.
All eyes were on her and bored into her as if they could tell that she was a newcomer and her first time sleeping out on the streets.
Thanks to the intense stare, Zoe lifted her head and waved shyly at no one in particular, "Hi?" She said.
However, none of them responded and turned the other way leaving her no choice but to lower her hand awkwardly. That was quite a warm welcome. Zoe decided to mind her business and find a space to rest her head. When tomorrow comes, she would think of a solution to her problems.
Zoe found out that the others used cardboard to spread on the ground and lie down. Thankfully, she was able to find unused ones in the corner and took them as hers. Neither did anyone step out to claim it.
It was cold and uncomfortable as hell unlike her bed, but Zoe has no choice. Right now, she was homeless and was grateful to have even found a place to sleep. It took Zoe a long time but she eventually closed her eyes and slept off. It was quite unfortunate that Zoe did not sleep for long when she felt strange hands on her body and opened her eyes only to see that she was being robbed.
"You!"
The pickpocket was a young kid who was shocked that his victim opened her eyes all of a sudden and took off.
"Stop there!" Zoe didn't waste any time chasing after him. He took the last of the money she put in the pocket of her pants and that was for her breakfast the next day; she could not let him take it.
To think that even homeless people robbed their fellow left Zoe speechless. Weren't they supposed to feel some sort of kinship toward each other? It was shocking. And just like that, the both of them began a marathon race around the area.
What was going on? It was one misery after the other! First, she lost her money and mistakenly swapped her phone with someone else's. Then she was kicked out and found out that she was stranded without any form of communication. Now, she has been robbed by a pickpocket? Oh please, give her a break universe!
"Stop right there!" Zoe screamed after him but that little chipmunk was too fast and she was running out of breath. No, her lungs were on fire and she would die if she took another step.
And so she gave up.
Zoe let out an aggrieved scream, scaring the passengers at that hour of the time. What the hell was this? Why?! why?! Why?! She kicked and punched the empty air. Zoe turned in the process and that was when her eyes fell on an open store.
"Pawn store…?" She muttered under her breath.
How nice it would have been if she had something to pawn and settle her problem. She sighed and was about to leave when an idea hit her and she halted in her steps.
She can pawn a cell phone.
Her hands unconsciously reached inside her pocket to feel the phone there. It was a good thing that she woke on time else that pickpocket would have taken it and her life would be over. This was her only ticket to getting her own phone back, how could she sell it?
Suddenly an imaginary red devil appeared on Zoe's shoulder and whispered to her, ["The phone isn't even with a sim and you are as broke as a church rat. You might as well die from hunger before your phone comes to you."]
And to prove her point, her stomach grumbled at that moment. She was so hungry. She would sell the phone, Zoe decided.
However, the instant Zoe made a step in the direction of the store, an imaginary angel appeared on her shoulder and advised her, ["Don't do it, Zoe! What if the owner of the phone tracks you down and requests for his phone? What would you do then]
The red devil appeared and argued with the angel, ["Are you going to listen to that goody two shoes and die from anger? If the owner of the phone appears, you can take him to the pawn shop and have him pay back for his phone. That is the least that he can do, right?"]
And that was it, Zoe's mind was made up, she was going to pawn the phone. The angel from her right shoulder vanished while the red devil on her left side grinned victoriously.