David POV
"Oops, sorry!" The sweet feminine voice of the beauty who I was marveled to see said to me.
She was actually rushing out of the store with a white bag, probably containing the stuff she had bought, before she bumped into me.
My arms were wrapped tightly around her waist and I was peering into her deep brown eyes. I had caught her early enough before she could land on the ground after losing her balance due to the collision.
I unknowingly found myself lost in her eyes.
Strange?
Yes it was!
"Hey, Rissa, come on," I heard another feminine voice holler, and she quickly regained her footing. She glanced at the girl far off entering a bus.
"Um, sorry and thank you," she said and laughed in a low tune, maybe, shyly, seeming a bit embarrassed.
"You're wel…"
"Get on!" The voice of the girl now seated next to the window in the bus boomed, interrupting me, and the beauty in front of me waved at me.
"Bye." She ran off to the bus before I could ask her for her name, not quite sure if her real name was 'Rissa'.
My eyes were glued to her as she hopped onto the bus and I watched her as she went down and sat next to the girl.
I whirled, dumbly and glanced back to see her squinting at me as the bus started moving.
I kept staring at the bus until it was off sight then went into a trance.
"Excuse me," the voice of a middle aged woman jolted me out of my trance. Then, it became obvious to me that I was standing in between the entrance door, which was totally impossible for the chubby woman to leave the store.
"Er, I'm sorry," I apologized and stepped aside. The woman walked out, pulling along a little girl who stared back at me, grinning. What a silly child. I could bet she was thinking of me to be a stupid person.
I was about to enter the store when my eyes caught something on the ground. I went and picked it.
It was a locket.
I opened it and saw the face photo of the brunette who had bumped into me earlier. She was grinning in the picture like an over-excited kid who has won a gold medal for the first time in a marathon.
Yes, I know that's quite impossible but I had to admit, her smile was the best I've seen so far.
How was I to return this to her? That's the question that struck me. I might be lucky to bump into her again, yes. I certainly would pray that happened.
But what if I don't ever catch even a glimpse of her? I asked myself in my mind but quickly shoved that aside. I will keep on wishing that God grants me an opportunity to see her again before I leave this inauspicious world.
Yes, this world has jinxed my life .
Why do I think so?
You're going to know about that later.
I walked into the store and bought some noodles and other groceries before heading back home.
"Geez, you got these for fifteen bucks?" My younger sister, Nikki asked me as she went through what I had bought in the bag when I got home. I nodded.
"That's way too much, David," she sneered, making me shut my eyes, ignoring her.
"C'mon, what hell of a store did you get these from? They're big thieves," she cursed.
"Don't say that, Nikki. I got it from the store nearby the bus station."
"Why go to such an expensive store to get these? It's a waste."
"It's not," I objected. "I was lucky to meet an angel there by the way," I muttered to her and grinned, while the face of the girl flashed in my mind.
"Angel? Angel my foot!" Nikki scoffed and I took out the locket from my pocket. "What's that?" Nikki asked, staring at the locket in my grasp.
"Um, they are…"
"Oh my," she cut in, grabbing the locket from me in admiration.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked, feigning annoyance.
"Chill, bro. This looks quite expensive. I bet it belongs to a wealthy dick," she said and glanced at me. She was about to open the locket when I jerked up to my feet and snatched it off her grasp.
"Ooh, what's wrong?"
"It belongs to someone."
"Excuse me? That I am aware of. I was just thinking, since you probably saw it and couldn't return it to the owner…we should probably sell it off…"
"Come off it, Nik! I can't believe you're not only covetous but you're also…self-centered."
"What?" Nikki asked, squinting at me with pressed lips which showed she was upset now. She chuckled and shook her head.
"You're crazy. All you do is derogate me most times. How is it my fault that I wish to be rich?!"
"Stop it. Sometimes you steal from your college friends and sell them off then you blame our late parents. Is that right?"
"Yes. I wouldn't turn out to be who I am now if they had thought about us a little before passing away at the same time. I hate it that I have to live this pathetic and horrible life.
I really wish that I can live a pleasant life and not have to work my butts off like you after I graduate to survive till I die! What's bad about me dreaming of having a nice life?!"
"Nikki!"
"All you do is just derogate me. You really do peeve me most times."
"I didn't mean to hurt you with my words. I'm sorry," I apologized and gave Nikki a hug. She slightly pushed me back and rolled her eyes, probably still upset with me.
"Where have you been since this morning, by the way?"
"I went job-hunting."
"And you didn't find a suitable job for yourself, as always," she said and I stared at her silently.
"What are you going to do now?" She asked.
"I would have still been working in the plant if you hadn't barged into the factory and insulted the manager."
"So? Should I have kept my cool when the old scum called me a brainless wretch?"
"You should have controlled your anger. You shouldn't have gone so far as to kick his groin. You would have been arrested if I hadn't managed to pacify him."
"Bullshit," Nikki scoffed and folded her arms, looking away.
"I actually saw a job ad. I already applied for it by sending a text to the number provided."
"What job? Hope you will get a pretty paycheck by the month if you get the job?" I nodded and sat down.
"Not really."
"What? What do you mean?"
" I'm not too sure. I might earn a bit less than what I used to because of the nature of the job."
"Fuck! That's crap! Can't you just find a better job that will pay you well. For goodness sake, David, you're a graduate.Why take on menial jobs?"
"Because they sustain us, Nikki! You don't expect me to sit at home doing nothing till I get a bit lucky and find a nice job. If I have to do that then we are gonna get thrown out from this apartment and we'll starve."
"You know what, I'm done talking to you." She headed to the kitchen.
"Do you care to have noodles?" She asked me from the kitchen.
"I don't mind. I'm quite hungry anyways."
"Then, I'll make noodles for us."
I stood up and headed to my room.
Ever since my parents passed away when I was just fourteen, I've been living with my only family, my sister, Nikki. Now, you're going to know why I said this world was merciless.
After my parents died, my sister and I were left to sustain ourselves, after my greedy uncle sold our parents' stores and took off with the money he acquired, leaving us to fend for ourselves.
I had shoulder the responsibility of our survival and took on manual labors to have earnings so I can see to our schooling and survival.
After graduating from college with an MBA in business administration, hoping to get employed immediately by a company, unluckily for me, life wasn't thinking to be a bit benevolent to me even after working earnestly to see myself through college.
I had to keep going on with my manual labors and also got a part-time job as a fuel station attendant to continue to see Nikki through college too and keep on sustaining us.
But, all is still okay, because I know I'm going to make it one day.
I was sacked by the manager from the factory which I worked in as an assistant supervisor after Nikki had been repulsive to him.
I had decided to drop by the factory this morning before going job hunting and begged the manager to re-employ me.
Why? Because that was the only job I had gotten since I graduated a year ago which doubled my earnings two months ago and it was a full time job.
But unfortunately,the manager refused to re-employ me. He was still embittered by the humiliation he got from Nikki.
And after leaving the factory that morning, I caught a glimpse of a job advertisement.
A personal driver was needed. Hiring immediately, the ad said.
I quickly sent a message to the number provided on the ad as it said, showing interest in the job and had tucked my phone back to my pocket, hoping to get a call from the number soon just as it stated too, deeply wishing that not many people had grabbed the job.
Getting to my room, I dropped the locket in one of the drawers of the cupboard next to my small sized bed and went to have a quick shower.
When I came out, I saw my phone on the bed, ringing. I grabbed it and stared at the caller. I recognized the number. It was the same number I had sent a message to earlier after seeing the ad. I quickly answered the call.
"Hello..?"
"Hello, am I speaking to David Watson?" A man with a deep voice asked.
"Yes, sir," I answered.
"Seen your message and would like to know if you would be available tomorrow morning for an interview?"
"Y… yes, I… I will," I stuttered in excitement.
"Good then,I'll text you an address after I end the call. Kindly come there tomorrow morning by 9 for an interview, okay?"
"Sure, I will sir."
"Good, you'll get a text after I end the call now."
"Okay, sir. Have a good day." He hung up and I threw my fist in the air when I saw the text of the address. I screamed in excitation and Nikki rushed in.
"What's wrong…?"
"Nikki, I just got a call for an interview for the job."
"Woa, that's…" she paused and stared at me for a while.
"Nikki?"
"What kind of job is it?"
"The job of a personal driver."
Her jaw dropped the moment I told her.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!?!"
I shook my head and she laughed doubtfully.
"Please, you've got to be kidding me."
"What's wrong with being a driver…"
"It's totally wrong. A graduate working as a driver? You would barely earn enough for us to live on for a month, David!"
"I don't think so…"
"Oh yeah I do. And I fucking wish you give up on that job and try your luck else well if you don't want to be treated like trash, David. I won't be able to stand that." She huffed.
"Your bowl of noodles is in the kitchen. Go grab it. I will be out for a while."
She hissed and left, obviously vexed.
I don't know why we always quarrel about the nature of the jobs I take.
But I never look down on any job. So far I can do it, then it's fine. I would take on any job even though it's not a white-collar job because I desperately need the money.
And this time, it won't be different. I'm surely going for the interview tomorrow morning.