Between the vigorous lovemaking and the long days at the soup kitchen, exhaustion was my middle name.
I fell asleep in his arms, even though I knew he would be gone by morning as if he was never there.
The sound of raindrops hitting the windows woke me up. It was raining again and I was grateful. The summer heat had been unbearable in the past month. Indeed, summers in Morston felt a lot like the desert.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, I closed my eyes when it showed five in the morning. I rolled on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I needed to start preparing for the interview.
I pushed myself off the bed and picked up the letter off the nightstand to read through the specified requirements. Personal information, educational history, and the essay that I wrote will be discussed in detail and the list went on to the other side.
I threw the paper on the floor and buried my head in the pillow, groaning in frustration with everything. I was hopelessly in love with a man that only wanted me at night, and the impending interview that would decide my future were my greatest pains.
After a good twenty minutes of commiserating, I pushed myself off the bed, groaning in pain. Mason had been quite rough the night before. It didn't happen often but when it did, it took me a good hour to get myself together.
Stumbling like a baby dear, I managed to get into the bathroom and turned the light on.
My eyes fell on the faded pinkish lines around my wrists, and gasped. He'd never tied me before. I didn't know what brought that upon, but the memory quickly came into my mind and made me smile.
After taking a shower, I got ready for the day and made my way towards the kitchen. It was my turn to cook, and I knew Mason had probably already left. I wondered where for the briefest moment.
I went through the motions like I did every morning, and began preparing breakfast.
" Good morning, dear" Enid grumbled rubbing her eyes, still half asleep.
" Morning," I replied and pushed the coffee cup onto the table along with the porridge that I had prepared. She'd insisted to keep it simple when it was just us.
" How are you feeling? You look tired," Enid noted with quirked-up brows blowing on her spoonful of porridge.
" I'm good," I was tired " The heat is getting to me," I tried to sound as casual as possible. It was half true.
Enid hummed " Quite a surprise," Enid sighed, " That girl is getting brazen," Enid remarked with furrowed brows. She wasn't wrong. Ava kept showing up at the house, almost every day.
" She is not my problem," I coldly said, sipping on my coffee. She was and she wasn't. Chasing after Mason had become a full-time hobby for her, and she didn't show any signs of relenting.
Enid nodded, in agreement " I'm taking the train to Queenieborough to visit my friend. I will be back on Sunday," Enid shifted onto something else, and I was grateful. I didn't want to spend my morning speaking about Ava.
" Alright," I finished my coffee, glancing up at the clock. It was almost seven and I needed to be on my way.
" I'll bring you some of Livy's famous cupcakes," The cupcakes were to die for. Her friend was a talented baker, quite popular in Queenieborough.
" Thank you," I said smiling. I didn't have many guilty pleasures, but cakes were my newfound weakness.
" I need to get going," I pushed myself off the chair, to clean up the mess that I had made.
With Enid's poor health, I didn't want to leave it to her to do it. When I turned around, Enid was resting her hands on her face, swaying in her seat. And before I had a chance to ask what was wrong, she collapsed on the table.
The first time it happened, my own heart stopped along with hers but after the first few times, I was able to handle it a bit better.
I pulled up the emergency kit out of the cupboard, we had a few around the house just in case. I wasn't a trained professional, but Dr Button had shown me how to do it. After administering the injection, I sat back in my chair and waited for Enid to come to her senses. I knew why it happened. She had forgotten to take her medication the night before.
I pulled a tablet out of the bottle and placed it on the table, next to her cup of coffee. Slowly, she began regaining consciousness. I was glad that I was there when it happened.
" You forgot to take your medication," I said the moment she raised her head, looking rather rough.
" I think you should rest for the day and visit your friend when you're feeling better," I advised and stood up when she nodded.
" Come, let's get you into bed," I stretched the coffee and tablet to her nose. I wanted to make sure that she was taking her medication.
Meekly she nodded and took the tablet out of my hand without argument.
" Maybe, I should stay at home," I thought out loud, as she stood up before me.
" No dear, I will be fine. I just need to wait for a little while." Enid replied as she wrapped her arm around my waist.
" Call the soup kitchen if you're not feeling well," I added as we made our way to her room.
Enid hummed, and pushed the door open, patting me on my arm " Thank you, dear, but I will be fine. Don't worry about me," Eh? She'd just fallen flat on the table and was telling me not to worry.
" Alright, " I kept my thoughts to myself and tucked her into bed " I'll give you a call when I get there to check on you. Be good and stay in bed," I said as I turned around to leave. I wasn't comfortable with leaving her alone but I knew she would be alright after a little repose.