"Mummy mummy! Where's daddy? I haven't seen him in so long!"
"Sweetheart, he'll be here tomorrow, count on it," she said as she clicked the button on the remote and walked over to the kitchen, bringing the television screen to life.
"Great hero loses his life after aiding the police to catch the world's biggest threat," the broadcaster breaks the news as Karen's mother returns, balancing two plates with biscuits and snacks on it.
Just as she sets them on the table and looks up at the screen, she pauses for a moment, before taking in what she had just heard. Upon letting the information sink in, she felt uneasy, a pang in her heart.
Soon after, the screen showed a picture of an undeniably familiar face, indicating the victim of death.
"Mummy... daddy's here! There he is!"
Karen's POV:
Waking up late on a weekend is like a fairytale, waking up on weekdays is as horrible as it is. However, waking up to a freaking alarm clock is a nightmare.
As much as I wanted to smack my finger onto the snooze button, I grudgingly sat up and rubbed my eyes grouchily. Letting out a huge yawn, I scrambled to my feet and lazily walked into the bathroom.
Taking in my hideous reflection on the mirror, I growled in annoyance.
People woke up early because they had jobs. I woke up because I didn't have a job. As ironic as that sounded, I unwillingly got myself dressed in proper clothes for an upcoming interview.
Looking in the mirror one last time, I scanned through my outfit and put on a pair of stilettos while walking out the door and locking it.
As I stepped onto the bustling pavement, I took a deep breath and began finding my way to a nearby café where my interview was scheduled.
For a considerably long time, I had been living independently, with my brother, Lucas, at my side to occasionally take care of me and often pay me visits. After my parents passed one after another, it was up to my uncle to take up the responsibility of raising both of us, leading us to our current age.
By the time we were old enough, Lucas began to take care of me until I could get a job and settle for good. By now, it was a habit, to be responsible for myself and to look out for others too.
Roaming the streets for work, I decided it was finally time to act mature and actually get one.
As I stood in front of the glass doors, I let out a sigh and opened them. A bell sound echoed through the cafe, indicating my entrance into the shop. Almost immediately, the scent of coffee hits my nostrils, and instantly made me feel at ease.
The shop was decorated cutely and seemed minimalistic. The floors were a rich dark brown and the walls were creamy vanilla and most importantly, the atmosphere was peaceful and relaxing.
Taking confident strides up to the counter, I waited patiently to be attended.
"Hi, I'm Karen. I came in for the opening position," I explained to one of the employees.
A girl behind the counter wearing a pair of tight fitting jeans and a white shirt with a matcha coloured apron, looked me up and down. She then scoffed while walking up to me.
"Sorry, the job's taken."
It was almost as if she was mocking me. She passes a fake smile and rolls her eyes before getting back to work.
I honestly had no clue why she was coming off rude at me when I hadn't said a single wrong thing.
I was pissed.
Cursing under my breath, I painstakingly let out a soft 'thank you' and left the store.
My first job interview of the day and it screwed up. Sighing in defeat, I strolled down the street, contemplating my next move.
As I continued into a busy street, I noticed it was crowded, not the norm. I pushed my way through the mob of people while enduring the heated atmosphere. Just then, I felt something hard brush against my wrist, clearly distinguishable from the accidental sweeps and strokes in the crowd.
The sensation lasts for a mere second before it's gone. As much as I wanted to lift my hand and check it, the hustle and bustle of the crowd didn't spare me a second to do so.
Ignoring it, I focused on finding my way out and into a quiet street where I could recompose myself.
After giving the idea some consideration, I decided to spend the rest of my day looking- hunting for job openings and available spots since I was practically jobless - metaphorically and quite literally.