I could never forget, the memory stinged like an injury refusing to heal, as mother once told me... 'Memories that's worth to the heart and the soul are bound to last forever', memories that are made of love, some times bad memories too, some are good and evil , some are spiced with pain, coated with hatered and seasoned with joy. But mine was all love from the beginning...
I could still remember, as clear as glass, father was never the 'spend time with family type', he did came every six months to visit, I was just eight , so little me always wanted to make his coming worth it, some times I made presents, I drew pictures, I did well in school ,but I could never tell him to stay, I was just that child in the story who was kept in the thick darkness all along.
I remember waking up one night, I couldn't Sleep, I had a nightmare so scared I walked to the kitchen to get some water, and there father was just about twelve midnight in his study reviewing papers, mother told me he was a business man, a busy man, but what I saw in him was different, to me he was a genius, who was too good with numbers, he cought my presence immediately, and he smiled instantly revealing his God giving, well structured chiseled face, he stared at me with his deep blue eyes, does eyes stole me away, but his gesture changed when he found no emotion in me 'you had another night mare? My little red rose" he said taking off his lenses , with his face falling off with worry, showing that his main focus was on me and his work didn't matter at all, so I believed.
"come let's go to bed" he said on his feet offering his hand to me, I raised my chin up searching for his expression but his tall figure was intimidating and endearing. " Dad?" I aske, and he looked at me with wander, searching for reason " can you read to me that story that you love so much?" I asked knowing fully well that, that was the only thing that could get me to sleep "I will my little rose, I will read it to you every day" he said with his face radiating with comfort and warmth. He tucked me in gently as he sat by my side reading the story to me page by page untill he was done, and I would fall asleep right after, i remember telling him that I would be just like him in the future...
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"Wake up, you ugly, filthy wench!!!" I heard an annoying familiar voice screaming, pulling me back into my miserable reality from my unexpected nap, I was so shoked that my reflexes responded too quickly as i trembled in fear, how shameful... How embarrassing...
She was the least person I expected to catch me in this state, it was the witch again, doing everything possible to make my life more miserable than it already was. she stared at me giving me that which i hated the most 'the body check' kind of look, waiting for me to respond to her, but my silence made her furious, and my smile made her blood boil "I will definitely report this to Doña Anna (Madam Anna), we don't sleep during working hours, you lazy, slut" she said in her annoying spanish ascent as she walked away swaying her hips like the spoiled brat that she was...
I let out some breath out of my chest that I trapped all the while Sidney was present throwing her tantrums, the book I held on so tightly got smeared in the process, I didn't realize I was holding on to it, I let a smile of disappointment, it was the book father read to me when I was little, the only proof of his exitance in my life was crumpled, faded and pulled apart, I had no idea why I still held onto it, strange isn't.
I took an exact 360 degrees look at the messy suite I was about to clean, 'well damn' I gasped at the sight of the room, it looked like I walked into a crime scene, ' how did I fall asleep in such a mess' I asked my self, the restroom was the exact definition of 'Unholy' and don't get me started with the floor, there where shards of glass from liquor bottles and fragments of drugs littered allover...
So this is my life now, my name is Roseline Michaelson. That eight year old girl I told you about, Is now twenty three years old, and remember that guy I told you about, the guy that use to read me stories, the man I called my father, oh well that man never came back after that night I never saw him again, and because he left my mom and I went through so much.
I always had this thought, of what would have been, if he never left, but mother made me stop hoping and she wanted me to start dreaming, even when reality rubbed poverty and hopelessness on our faces, I accepted that reality knowing fully well that our boat would not be sailing anywhere, but mother saw life differently and she had this strong feeling that there was a beam of light for me out there, and i just had to find it, if there was even one.
I was a part-time worker at a five star hotel, and housekeeping was my specification, Sidney was Doña Anna's only daughter, since she was so jobless, she was assigned to inspect every suit to ensure orderliness, it was obvious that the hotel was her major inheritance and for some unknown reason she hated me so much that she made it her sole priority to select all the filthy rooms for me to clean, she also made me wash each toilet three times even when it was already clean, I could still remember when she almost made me drink the toilet water giving an excuse to Doña Anna that, that was the only way to ensure cleaniness in order not to ruin the hotel's reputation.
After several back aching hours of working I took out my cleaning tools, washed them and hung them dry, and there she was, lily my work friend, who was already heavy with a child sitting helplessly out of stress, I still wandered why Doña Anna didn't notice her pregnancy, ' you're done already?' I asked helping her out as she kept mops in the storage 'no it's just one room left, but am so tired I can't even walk right now' Lily said looking very stressed out 'but you know the rules, what if someone books the suit and it's not cleaned yet? You know you'll be penalized or even worse, fired' I said looking at her with so much pity, but her response was so weak , lily was going through a lot and a pregnant lady wasn't supposed to work at this length, "you never get tired of reading that book, don't you, you're such a baby" lily said giggling as she pinned her eyes on the book I kept in my apron. Jeez lily caught me off guard pretty good I couldn't even utter a word, I kept on mumbling nonsense to save my sorry and embarrassed self 'i will clean it for you, but you owe me a cup cake" I said and smiled as her weak reaction radiated in happiness.
I dashed to the suit and to my surprise it wasn't that messy, I changed the sheets, cleaned a little and it was all done, at last I felt good for once.
I was about living when my eyes cought something beneath the bed, it was a wrist watch, but not just an ordinary wrist watch, I had seen so many celebrities going out and coming in the hotel covered in expensive things , sometimes gold, diamonds, and top designer fashion.
This wrist watch I witnessed before my eyes was one of such, it was made of pure gold and the lining of the clock work in miniature diamonds, I gasped , because this million dollar jewelry was touching my bare skin. I didn't waste a sec to take a shot of it with my phone, and in a blink, the internet showed to me that the watch was a valuable asset, and that there where only two of it in the world, one was lost and the other was sold out in an auction about sixty years ago.
In a split second a thousand thought crossed through my mind 'could this be the beam of light mom talked about?... Could this be a sign from God?... Could this be our way out of poverty?...' I thought as my heart beat rased, who ever booked this suit must have left long time ago , so maybe I could just do away with it , I thought as a voice echoed in my head ' this is the opportunity you've been waiting for' it said...
But my million imagination got cut off immediately by my perception, when I realized that this wasn't right, I wasn't a thief, and if I would ever become something in the future, it would not begin like this. I rushed down to the reception as fast as I could,just to ask if the client that booked suit 127 was still present in the hotel.
"Do you know why I love this place Rose?" The receptionist asked cutting me off from the question I asked her "can you just answer my question first , it's urgent" I said digging my eyes Into hers, craving for an answer but she ignored me AGAIN " I love this hotel because I get to see Hot stuff walking in every single day... Do you know how many autographs I have sold just in one week?..." She said adding more lip-gloss to her lips "yeah what ever...about the client that booked room 127, is that client gone already?" I asked "what now? You want an autograph from the hottie or what... You know Doña Anna strictly forbids us conversing with clients" she said staring at her mirror while adding more powder to her face, as if she wasn't guilty of conversing and flirting with the clients "he forgot, something, and I need to give it back" I said feeling frustrated already and annoyed by her loud and weird make-up "Oh... He is already leaving look at him right there, he is the owner of that hot red Mc Lauren, such a hottie isn't he" she said pointing at the entrance as she intentionally showed off her long newly painted nails to me.weird. " Thanks" I said as I made my way to the entrance, I walked fast trying to catch up pace with him, he was such a tall figure, and my heart froze when he turned to me taking me off guard, I couldn't believe I just walked to him , drew his attention with out even thinking, and he gave me no time to prepare mentally.
The only thought that crossed my mind at that moment was 'damn...i didn't know that there where angels leaving on earth'...