"They make us pay taxes every month yet they can't fix this goddamn streets lights," Melissa hissed as she walked past the street lights that kept flickering. The streets were empty and almost quiet except for the barking of the stray dogs that lived by the dumpster that was over-flowing.
 She reached into her bag for the leftovers she had scooped out while doing the dishes. She crouched low and then poured it into the bowl she had brought last night for the dogs.
The dogs who were fighting over some bones rushed towards her and began to devour the food. Five minutes later, they had emptied the bowl and were back to their scuffle for the bones.
Melissa stare at the dogs, absentmindedly. They had no problems whatsoever, no annoying boss trying to have his way with them, no landlord threatening to eject them out of their apartment due to their inability to pay their rent that was due or loan sharks threatening to sell them off to a rich old man to get back their money.
 Behind that cute and alluring smile of hers, Melissa was crumbling beneath her problems. Life had never been fair to her, from her days at the orphanage where she was maltreated, starved, forced to work under the scorching hot sun under her hands became sore and have blisters that wouldn't go away for days until she stole ointment from the clinic. The matron, gnome as she was called by the children at the orphanage was a spitting image of the devil on earth. She made life a living hell for everyone.
"Don't hold me responsible for all your sufferings," she would cackle, showing off her teeth that were like those of a vampires. There were rumors that the kids that had allegedly been adopted had not ended up in foster homes but her pot-bellied stomach. She has feasted on their blood all night and devoured their flesh.
"You should be cursing your pathetic parents who left you in this evil and ruthless world," her horse whip that she held firmly would find its way to the back of a child who was slacking. She would grab the helpless child and dangle him or her in the air, "now I have to suffer for their mistakes, taking care of little and evil devils like you." The child would be thrown onto a pile of refuse that the children had suffered to gather, making them start all over again.
Melissa was a pain in the neck of the matron. She would protest against the suffering or the strenuous labor the kids were being thrown and it would earn her a night in the dark and stinky punishment room without food or water. There. She would cry, bang her head against the wall, curse her luck and then everywhere would go silent. Her brain would start working, hatching up a plan on how to escape.
Like the popular saying goes "Opportunity they said comes but once," and Melissa made use of the chance when it presented itself. Every 27th of May, They took a trip to the amusement park on children's day, to celebrate children's day. This was a day the children all looked out for, a day filled with joy and excitement, a work free day filled with lots of food and drinks. The fun part was the giant ice cream sundae, the fun rides, the scary ones that made their hearts beat faster and the chocolate fountain.
The moment they were left unattended to, Melissa made a run for it, not looking back, sand she had no idea where she was going to but she knew one thing for sure; life outside the orphanage would be better.
Boy was she wrong, without a certificate or any formal education, finding a high paying as hard so she had to settle for the a job that a café. From the little she earned, she got a place to stay after living a new friend who worked at the cafe. Her zeal to go back to school made her take loans to see her through high school to her third year in college. The loans were due and she had no means whatsoever to pay them back. What she earned from her job was not enough to pay her rent not to talk of loans.
"Melissa, say yes and all your life problems will become mine," Her boss who made her contort her face in disgust would say to her.Â
"My problems are mine, my burdens my cross to carry, don't worry about me," she would roll her eyes at him. He would move closer in a bid to touch her inappropriately, a move that made Melissa want to empty a kettle filled with boiling water on him but she didn't, more like she couldn't. Her stares that sent a clear message "if you dare to touch me, I'll cut off that thing in between your legs" he would take a step back.
"I'll be here when the loan sharks come for you, a beer in hand as I watch them drag your ass onto the dirty road where they'll manhandle and humiliate you, then I'll come to your rescue, pay your debt and you'll be left with no other choice but to let me have my way with...âŠ"
Melissa who had been trying to stop herself from saying something rude or harsh that'll have her fired would take a deep breath before she spoke, choosing her words carefully.
"Mr. Godson. I have a lot of coffees to make, if I don't work, you will not have money, if you dint have money, how exactly do you intend on being the dashing old fool that comes to the rescue of the poor helpless girl?" picking up the cup of coffee she had just made, she would give him a dirty look before leaving the kitchen.
A pull on her hair brought her back to reality, the grip became tight and she was sure of one thing; the person had plans to rip her hair off.
"There's a kind, caring and loving bone in you, I'm shocked,"
That voice!
Even in a room filled with people who were yelling at the top of their voices, she'd be able to Identity the rusty and annoying voice of this street urchin, Markus.
Â