A STEP HUSBAND

CHAPTER-2: DAYS AND NIGHTS

The club is full of all class of people. Not all are bad and not all are good too. She was appointed by the owner for her talent. Jessica is really an awesome singer. She became a singer but not on a stage where her talent will be appreciated or she will receive warm ovations. She received audiences who pass obscene and absurd comments. They judge her by her face and her physique but not for her ability and talent. In place of roses they throw money on her. But Jessica has no issues. She has developed a mind and heart that adapts everything. Because she knows roses won't satisfy hunger but money will. Jessica has never compromised with any of the customers. Many have lured her with better job, singing career, marriage, house, money and lots of allurements in trade for a night with her. But Jessica never crossed her contour. She may be deprived but not fragile. She strongly believes the theory of YING AND YANG. GOOD IN BAD AND BAD IN GOOD.

The club's exit door for staffs is from the backdoor which opens into a dimly lit alley. Whenever Jessica walks through it an unknown fear wraps her up like a blanket. Every night she almost runs out of the alley to reach her apartment. She even freaks out with the sound of her high heels on an empty and silent path at the middle of the night.

Jessica's roommate Ahana works in a call centre. Most of the days she has night shifts except Fridays. Those nights without Ahana are the darkest nights for Jessica. She feels as if someone has tied and trapped her inside a dark dungeon. It has been a year now in this apartment with Ahana but Jessica has not yet overcome the fear of staying alone at night. She was very sneaky from her childhood. Her father always accompanied her to school and when she grew up she had Ron. Ron knows how faint –hearted her sister is. He used to be very protective like her bodyguard. But now, circumstances are unlike. Ron wonders, when and how did her sneaky sister grew so big that she took over the entire responsibility single handed? How is she fighting the brutal world out there all by herself? On other hand, Jessica knows herself very well. She is like a coconut, hard from outside and soft from inside. She knows how she feels at the end of the day, what it takes to fight the cruel world staring at her with freaky, red eyes like a massive monster. But, she believes one day she will get a prince like Cinderella got. She loved the story of Cinderella when her dad read it to her every night before sleep. Her optimistic nature pushes her forward amidst all odds. Her each day and each night may be a prolong struggle to survive but her dreams are always like fairy tales.