Claire's Home

Chapter 1

Disclaimer:
I have never been to any other country besides the Philippines so I don't know how Canadians usually speak and their terms. All I know is basic English which will be presented here. This is purely fiction and I apologise for any mistakes. Please bear with me y'all.

Note:
The words inside the parentheses are the rough translation of Filipino words to English.

Without further ado, here's Chapter 1.

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"Opo, ma," I said as I insert my keys and open the door to my rented apartment. ("Yes, mother,")

"Lagi kang mag-iingat dyan anak ha," my mother said looking teary-eyed on my phone. I turned my phone slightly away from my face to hide the tears that rolled down my cheeks. ("Always take care of yourself there my daughter,")

Before my tears turn into a full-blown sobbing, I wiped my cheeks subtly and said goodbye to my mom to unpack my things and get settled in. We've talked every night for the past month since I came here, mostly because I was homesick and still coping up with jet lag. There is a 12-hour difference back home and in my current place which is in Canada.

After weeks of sleepless nights and tons of paperworks and interviews here and there, I am finally moving in to my own apartment. I took a deep breath to hold back my tears and started unpacking.

My apartment is a studio type with one bathroom, one bedroom, a small kitchen, dining area, and a small living area. It looks like a small condiminium back in my country. This is the most decent apartment I've seen with its rent being affordable.

I have chosen this place because I was assured there are no rats or any kind of rodents in here. I signed the lease immediately because of that. Well, you know, I can live with cockroaches and spiders and all, but rats are a different story. I have watched the movie 'Killer Rats' when I was young but old enough to remember those disgusting creepy creatures that I think I have developed a phobia over them.

I've cleaned my apartment yesterday and painted my walls and surely, there are no rats in sight. I will just have to unpack my things since my furnitures and other appliances will arrive later in the day. I played some music on my phone as I started unpacking.

Today is Saturday and I will start my job at an accounting firm nearby as an Accounting Assistant. I've worked different jobs back home to support my family and I found this job opportunity online and tried applying. Luckily, I was chosen after all the screenings and interviews despite my unimpressive educational background. I then started preparing all the things I need to move in Canada. I used my earnings to buy a plane ticket and readied myself for this gamble.

I've been in Canada for a month and a half now and I haven't met people to be friends with yet. It's not easy to make friends with people as I am very shy and often embarrass myself  infront of everyone, so being separated with my family is very hard whom I've spent my whole life with. I actually have friends back home but I've never felt that I belong. They're just there and feels more like an acquaintance than friends.

As I finished every last box, I started to feel hungry. I grabbed a paper bag at the floor where a cheeseburger and fries I bought earlier at a diner just across the street is placed. A sudden knock on my door halted me from taking a bite on my burger.

I put my burger down and opened my door. There stood a woman with grayish hair wearing a gray sweatshirt and pants, smiling up at me. She's smaller than me, maybe a little bit over five feet and looks like in her late fifties. I can tell from her deep blue eyes that she was an eye candy when she was younger.

"Hi, so sorry to intrude but I can't help but notice your music as I was passing by your door," she said shyly, "may I know if you're a Swiftie?" the old woman gave me a hesitant grin as I process her words.

"I uh, yes, I'm uh, I'm a Swiftie," we stared at each other for a moment as I gave her a small nervous smile. I just noticed that her sweatshirt was from the Folklore album merchandise. August by Taylor Swift started to play in the background.

Her blue eyes widened and she clapped her hands once as excitement filled her eyes. "I'm Mary by the way," she grabbed my hands and gave me a handshake. "I'm a Swiftie too! Now I know someone who has the same taste of music as me. These people here can't relate when I talk about her music and her amazing storytelling." She let go of my hand still grinning at me.

"Hi, I'm Claire, and yes, she's an amazing storyteller." I agreed on her statement.

"Did you just moved in here?" she said as she took a peek at my back.

I moved away from my door and let her in. "I don't have any furnitures yet, but I have placed my things already," She went inside and take a look at the empty living area. "They'll arrive later."

"Great! Welcome to Nichols Apartment Building!" Mary beamed at me. I gave her a genuine smile this time.

"Thank you, Mary. Maybe we can chat over Taylor Swift here sometime when my place is done."

"That would be wonderful, Claire. I'll look forward to it." she hugged me this time and pat my back. "Well, I'll leave you to your things now. Sorry to disturb you. I'm actually just right next door if you need some help." she said as she went to the door.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you again, Mary."

"No worries, fellow Swiftie," Mary winked as she closed the door.

Oh well, that was strange but refreshing. I think my old woman neighbor just became my friend.

I went back to the floor to eat my cheeseburger and fries.

So much for being shy.