Soulmates in Writing (AR Version)

Chapter 1: Lasagna

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. -Nelson Mandela

Riddhima hated weekdays. It never brought anything good for her. It was college then her part-time job, college and then her part-time job. And so on. But the fact still remained she had to work hard to earn a living and then work hard again to study.

Eventhough Riddhima was a staunch supporter of the quotations relating to work hard to achieve anything, it did not mean she was fond of it. Hard work came with a price. One must lose something to achieve their goal and Riddhima had lost a great deal to achieve her goals. But she did not regret it.

Not even once. But there was still that feeling. That feeling of regret and sadness. That feeling where what could have been her life had she been in a different scenario. But these thoughts didn't last forever as she purchased her groceries for the day.

Right now the only sadness she felt was seeing her hard earned money being spent on food. Not that she had any complain about it. It was just that the money was being spent. That was all.
But tonight Riddhima was in the mood of making something fulfilling for her stomach. For the past two days she had been eating nothing but vegetables and soup. Today her mood was for lasagna. So she had bought all the possible ingredients to make a scrumptious meal, eventhough the certain amount was a little too much for her.

But it was food. And if food was the primary source for her expenditure then it was the first priority. Riddhima staggered a little while walking down the long narrow pathway of the street. Cars couldn't usually pass from here because they could not have enough room but the road was suitable for smaller vehicles and walking.

Since Riddhima lived in a silent neighborhood that looked nothing less than a horror movie scenario after dark, she always had pepper spray ready inside her bag. She had been living in this neighborhood for three years and so far by some great stroke of luck she hadn't used it. Not even once.

Riddhima quietly passed the trash bins where she noticed cats fighting amongst themselves. She walked a good distance without making any noise. The walk became a little intense when the narrow pathway started to go slightly downwards. Riddhima had to put up a lot of physical control on her body knowing she could easily trample while carrying those heavy bags.

It was a chilly weather in Amsterdam at this time of the year. Riddhima was walking quite fast for her liking. At the same time her unzipped hoodie was falling off her body and only her arms were supporting the hoodie from falling down.
She prayed she could get to her apartment safely. The familiar building came into view. It wasn't something grand. The colour was fading. The terrace was falling apart and the windows needed a desperate renewing along with the blackening bars.

It wasn't the best of places but the rent was cheap and some of the interiors of certain apartment was much better. The normal units for a single person began from first floor to fifth floor. The rest were deluxe apartments where two or more roommate could easily adjust. Some were full time studios.
Riddhima's apartment was on the second floor. She practically ran towards the entrance with her arms swinging with bags. Placing both the bags on the floor she stood up and fixed her hoodie, zipping it firmly and slid the hood neatly onto her head. Then she took out her keys. The door was blotched with fingerprints and was also colourless just like the rest of the exterior of the building but it was working in fine shape.

She jammed the keys inside turned the lock and pushed the door open and walked inside with the bags simultaneously. The hallway was quiet at this time of the hour. She checked the clock above the mail lockers and began to walk the stairs.

She did not take the elevator as it was being repaired and there was barricade tape stretched around it. Riddhima sighed as the stairs were no easy task for her. The bags in her arms were dangerously hanging loose and it was perhaps the sheer willpower that was making her move above.