AZRAEL

CHAPTER 4: THE FREQUENCY

I woke up in a good mood and looked around to check if Michelle was gone. I took a deep breath and thanked God because she was gone. Maybe she is just a dream because she is not real, but I know the food I ate last night is real because I am still full and don't feel down anymore. I feel like new energy inside me lifts me like I am fully charged. I don't feel down anymore. Maybe I charged myself from sleeping. The table and the chairs are gone, too, as well as Simon. Perhaps, all that happened to me was just a dream—a long dream after a long sleep. I don't want to think about it now because I am ready to face my morning. I am entirely determined to find a job right now. I smell the aroma of my dad's coffee. He is already awake, and he is drinking coffee. Michelle told me that my dad's actions are limited because he is already dead. I looked at my dad and stared at him. I also noticed that he keeps drinking coffee, sleeps after, and then drinks coffee again. Maybe Michelle is correct, but how can she be right if she is the one who is not real?

I shook my head to stop myself from thinking. Nevermind. As long as my dad is here with me. I am fine. I bathed and prepared myself for my job hunt around the corner. I am willing to accept any decent job to help us survive daily. After taking a bath, I brushed my teeth using my old toothbrush and toothpaste in a sachet. I want to look good even though I am a poor man. I checked my breath after brushing my teeth. It is all good. I comb my hair and prepare myself for my job hunt. I hope to get one today.

"Are you going to talk to Jackie now?"

"Jeezus Christ!" I was surprised when I turned around and saw Simon standing behind me. I held my heart because it was beating fast when I saw Simon, who was now standing behind me and still asking me if I had already talked to his wife.

"Why don't you go home?" I asked him

"I can't go home... because I don't belong here anymore", He answered.

I walked past him, put the comb inside my bag, took my perfume, and sprayed the luxurious perfume my foreign friend gave me when he visited here. The Creed Aventus, which I think has only four sprays left and was done. This is the only one left in me that reminds me of my luxurious life. I looked at the bottle because I would remember it to remind me what life I had before shit things happened.

"Please, talk to Jackie now," Simon said, and he kept asking me to talk to his wife.

"Simon, look, I don't know why you are here but talking to your wife, which is as far as I know your ex-wife because you are already dead, is not my priority," I told him frankly, which made him sad.

"Money is my priority right now, not you or not anyone else... go away", I added, and I hoped he would stop bothering me now because I didn't have the plan to talk to his wife.

I tried to find my expensive watch in my bag, but I remembered I didn't have a wristwatch.

Anymore. I sold it and my ring to have money to start again. So I brought my wallet instead of my watch. I still have P500.00 inside. I am still determining how far my money will get me, but I must take a chance to find my luck.

"Dad, I will find a job, and I will be back before night," I said, and he smiled at me without saying anything.

"Wish me luck," I said, and I left the house with positivity and determination that I would have a job today. I was about to go out the gate when Tania called me. So I stopped walking and looked at her. She went close to me and smiled with her cute dimple again.

"I am sorry, but... my mom saw you were talking alone last night—" She said and took a deep breath because I knew she was shy to ask me something about what she needed.

"My mom wants to know if you are using drugs?" She shyly asked because she couldn't look at me.

"She said... drug users are not allowed here, so... she might ask you to leave," She said, and she dared to look into my eyes, but I didn't answer. I just rolled my eyes and took a deep breath because I didn't know what to say. Michelle is honest and what happened last night was not a dream.