Debt and Chocolate #HersheysMode

Nobody should know that I failed.

The lights are off. Maybe by doing so, I could hide the shame to myself. I'm curled into a ball, silently wishing time should stand still. The silence is almost deafening but faintly interrupted by my growling stomach which I refused to acknowledge.

My phone lit up indicating that another call had been ignored. I've set my phone to busy mode. It's lighting up every few minutes now. I could feel my body tense and my tears fell unstoppably. I know very well what those calls are for. They are my creditors. They've been trying to reach me since 4 in the morning.

I admit that I failed in life. All the sacrifices that I thought I'd made weren't significant. If I could die here, I would have no other wish. I am not who I thought I was. I went through hardship. I kept waiting for my turn, but it never came, only failures. I am my worst critic. I failed to be who I wanted to be.

The worst thing here, I could only cry to myself. I could never admit this to anyone, to preserve my last shred of dignity, which is so close to none.

It's almost noon time. My hunger is getting harder to ignore at this point. I manage to make my way to the refrigerator. I'm fighting the dizziness that came over me because of hours of crying and staying in a single position. To my dismay, there is no food inside.

I've exhausted my supply of instant noodles. I only have a pitcher of water inside and a bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup that my sister left. We were supposed to use it a few months ago for my baby's birthday. Unfortunately, the chocolate fountain didn't work.

It's been there for a few months, untouched. I don't like sweets but chocolates are always an exemption. I slowly closed the refrigerator and went back to my corner.

The despair is creeping in again. When I was about to shed another set of tears, I saw my phone lit up again. I moved closer and decided to turn it off when I saw an unknown number calling.

I answered it hesitantly. My creditors might be using a different number now.

"H-Hello?"

"Hi! Is this Eunice Alison?"

"Yes, speaking."

"Hi! Congratulations, you won the Hershey's Article Writing Contest conducted a week ago! We will send an email with the instructions on how you will claim your cash prize."

"R-REally? Wow. I can't believe it. Thank you so much!"

"We will keep in touch! Congratulations! Bye!"

I don't know what else to say. I could feel my negative mood slowly lifting. I know I am not totally appeased, but somehow, the news made me feel hopeful. I've won some cash. It is a big help already. I stood up and found myself in front of the refrigerator again.

I grabbed the bottle of Hershey's syrup. This will do for now.