As I walk down the street, dragging my heavy luggage to the new apartment far from downtown, it's drizzling and cloudy, just like I feel right now, gloomy and cheerless.
Today is one of the most miserable days of my life. As a 30-year-old woman living paycheck to paycheck, I have $57,000 in credit debt due to my spending habits, and I thought I was the one who should be promoted, but I was recently laid off. Since I'm unemployed and still have a lot of debt to pay off. This left me no choice but to move to the smaller and more rural apartment that I can currently afford. As a matter of fact, today is my birthday. When it comes to birthday, most people think of cake, party, birthday gift and celebration, but what I have today is nothing but misfortune and bad luck. It seems like things can't get any worse.
As I reach my apartment, where I'll be staying for at least a year, I suddenly realize that there are still a lot of unexpected shocks waiting for me. When I turn the key in the tired lock, the shape of the light bulb is so wrong, the faucet in the bathroom leaks slightly, the wooden floor is worn and tired. The whole living space is like a mirror reflecting my soul. Lying on the old gray couch is the only place I can lie down and rest. I close my eyes and try to think of something positive to redeem myself, but I can't think of anything inspiring.
Suddenly someone knocks on my door. It pulls me temporarily out of my inner sadness. "Who knows I live here? And who is out there?" I open the door, confused and uncertain. "Would you like some tea and apple pie?" An old lady stands in the doorway and serves what she has just baked. Her warm voice disperses the thick fog inside me, her smile is like the winter sun that brings warmth and hope. But the melancholy comes back much sooner than I expected. Suddenly, I remember that I've been overeating for days because it's a way of pampering myself when I'm under pressure. I can feel my skirt getting tighter, I'm overweight, if I keep eating junk food I'll soon be a pig. Now a piece of apple pie looks guilty to me. I'm so depressed about myself.
When I'm about to say no, she continues, "Happy birthday, sweet Betty. I know you love apple pie. She hands me a piece of warm, sweet, fragrant apple pie on a plain white plate. Just like Mom used to make for me when I was a little girl. This is one of my favorite desserts that I look forward to after school. A slice of apple pie sweetens my childhood.
But wait a minute, how did she know it was my birthday? How does she know my name? I'm so sure she's not my landlord, because my landlord is a guy. Did she say, "I know you love it" or "I know you'd love it"? Oh, I'm not in the mood for grammar right now because I have so many things on my mind. She pulled me out of my inner turmoil as she knocked on the door. The grief dissipated, giving way to confusion and curiosity. I have so many questions about what just happened in that small apartment. But it seems the question that really matters at this point is - who is she?
YOU ARE READING
The Old Lady Next Door
SpiritualBetty struggles with her life. She has been moved to a smaller apartment in the country for financial reasons, but little does she know that the mysterious old lady next door will open the door of her heart and change her life.
