Ethereal love: love born from a wish

Five(Cecilia)

           I found it so hard to sleep because I kept thinking about how I was going to care for three kids on my own. Stella did not say anything about my pay and I was slowly losing my mind.

           I heard the sound of a car horn outside. I was not expecting anyone especially not around six in the morning. I picked up my phone immediately I heard my ringtone. It was Stella calling.

       "Hey, the vehicle I sent to help pick up your things are already at your side. I didn't expect them to be there this early morning or even today" Like her usual self, she hung up immediately after talking. I woke up my siblings in a rush.

       "A vehicle is here to pack our things. Help me carry them downstairs. Be fast" Josh was still rubbing his eyes while Mike started carrying things outside. I was shocked they stood up immediately I woke them up. Lily was still asleep and I didn't blame her. I would wake her up soon because we needed to move.

          "Finally, the fools are leaving" That was all my stepmom said as we left while my father did not even bother coming out. Even though I was visibly annoyed, I just ignored her. I was so sure she was going to miss us because for the few days we stayed we helped in doing almost all the work around the house.

           We were done taking our things to the vehicle outside and my little sister was still asleep. I had to carry her to the vehicle not like it was so much work.

          We got to our new apartment after about twenty minutes. I even slept off for a while during the drive. The driver handed over the keys to the apartment. I went ahead to open the door. I was so surprised when I saw the house. I didn't know what I was expecting to see but the apartment was large and beautiful.

       The driver helped carry our load inside after which he took off.

    "Y'all need to get dressed and get your asses to school" I shouted at them. I was their parent now whether they liked it or not.

        "Don't say that foul language. I'm just a kid" Josh said while holding his ears and laughing. He was sixteen and I was pretty sure he knew all the foul words available but I still needed to keep foul words out of my mouth because of Lily.

        "I wouldn't have had to say one if you were already getting ready for school. Help me dress Lily, would you?" It came out as a question but Josh knew better than to say no. He nodded his head in agreement and carried Lily with him. How was that kid still sleeping?

       "How did you pay for all these?" The question I had been expecting came from Mike.

       "I got a job at Stella's company" I said before giving him a summary of all that happened. I knew he was worried about how I was going to cope so I assured him that I was fine.

      "But you've always wanted to be an accountant. Is there no vacancy for an accountant there?" He expressed his concern but I was least bothered. How hard could a secretary's job be? Moreover, Stella was my best friend and we could also joke after work and things like that.

       "I'm fine with it. I would be graduating soon and I'd be able to focus on the job" With that, he left me alone and went to arrange things.

        I was so wrong about how Stella and I would joke after work because we did not. We were too busy to even talk to each other.

         Overseeing a new company meant meeting new people every time. I had so much to do and I was so happy I was graduating soon because the job could not be mixed with school. It was a full-time job.

            My graduation day came faster than expected. I worked through the night before so I was still at the office in the morning. I quickly rushed home to dress up and I was happy I managed to get to the graduation ceremony early. I was not even listening to everything they were saying. I was even feeling sleepy. Maybe it was a bad idea to work overnight the night before my graduation.

           As I heard my name, I rushed to the front to collect my certificate. I smiled so much. Stella had already collected hers so I was not surprised she was not sitting among the graduates anymore. I was sad my mom was not here but I knew she was probably smiling from the heavens.

        I had to leave immediately after because we had a meeting with some international people. If the meeting could go well, they were planning to sponsor the company. I rushed to the office not even waiting for any kind of conversation.

      "Why are you late?" I recognized Stella's voice. She was so upset for some reason I did not know. This was supposed to be my leave but I was still here. I was the one supposed to be furious, not her. She was called to collect her certificate before me and that was why she was even able to get here early.

         "I'm sorry" That was all I said as we walked into the office's cafe. The people meeting with us had requested to talk in a place where they could feel comfortable and what other place could have been better than our office's cafe.

        They refused to sign the contract and that just made Stella more furious even though it was not my fault. I literally prepared so much for the presentation but the people wanted to sponsor an entertainment industry not a modelling agency. She kept on transferring aggression to me till I finally went home. Thankfully, I closed early and I was so happy for that.

     Nothing hurt more than the fact that I had to miss taking graduation pictures because of my job. I was so upset but there was going to be an after-party later that night.

       I went into my closet and took out a dress I had been keeping for this special occasion. I was supposed to wear it in the morning but I didn't because I was planning to go back to work.

        It was a green glittery dinner gown with a slit from my thighs down. My mom got it for me sometime back. It reminded me of her so much. I looked at the time. I was late. Damn! I had not done my makeup. I just rubbed powder on my face in an hurry and went on to my eye makeup. It was not turning out as I expected so I cleaned my face. I tried calling Stella but she was not answering.

        I made a mental note to ask Stella for help when I met her at the party.  And with that, I rushed out yelling at my siblings to make sure they slept early. I was sure they were not going to listen but I left anyway.

         Thirty minutes after getting to the after-party, I still did not find Stella anywhere. I bumped into one of the waiters while still searching for my best friend. He was holding red wine in his hand and it poured on my dress. The dress was ruined. And that was no to taking pictures.

          I finally stopped looking for Stella and sat down on one of the seats.

        "I can't believe she ended up being a secretary with her good grades" One of the girls behind me said.

       "She even had to be the secretary of Stella, her friend. Pathetic if you ask me" Another girl said and they were all laughing. I was wondering what they would do if they knew I was listening. Maybe they even meant for me to hear.

      What if they were not talking about me? Who was I deceiving? What were the odds that there would be more than one person who was the secretary of her friend, Stella? I was the one they were talking about, no doubt.

       All my time working for her, this was the only time that I was embarrassed by it. Maybe that was why she was ignoring me. Maybe she was not ignoring me. Maybe I was just overthinking everything. I rubbed my forehead.

            I took two glasses of cocktail from the next waiter that passed. I drank the first glass. I could feel my head spinning already. Just how much alcohol was in this?

     It tasted sweet so I continued by sipping from the next glass. My being tipsy did not stop me from noticing someone staring at me. I could swear he had been staring at me for a long time but why?

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