Tearing Paper

Not Everyday

"Big dinner, Dianne?"

Dianne stopped stirring the pot of soup when she heard the landlady's friendly greeting. She smiled guiltily, knowing that her visit could only mean one thing.

"Sometimes I have the need to... reward myself."

"After a long day at work?"

Now that sounded different. Dianne stared at her and crossed her arms. "I..."

"I'm much older than you, Dianne. I've been through more. What makes you think you're gonna get away with-fooling me?" the landlady didn't sound intimidating-she was, in fact, gentle. Dianne sighed.

"I thought you could've figured it out on your own..."

"Where you go every evening?"

Dianne shrugged.

"Well, I have no idea. But whatever you're doing everyday out there better be useful, because you know you can't stay here forever. It's not like I don't want you here-"

"I'm... so, so sorry. It's not like I didn't try. I tried. I really wanted to be a poet."

The landlady didn't say a word, as if she was contemplating on how much of the words Dianne said were the truth. She hated chasing around the people who paid late. But Dianne was different. She wasn't even sure if she could actually afford to pay her stay at all.

"Why did you stay here-when you know full well that you, excuse my bluntness, don't have a job? I never see a family member coming over so they must not be the one supplying you with money either."

The soup was boiling. Dianne turned the stove off and the room turned even more silent afterwards. She finally said, "I just needed a place to stay as soon as possible. I'm really sorry. I-I ran away."

The landlady raised her eyebrows. She took her handbag and opened it, and a few seconds later she pulled a crumpled paper out and smoothened it. "From this?"

Dianne's eyes stared widely at the paper she had never seen before. It had her photograph on it, and some writings were written under it-writings that soon turned blurry as she realized tears were rushing towards her eyes, and as soon as she could not contain them, she cried. The landlady hugged her tight.

"You might think you're running away, dear," she said gently, "but whoever you're running away from must miss you to pieces. It's not everyday that you find someone going this crazy just to get you back."