Addictive Redemptions

CHAPTER 5 Away, Away

" Baby girl?"

The type of endearment that the person uses gave Carlina a slight smile on her lips. " Yep, it's me," she replies awkwardly. It has been a long time since they talked, almost a year now.

There is a silence between them before the person on the other side let out a long sigh, " It has been a while now, has it?"

" Yeah, it has," she agrees. " I miss you, uncle," she expresses followed by a soft laugh.

" I miss you too, my baby Carlina," he retorts back with a chuckle. " How have you been?"

" I'm doing great." Yeah, not so much. She just found out that her boyfriend is cheating on her all this time. " But I . . . need favour," she admitted.

" Oh, yeah? Now you only call me just when you need a favour? You set my hopes high, baby."

I have one too and look where it got me. She wanted to reply that but instead, " No, no!" she answers back with a laugh, " I promise I will call you often from now on."

" Okay, okay," he recovers from his state and back turns serious. He asks, " What do you need?"

" Erm . . . do you still have your connections in Singapore?" Carlina asks hesitantly. She is not sure if he will do what she asks him to.

" Sort of. Why?"

" Well, I want to move to Singapore, and I need your help to get me to settle down. Can you do it?"

" Hmm . . . may I ask why?" he asks suspiciously.

Ugh, I should know that he would ask that and prepared a script to answer that. " There is but it's nothing that I can't handle."

" It's a boy, is it?" he continues digging in.

" No, it's not," she tries to assure him but it comes to waste because he is ignoring her excuse.

" It's a boy then! What happened?" he continues ignoring her denial.

" Ugh, it's not," she groans. Her uncle doesn't need to know why out of sudden she wanted to move across the continents. It is enough for him to stress over his works and now he wants to burden himself with his niece's love-life problem.

" Still in denial, I guess."

God, help me.

" Uncle!" she tries to burst his bubble.

" Okay, okay! I'll stop. But are you sure you're fine?" he recovers and asks her seriously.

" I am fine. Don't worry about me," she assures him. " So . . . can you do it?" she trails her sentences to persuade him.

" Sure, I can do it for you. Whenever you want, baby."

" Really?! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You're the best, uncle!" she thanked him excitedly. She slightly jumps from her seat in excitement.

" I know I am. So, that's it?"

" Yeah, just that. I'm thankful for you, uncle," she thanked him again. She really can't wait to move away from there. She doesn't want to be linked with that bastard again.

" Yeah, yeah. You should stop calling me uncle, you know? It makes me sounds old. You can just call me by my name," he said irritatingly of her calling him uncle.

What? He is her uncle. So, she should call him uncle, right?

She laughs freely with his remarks. Wow, before she was so angry and now with just a little talk with her favourite people, she can laugh wholeheartedly. Good change.

" Yes, Sam," she answers with a chuckle.

" That's a lot better. So now, I have to go. I have to settle your demands as fast as I can. I'll text you the details later. Bye for now, baby"

" Okay, bye-bye, much," she makes a kissing sound before ending the call.

Now, she has something else to do - packing.

...

Carlina is sitting alone with a cup of hot chocolate in a cafe. She is waiting for her flight that will be due in another hour. She sips her hot chocolate as she takes a glance around, looking at the people rushing here and there.

Some with their family, some wearing suits showing a cold exterior. Some with their friends and some with their spouses. Her heart clenches at it.

It was as if they are mocking her with their happiness.

I feel like I want to vomit looking at them.

Their happiness​ may never be forever as tomorrow is a mystery.

Suddenly there was an announcement for boarding flights. She quickly finishes her hot chocolate and throws the cup in the bin nearby.

She straightens her backpack and goes to the boarding gate that was written on her flight ticket and walk into the plane. A flight attendant greets her as she walks to her seat near the window.

Carlina settles down and pulls out her headphone from her backpack. She chooses a playlist and plays it on her headphone. Soon, the plane is starting to board leaving LA and the United States.

She looks out the window as thoughts running in her mind. How her life turns out like this leading her to leave the only place that she knows.

Although she feels relieved that she is going away, she also feels a little bit sad about leaving her only best friend, Alicia. How would she live in an empty apartment alone? She knows it is immature to leave like just that but it is her decision and hope Alicia, as a best friend would try to understand her situation.

Maybe Carlina will invite her to come to the new place she is living at, during the holidays.

Yeah, that is a good idea. I will tell her later.

And as for that bastard, she will pray for his life to be ten times miserable as per what she felt. The sight was disgusting and it was printed on her brain as a reminder to never put her trust on anyone than herself – ever.

...