I wake up before my alarm rings so I shut it off early. I sit up straight from my sleeping bag and look around my apartment. The whole place is a mess. There were glass shards strewn everywhere, pieces of splinter wood over the floor, and rocks with pieces of paper as well.
I just place my palm onto the side of my forehead and sigh.
What exactly am I supposed to do at this point?
I really wish I knew the answer, but I know I don't. I get up and walk into the bathroom and wash my face, looking into the mirror, seeing a ghastly face that gave away all her stress and worries. That face was most certainly mine, but at the same time, it didn't feel like mine. I finish putting on the lotion and grab my bag, placing the apartment keys, my wallet, my phone, and my jacket inside and head out. I lock the door securely and proceed down the stairs.
I open the door to the outside of the apartment complex and I hear the sounds of people chattering away and the beeps of cars honking.
Like nothing happened. It was completely normal to them. But... how? I quickly proceed to the café and enter, feeling a rush of safety flow through my mind and heart, finally feeling myself relax as I smell the familiar scent of ground coffee beans.
"Sleep well?" Adam asks as he notices my smile.
"I certainly wish I did. But no. I am dreadfully tired. Why is everyone so calm after the gang wars? That's so... weird." I simply put in words.
"Well," he starts as he wipes down a few cups. "Our city is known for its organization of events to an extent. As we mentioned before, gang wars are scheduled, but people are never caught. The city is just notified so then people are put out of harm's way. Not to mention, ever since this policy was put down, victim death rates have dropped and crime rates have actually lowered. Anything else?"
I just nod solemnly as I take in the information. "Oh! One cup of coffee before work?"
"Coming right up." I watch as he makes my coffee and puts on the creamer, the aroma filling the air. I look around the café, people talking as they hold their coffee mugs in their hands. Laughter rings through the shop as someone cracks a joke here and there.
"Here you go, Hazel," Adam says as he hands over my cup.
"Have..." I start hesitantly. "Have you still been smoking?" I stare into his eyes.
"No, I only do it once in a while." He replies.
"So... why'd you smoke the other day then?"
"Because you made me mad, Hazel. Please understand that. I don't want to argue about this." He says as he looks down.
"Okay, sorry. I better head to work. I don't know what to expect to be honest. I'm fresh out of college, so I have no expectations."
"Well, what department did you want to work in?"
"The labor and delivery center!" I reply eagerly.
"Wow, that's interesting. Handling women, huh. That must be tough."
"Only if you can't empathize. Later, Adam!"
I walk out of the café, the bell ringing at my action and I head to the hospital with my coffee.
~•~•~
*slosh slosh*
The mop goes into the bucket and out. I am mopping the floor of the OB department. I thought I was supposed to start out as a nurse. But my employer just informed me that they hired one too many people and had to make one of them a custodian, and I happened to be that unlucky person. Luckily, the pay is still the same, but I have been cleaning since the beginning of my 8:00 AM shift, and I do not get off until 4:00 PM. Thankfully, it wasn't a full 12 hour shift.
I have a degree... but I have the duty of a custodian. (No offense to them, they do a wonderful job)
I just sigh and keep cleaning the floor as I hear nurses chatting, IV drips dripping, and babies wailing. It's nothing annoying, trust me, it's actually music to my ears.
As I open the door to dump out the brown mop water, I accidentally hit someone. And the person...yelped?
"So God help me that I don't m— oh my God! Did your water break I'm so sorry!" The person said.
My water...? I look at the floor and I see that a bit of the mop water fell on the floor. Oh.
"No, no don't worry, it's fine." I say in haste.
"We need to call the nurse!" The person says as she swings the door to reveal herself. It was a young woman. And her hair... was a bit of a mess. "You aren't pregnant... you're a custodian."
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"Rough morning?" I ask pointing at her hair, but then I place it down because that's just rude.
"Is it that obvious?" She gave me a frown.
I give her a small nod and she shakes her head.
"I'll just dump this water, and I hope you have a great day. Sorry about hitting you with the door!" And I pass her as I go to the drain and pour the water.
The door closes shut and I let out a sigh when I know I'm alone.
Don't get too relaxed, I remind myself.
The rest of my day was spent cleaning rooms after patients were discharged, changing dirtied linen, disinfecting beds, placing new sheets and blankets, wiping down countertops and taking out the room trash. After my 8 hour shift, I clocked out and changed into my normal clothes.
~•~•~
I walk down the sidewalk path with a bag of groceries as I see my shadow come and go between street lamps. I'm so entranced by my thoughts that I blocked out everything.
A hand roughly grabbed me, the other covering my mouth.
"Look what we have here," A man's voice chuckles, and I don't recognize it.
I think it's over.
YOU ARE READING
Unravelling My Past
Ficción GeneralHazel Lynch just graduated from college and is off to a rocky start. She found her job, has an apartment, lives as a single woman. Unsure, giving, needs support, wants something or maybe even a somebody to give her a sense of security. She has a sec...
