The Photographer

Chapter 2

Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Toronto, Canada

Vanessa awakened on time for work but with an oncoming headache. Last night's sleeping pills had effectively subdued her into a restful night's sleep but the headache from last night was back and in full effect. She thought about taking the day off but quickly ruled against it once she thought about how much trouble she was already in with Mr. O'Neal. She needed to stay on his good side or she'd be out of a job and would have no other choice but to move back in with her parents.

Her parents.

Just the thought of them made her head throb ten times worse than it was before. She quickly threw the covers off her and slung her feet off the edge of her bed while massaging her temples for a minute to soothe the intense ache. Eventually she pulled herself out of bed and went to the bathroom to get her day started. She quickly took an Advil from the medicine cabinet to kill off the pounding in her head before undressing for a quick shower.

She adjusted the water valves to her preferred temperature before slipping in the warm water that was already steaming the bathroom mirrors. When she was done, she shut the water off and grabbed her bathrobe and slipped it on. She dragged her feet lazily across the cool floor while heading to her bedroom to find something to wear.

After searching through the scattered boxes of clothes, Vanessa settled on a black kitten sweater, black skinny jeans, leg warmers and her combat boots. When she had properly dried off and lotioned her body, she slipped on her undergarments then dressed in the clothes she had picked out. She brushed and flossed her teeth then washed her face using her skin care regime before finishing everything off by pulling her hair into a tight ponytail. She took note of how much time she had before work then went to grab a jacket from her closet. As she debated between a trench coat or bomber jacket, her phone began ringing in the living room. She didn't bother going to answer it as she already knew it was her mother.

She picked the bomber jacket and grabbed it from the rack and pulled it on over the sweater before adding a black scarf. Vanessa was now ready to go and after giving herself a final look over in the mirror, she headed into the living room. Everything was left the same from last night so she tidied up by disposing of the Chinese rice and turning off the TV. She grabbed her phone and slipped it in her pocket then grabbed her keys and Nikon and left the apartment to head to work.

With the headache now fully gone and the sun shining on the city, it put Vanessa in a much better mood as she drove through the morning traffic. She still had plenty of time before she had to be at work so she decided to treat herself to coffee and breakfast at Te Aro on Queen Street.

Inside the warm building the fresh smell of food and grounded coffee wafted throughout the place. She subtly inhaled the smell then walked to the counter and ordered a hot chocolate and toasted panini. She paid for the food using her debit card and waited patiently for her order. To pass time, Vanessa decided to check the missed call from earlier in the hopes that it hadn't been her mother calling to remind her how much of a disappointment she was to her and her father; but to her own disappointment, it had, in fact, been her mother calling. She had left a voicemail for Vanessa to hear but Vanessa didn't want to be bothered at the moment with her mother's shenanigans. She heard her order being called a few minutes later and she slipped her phone in her jacket and went to get her food.

She didn't enjoy her meal at the shop as she would have liked, instead she drove to work and enjoyed the warm chocolate and turkey panini in front of Chew Chew's to avoid being late and having to hear Mr. O'Neal's mouth. When Vanessa had finished, she locked her car doors and headed inside to clock in. She traded her bomber jacket for her waitress apron and notepad and got right to work clearing tables and serving customers.