Strings Attached (On-going)

1. NEW BEGINNINGS

Moving so far away from home was never part of my life long master plans, but here I was, almost 1500 miles away from the only place I could ever call home.  Dallas was my home, the entirety of my twenty five years on earth had its roots back there. I knew I would move away eventually, but not like this.

At this point , I had no reason to stay, my mind was made up and nothing  and no one could change my mind about my decision to move, not even my best friend, Beth, she was the only one I had left in the world.

I begged her to come with me but I knew she couldn't,within such a short time, her hospital required her to submit a letter of transfer about three months earlier. So I had to do this on my own.

I was able to secure a a fully furnished apartment online and despite the huge amounts I had to pay, it was worth it. I had a feeling the price was increased because of my colour, or maybe that was just the price. I didn't mind, my parents and sisters left a lot of money, and since I happened to be among their next of kins and I was the only one left, everything was given to me,plus I sold our house, so I had no reason to pass if I could afford it.

By the time I got to my new home, my body felt like I had just come from a 24 hour rock climbing. The journey was indeed long. Throwing my luggage on the floor, I stood akimbo in the middle of the living room viewing the whole place with satisfaction, inhaling new air.

The interior was painted cream, with coffee coloured furry couches just as the agent had shown me earlier. There was a water dispenser right beside the dining table. It was my first time standing on a 3D tiled floor, but it felt amazing, just a little bit scary when I looked down because it felt like I was standing in at a beach, inside the water actually. It had less feminine touch just as I liked it. I walked through the oblong corridor where bedrooms lined up on my left facing the ultra modern kitchen area. I went to inspect the washrooms at the very end of the corridor, and then to the three bedrooms, which were very modest and ornate. Sauntering back to the luxurious and cozy living room, I inhaled deeply and let out gently , smiling to myself and beaming with satisfaction at the perfection around me.

I swear if this place was any different from all that I had seen online, I would have sued that lady.

Removing my shoes, I slammed myself onto the  gaint couch, enjoying the cold air that danced around me, with my eyes shut. My mind travelled back home, and memories rushed like cascade into my head.

I didn't even realize I was crying until I heard my phone ring, wiping my face, I answered Beth's video call, with shaky hands, "hey!", now that sounded too high, she'd know I'm nervous, so I tried widening my smile, I bet that didn't help.

"Hey, what's up? You promised to call me when you arrived" she said raising a brow, that meant I had to explain myself.

"Yeah, sorry, I thought you might be busy, got here like two hours ago", I smiled, I really wished she was here with me."I love the place Beth, it's awesome"

"I'm glad you do, Lisa , have you been crying?" She furrowed her brows, squinting her eyes to see me better, of course, she didn't have her glasses on.
I knew I had already been caught, there was no reason to lie, "I'm just sad Beth, look at me now, I'm in a strange land, about to begin life all over again, alone, Beth,alone, I'm scared. No family, no Lizzie, no you.." I burst into tears again, putting my phone in a static position in the corner of the couch.

"California was our dream land, Oscar and I . We had planned to come live here after we got married. I mean we had our whole lives planned together, now here I am in California, alone." Oscar was my first love. I was a sophomore when we met, but he was in his final year.

Initially,my family didn't like the idea of me bringing home a white boyfriend, it turned out I was the only one in the family to date a white person, but I loved Oscar, and my family came to love him too. Beth never liked him, said he was too "white", and yet she argued she wasn't racist.

"I know, but hey, I'm just a phone call away, you're not alone, I promise. And try not to think about Oscar, not again, you moved past this right? I mean ,he cheated on you and left without a word, don't even mention his name to me.Tell you what, you're going to make new friends and find a cute handsome guy.", she winked and smiled.

I did miss Oscar, he did cheat, but I could have forgiven him, I didn't even hear him out, after six years of being with him, it was the least I could have done,but I didn't  and he left, just like that.

I couldn't help but smile amidst the tears," stop making those faces Beth, you're a naughty fool, you know that?". We were both laughing, and at that moment, I wished she was here.

This was the first time I was away from her after seven good years.
"You'll be fine Lisa. Now get some rest, I'll call you later, my break is over. I love you so much", she gave me her million dollar smile.

That was the first thing I loved about her, second was her navel  and tongue piercings , which my parents didn't like, and then her almost always straightened hair, something Lizzie did sometimes but I never tried, I didn't want any form of heat on my hair.

"Love you too, my regards to Jordan,  tell him I'll call him later." , I said with a wry smile and then hung up.
I so needed a rest, I knew I had hours of unpacking and arrangements to do. Not bothering to go into the bedroom, I stretched myself on the couch and shut my eyes, allowing the cold air and darkness to engulf me.
..............
Opaque darkness welcomed me the moment my eyes fluttered open, then I knew I had slept for far too long. My hand finally touched my phone after almost  a minute of touching around. Turning it on, I saw 9:15pm, wow, I had slept around 4pm. I turned on my torch light and got up from the couch, looking around for the switch, I finally turned on the lights.

Rubbing my eyes, I walked wobbly back to the couch and decided to order in since I had only water and soda in the fridge. I searched for the nearest food hub and ordered some fries, and then decided to wait with a Korean movie, after I changed into some sweatpants and a tank top.

Don't criticize Lisa for being a sleepyhead 😂 I mean, she traveled for hours...

I'm pretty sure you're wondering what Oscar's story is🤔 keep the imaginations alive😂

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