"Don't fucking yell at me! It's the USA! I have to go, you know that I have to go! This is that change I've been waiting for my whole life!" She cried out frustratedly, throwing her hands in the air.
He slammed his fist on the table and ran his hands through his blonde hair. Eyes full of rage—she could feel the undiluted anger that coursed his body as his breath itched. His lips twitched and she hoped he wouldn't say something to break her even more, she was already disoriented and confused and hurt—hurt that she was leaving him and everything else behind."Andrew, say something! Please, say something without yelling or throwing things. You were aware of it, you knew I wanted this and you helped me work towards achieving this big dream—even when I had nothing! It's finally happening, if this works out, it could be our big break!" She persuaded, wanting him to see that this was not a random discomfort or an unnecessary departure.
"You fucking slut." He muttered before a fierce growl departed his throat, a sound he always made when he was mad. A chill skittered down her spine; the first thing she needed to do was go close to the nearest exit if at all she wanted a chance to survive. "After ten years of hustling for you to be a fucking somebody, you're running off to New York to live up to your original intentions. I knew I should have left you to rot that night, leaving your cold body to be torn apart by the dogs in the street, I hear they eat their kinds." He raised his head and his brown eyes made hers, she tried hard not to flinch. She was used to this; all the nasty comments that exited his, all the derogatory words his lips formed—it was as common in their relationship as the kisses they shared.
"No, it's not like that. I am not abandoning you, mi amor, I am going to work harder so you don't have to. I am going to earn a lot and find us a way to live our dreams," she said again, swallowing, "This is a big deal, don't you see? It's A.C.E! The A.C.E that manages most of all the biggest celebrities, if I do well for the first three months, I would be given a permanent position, mi amor! We could make it bigger from there."
She wanted to move closer to him and hold his hands, but something else reminded her of what a terrible idea that could be. It could end with a blow to her stomach or a kick to her ribs. Well, as long as it wasn't her face, she should be fine, she thought. But she held back and maintained her distance.
"Don't lie to my face. I always knew this was a sham, now that you made it clearer, it's fine. I'd deal with it." "You will?" "Yes, you have to pick between me or New York. I'd go out now, if you are adamant on abandoning our little familia and going, I shouldn't meet you here by 9 pm, puta," he spat before walking to the door—where she stood. She quickly took a few steps away from it, not knowing whether she could handle any hits after what he just said.
She made to protest but she didn't, she knew it would be better if she just left him for a while, maybe if he went out, we could come back to talk about this.
"I meant what I just said, leave if you want to, just make sure I don't come back to my house with you in it." He threw her a glare that weakened her knees.
With that, he slammed the door shut and she crumbled against the wall like an anthill does at the slightest touch, partially thankful he didn't hit her, and more than partially terrified of what he had just said.
She had known Andrew the longest in her life and he had never been one to leave during an argument, instead, he throw tantrums, and hit her till she condescended. His leaving made her thousand times more terrified of what the consequence might be.
She quickly pulled her dark, silky hair into a ponytail, and settled on a green plastic chair in the living room then she clicked on her phone and the email appeared again, reminding her of my acceptance into the Talent Agency in New York.
Heaving a deep sigh, she rose and pranced the room like it made the decision easier to make. She had applied for the position of a personal assistant and her luck shone through. This was a step closer to her lifelong dream, a dream heavy enough to pull her up whenever she got too tired.
Was she ready to give this up? She didn't see anything else except that—her, in a set reading her next monologue and watching other actors learn theirs too. Then the director yells at them for messing up their lines. "Cut!" He'd yell and they'd giggle before retaking whatever scene that was.The dilemma of the situation was the heaviest she'd felt in a while. Even when she had the choice of leaving the orphanage or getting adopted, she had chosen to leave, in naivety, thinking she'd make her path clearer alone. That was when she met Andrew, the knight in shining armour that offered to take her in the night she was almost sexually abused by older strangers when parading the dark, cold streets of Spain. She had only been fourteen then, diminutive and tattered.
He said he saw a part of himself in here, that they both were strays—wanderers who had no ties to anything in the world. He occupied the position of a parent, and soon enough, that of a lover, it was more of an appreciation, she had submitted herself to him. She didn't know what having one originally felt like but she assumed everyone had an Andrew in their lives. All Andrews to their different personalities, and so she chose to embrace hers.
They did odd jobs, his more than hers to get her all the way through high school and college, with an undying hope of her becoming the saviour for them. That time has come, but she had no idea it was going to be this difficult to arrive at a decision.
"Maria, what do you do?" She questioned herself, the silence of the room tickled her skin. Andrew had been there for her over the years, and she practically owed him her life, she owed him everything including the clothes she wore, the shelter, the food—basically everything. This was the perfect way to pay him back for everything! All that he had done, she could return the favour if she made good use of this opportunity. The time was 7:22 pm when she glanced at the clock on the front wall, she had about an hour and a half to decide. Would she stay put of appreciation, or fear, per se for Andrew or would she take a leap of faith and a step closer to the dream she had spent her whole life trying to achieve? Without too many speculations, her answer became more obvious. She rose and swung open her wardrobe, bringing out a large suitcase and throwing in it a few of her clothes—the ones that weren't faded or torn. She had about three days before leaving for New York, she'd find a lounge far away from here to stay before travelling. I'd make it up to you, I promise. I'm only leaving to make things better. Your love, Maria. She left a sticky note on the refrigerator and slammed the door shut, with her luggage in hand; Maria made her way out hastily, she couldn't stand the thoughts of bumping into him while trying to flee. You have to be selfish once in a while. (Maria, 2022) ~~~ So the air doesn't smell like Cinnamon and the individuals here clearly aren't supernatural, but it still felt good, it's the best she'd felt in years. It was the USA after all, the land of impossibilities. A place where all dreams could be attained. She sighed dreamily, hugging my backpack closer. There was no going back now, she hoped Andrew could find a place in his heart to forgive me. Maria made my way through the crowd and out of the terminal, her chest thumping faster than ever, she could already sense the adventure I craved. This was the start of something new. A taxi stopped at her signal, an average-looking man being the driver. She spoke to him through the side window, showing him the address that was indicated in the email; he nodded energetically, confirming his knowledge of the location, he even seemed familiar with it. Makes it even better. She excitedly got in. Just as the engine was ignited, the door was opened hastily by someone, who rushed in and sat next to her. She jotted fearfully and almost let out a squeal. Maria couldn't get a clear view of his face since he had a face mask and a cap on, all she got a glimpse of was his black ruffled hair and black eyes. She was too startled to speak. "Move, sir. Please," his voice shaky and urgent, he plead with the driver who maintained eye contact with her from the rearview mirror. Maria merely blinked approvingly to the driver who had already killed the engine, that did enough to make him ignite the engine again and the cab soon began to move. Wow. Was he in a kind of trouble?He shook and trembled as he peeped through the window even after they were a distance from the airport, she still kept to the silence, hopefully, she'd be able to save someone from trouble on her first day in New York or she just got into trouble on her first.
He heaved a sigh and then rubbed his forehead, brushing off the hair that fell there. Maria stared in astonishment at how mesmerising his eyes were and the mole—he had a mole on his nose.
Something about it felt awfully familiar. Does she know this person?Not even one, not even one trip could be taken without disruption of any form, how much harder could life become for him? All these he thought as he ran through the crowd. He was being followed, by a bunch of stampeding fans, if he slowed down a second, the situation wouldn't be pretty. His cover was blown and now he felt like a mouse in a box; trapped and restricted. Adding to that, he was alone—he had earlier rejected his manager's offer to go with him on his quick vacation.His social anxiety was killing him and the crowd soon multiplied or maybe he thought they did. His mind played tricks sometimes.What a mess, he thought, still running through the crowd amidst overly energetic fans and earsplitting screams of his name that exited their mouth. Of course, he had been careful—with the perfect disguise of a black face cap and a mask to match; he had hoped no one would recognize him till his encounter with a flight attendant who wouldn't stop staring, then caught a g
"Maria Gracia?" He called out from his desk compartment demarcated by a see-through glass to the opposite room where a few candidates sat. Maria rose upon hearing her name, responding to the middle-aged man who had glasses that rested on his nose bridge."Please take your seat," he offered, motioning to the swivel chair in his front. She took her seat and hoped for the best. She arrived in New York yesterday, today was the day she has been told she'd resume her work position. "Thank you," Maria said as she sat while he adjusted his collar, then his cuffs."I am Mr Sean Powell, a senior executive of A.C.E and I overtook the job of getting to know the rookies we recruited this year," he adjusted his glasses and took a glimpse at the screen of his computer. "It says here that you majored in HRM and graduated with a CGPA of 3.65," looking at her now. Maria repositioned herself before giving a response. "Yes, that's right, sir." "And it also says here that you passed the three
She moved to the other end of the elevator as the unfathomably good-looking man entered, Their eyes met for a brief second as he intently gazed hers then he courtesied briefly—with a slight bow and she nodded in response, mouthing a good day ever so lightly. Her voice was nowhere to be found. Still shocked from meeting someone who looked as perfect as he did, Maria stole glances from time to time as the elevator moved downwards. He was the most perfect person she had ever seen. He sighed repeatedly with his balled fists, like he was tired or frustrated—well he looked it. Maria had never seen a person who looked good even when he was unkempt.His tie hung loosely around his crooked collar, they dangled with unequal tips at every slight movement. He heaved another sigh and Maria's knees felt weak. His sighs made her wonder what sounds he'd make if she laid clothless in between his legs and he pressed her against the bed, or a sofa, whatever he wanted, their hot bodies merging under a di
"Not this one, I don't want her."Maria thought she heard wrong but apparently, she didn't. He had rejected her. "Why don't you want her?" Harry asked the same question that was on her mind. This was preposterous, how could he immediately reject her without knowing how much help she could be to him? She maintained her cool, disregarding the burning sensation she felt in her stomach and her throat, her anger wasn't something she controlled well everytime, but now had to be one of the good times she stayed in control. "Just because," Jackson bit his nails and spat out, making Maria's soon established detest for him grow even more. "Just because? I need a reasonable explanation," Harry demanded, with a hint of tiredness in his voice but Jackson didn't bulge till his phone beeped and he looked at it, his expression changing into something even more displeasing. "Oh god, this woman!" He yelled, bringing his voice lower like he had just realized where he was. "you kno
He chuckled before dropping his phone on the table after he sent the text, his pride was still hurt and now was the time he could show her who was boss—he obvious was. His phone vibrated again and he rushed to it only to find a text from his mum, informing him of the arrival of another gift.He groaned before dialing her number but his numerous calls were ignored, she probably already knew the reason he was calling. Jackson took off his shirt and flung it on the sofa, glancing at his wrist watch and mentally calculating the time of her arrival. "She should be able to navigate, find her way to cafe dium by 9:10 and get here by 9:15," he said to himself then remembered her conversation with Harry earlier about her not knowing her way around. He estimated her time of arrival to be 9:30 pm, after that he had other frustrating plans in mind—not for himself, for her.How the hell did she deem fit to equal him to a criminal? That was absurd.Another text came in. Your gift should ar
Maria angrily made the third cup of coffee for her boss whom she so desired to smack across the face. If this was her only path to success, then she had to put up with his ill-treatment. "But why?" She soliloquized, "why is he taking out his anger on me just because I walked in on him and his lover?" She had apologized, so why was he being unnecessarily mean? The electric kettle beeped, snapping her out of her thoughts and she poured its content into the teacup, making sure it was the perfect amount, she didn't want to come back into this kitchen. His kitchen alone could house seven people, filled with expensive utensils—half of which she had no idea how to use or had never seen. Is this what it felt like to be insanely rich? She thought, carrying the coffee into the tray and heading out of the plush kitchen. She was stunned by the presence of another gorgeous lady who stood akimbo in front of her boss.Oh great, he was a casanova too, she concluded internally. Her con
The thin velvet curtains and its glass window frames didn't do much to keep the sunlight from ruining the utter coziness Maria felt, wrapped deep into her blanket. In an instant, she sprung up, 6:40 am, the time said and she could feel all frustration wash over her. She was going to be tardy on her first day!She rolled off the bed— still wrapped in the blanket, crawling her way into the bathroom with wild tangled hair that covered most of her face. It wasn't up to two minutes and she was done bathing, her clothes had been ironed before being folded into the suitcase, she had no issue with that, thankfully. She picked out a white peplum and a red pleated skirt to match, pairing them with silky black stiletto heels. Was this too official or too much? She asked but immediately disregarded it, now wasn't the time to feel pretty.With her air into a ponytail and a touch of colorless lipgloss, she was good to go. Perfect even. 6:57 am, alright, now she just needed to run. Her ponyta
"Jackson," Natasha excitedly called out again holding the edge of her long silver dress and throwing her arms around his neck. Her hug wasn't appreciated, and neither was it reciprocated. She was really excited to see Jackson, didn't they recently go for a script reading together? Natasha's eyes moved to Maria, who stood beaming like a kid before an ice cream kiosk. Maria couldn't hide her excitement, this atmosphere was one she had always wanted to experience, and nothing could beat the joy she felt right now. "He- Good day, I'm Maria, Jackson's PA," she introduced herself with a polite smile and an outstretched arm. Her handshake was ignored but she got something even more amazing in return. Natasha pulled her into a big, warm hug and Maria almost died of affection that instant. She had just hugged Natasha Shaw, the all-time favorite American actress, she'd never wash this sweet smell off her body."I'm a big fan of your work," Maria continued and watched Natasha's face