OUR LAST DAY ON EARTH EP3
2185 Words
*Episode 3*
The afternoon had already dragged, but Lumi wasn’t leaving her shop until she settled this.
“Ma, this frame broke after 2 weeks! Two weeks!” The man’s voice echoed off the walls. He slammed the wooden picture frame on her counter so hard the glass rattled. “I bought this for $25! I want full refund now!”
Lumi didn’t flinch. She folded her arms and looked at the frame. The wood was scratched, one corner was chipped, and the back hooks were bent out of shape.
“Sir,” she said calmly, “with all due respect, did you handle this with care?”
“Of course I did!” he snapped.
“Then explain this,” Lumi picked up the frame and pointed. “See these scratches? And this corner? This is from being dropped. Multiple times. And these hooks... they’re bent because someone tried to force it on a wall that was too thick.”
The man’s face went red. “Are you calling me a liar? I paid good money for this!”
“I’m not calling you a liar,” Lumi replied, keeping her voice steady. “I’m saying this is poor use, not poor construction. I made this frame myself. The wood is solid. The glass is quality. If you had hung it properly and treated it well, it would last you years.”
“Years? What nonsense! You people always have excuses!” He leaned over the counter. “Give me my money back. All of it.”
Lumi exhaled. She could feel her head starting to throb. The last thing she needed today was drama.
“Look,” she said, softening her tone a bit. “I understand you’re upset. But I can’t give you a full refund for damage that happened after it left my shop. What I CAN do is give you half back. $12,500. And I can even help you get a new one at a discount if you want.”
“Half?!” He laughed bitterly. “That’s robbery!”
“It’s fair,” Lumi said firmly. “Take it or leave it. Because if we keep shouting, we’ll both waste the whole day and you still won’t get more.”
They stared at each other for a long 10 seconds. Finally, the man snatched the money from her hand.
“Useless business,” he muttered as he stormed out.
Lumi locked the door behind him and sagged against it. She rubbed her temples. One customer like that could ruin her whole mood.
By the time she finished attending to the 3 other customers who had called her earlier to pick up their orders, the sun was already setting. The streets outside were getting busy, people rushing home.
------
Meanwhile, across town, Ethan was clocking out.
His body ached. His head was pounding from the small cut on his forehead he got when a box fell yesterday. And his pockets were empty.
He couldn’t go home yet. The bus fare would wipe him out, and his rent was due in 2 days.
He found the cheapest lodge he could near his workplace. A small room with a mattress on the floor and a fan that barely worked. $3 per night.
Too tired to cook, too broke for room service, he ducked into the same small restaurant down the street.
The place smelled like fried oil and soap. Soft music played from a speaker in the corner.
He went straight to the counter.
“Two cups of noodles,” he told the cashier, his voice rough from exhaustion. “And one soda. Cold one.”
The cashier nodded and rang it up. 1500.
Ethan paid and carried the tray himself. No energy to wait for service.
“Excuse me,” he said, stopping. “Can I sit at one of the tables for a bit? Just to eat. I’m... really tired.”
The cashier looked him up and down. Noticed the bandage on his forehead, the dirt on his shirt, the way he was swaying on his feet.
She sighed. “Fine. But don’t sleep there. And don’t make a mess.”
“Thank you,” Ethan mumbled.
He picked a table in the corner. Set the two cups of noodles down. The steam rose and made his eyes water, but not from hunger.
He didn’t even open them.
He just sat down, pressed both palms to his head, and closed his eyes.
_Just 5 minutes_, he thought. _Just 5 minutes to rest before I go to that room._
Back to Lumi.
It was too late to go home and cook. Her fridge was empty anyway.
“Better I eat outside,” she muttered, locking her shop for the night. “Something light. Salad.”
She walked 2 blocks and picked a small restaurant she liked. Nothing expensive. Just clean tables, yellow lights, and a big window that showed the city at night.
She ordered a vegetable salad and sat by the window. For the first time all day, her shoulders dropped. She watched the cars, the people, the neon signs.
She was about to take her first bite when her view was blocked.
A man walked in.
Lumi frowned and looked up from her plate. The man went to the counter first, talking quietly to the cashier. Then the cashier pointed to a table and he walked over.
He set down a tray. Two cups of instant noodles. One can of soda.
But he wasn’t eating.
He sat down heavily, like his legs couldn’t hold him anymore. Then he put both hands on his head and just... stayed like that.
Lumi watched from the corner of her eye, poking at her lettuce.
_Who is this person blocking my view?_ she thought. _And why does he look like he’s about to pass out?_
The bandage on his head caught the light. And Lumi realized the dark spot was getting bigger. Blood. It was bleeding.
She didn’t know his name. She’d never seen him before in her life.
Lumi set her fork down and caught the cashier’s attention. “Excuse me?”
The cashier, a woman in her 40s wiping down the counter, walked over. “Yes? Need anything else?”
Lumi nodded toward the man in the corner. “That man. The one with the ramen. Do you know who he is? He doesn’t look well.”
The cashier followed her gaze and lowered her voice. “Oh, him. He just came in a few minutes ago. Said he rented the room upstairs for the night. Said he just needed to eat something before he went to rest. But look at him... he’s been sitting there like that for 10 minutes. And his head... it’s bleeding.”
Lumi’s chest tightened. The blood was already dripping now, running down his temple and onto his collar.
"Before he needs to eat, he needs medical attention,"Lumi thought.
She stood up, leaving her salad on the table, and walked over to his table.
The man was deep in his own world, clutching his head.
"Rent is due in 2 days... $1500..."
"Brother’s tuition... what if I lose this job?"
"Why did Mom and Dad have to leave me like this? Why am I the one who has to hold everything together?"
"I’m so tired, I’m so tired."
Then he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He jolted. His head snapped up, eyes wide with panic and pain.
“What the hell!” he barked, voice shaking. “You scared the crap out of me!”
Lumi took a step back.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, hands slightly raised. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You’re bleeding. And you don’t look okay. Are you... are you alright?”
Ethan blinked at her, dazed. A complete stranger. In a diner. At 9pm. Talking to him.
He exhaled and ran a hand down his face. He looked about 27. Exhausted.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” he muttered. But he didn’t sound fine. “Just... long day.”
Lumi hesitated, then pulled out the chair across from him.
“Can I sit?”
He shrugged. “It’s a free country.”
Lumi sat down. “I’m Lumi.”
He stared at her for a second, then looked away. “Ethan.”
There was silence. The ramen steamed between them.
Lumi glanced at the bandage. The blood was seeping through.
“Ethan, that looks bad. You should get that checked. Do you need medical attention? I can call someone. Or drive you to a clinic.”
Ethan let out a short, bitter laugh and rubbed his eyes.
“A clinic? With what money, Lumi?” He shook his head. “I’m good. I just need to eat and sleep. That’s all.”
“But you haven’t touched your food,” Lumi said quietly.
Ethan looked down at the two cups of ramen. “Yeah. Haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”
Lumi frowned. “Did something happen? At work?”
Ethan looked at her like she’d asked too much. Then he sighed.
“Warehouse job. Over at the Meridian Hotel.” He laughed bitterly. “Box fell yesterday. I slipped over a banana peel and hit my head on the corner of a crate.”
Lumi’s eyes went wide. “The Meridian Hotel?”
Ethan nodded, peeling the lid off one of the ramen cups. “Yeah. Why?”
Lumi’s chest tightened. Her hands started shaking.
“I... I was there yesterday.” She swallowed. “Ethan... I was taking a picture of the hotel. For my portfolio. And I was eating a banana. The peel... it fell from my hand. I didn’t see you behind me.”
Ethan froze mid-motion. He looked up at her slowly.
“You?”
Lumi nodded, tears stinging her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know anyone was there—”
“Boss said if I take time off, I’m fired,” Ethan cut in, voice flat. He wasn’t angry. Just empty. “Rent’s due in two days. $1500. My brother’s tuition is due next week. So yeah. I’m fine.”
Lumi’s throat went dry. “I’m so sorry, Ethan. I really am. This is my fault.”
“Don’t,” Ethan muttered, staring at the ramen. “Accidents happen.”
He finally took a bite, but his hand was shaking.
Lumi watched him. “You don’t have to do this alone, you know.”
Ethan looked up at her, surprised. “What?”
“I mean... you look like you haven’t slept. Or eaten. Or talked to anyone. You can... you can tell someone.”
Ethan was quiet for a long time. Then he gave her a small, tired smile.
“You’re nice, Lumi. Most people wouldn’t stop.”
Lumi smiled back, small. “Maybe most people are—”
And then—
*BOOM.*
The ground shook violently.
A loud explosion from a company very, very far away. But it was so fatal that it hit half the city.
The windows shattered.
“GLASS!” the cashier screamed.
The floor split. An earthquake.
The whole diner swayed. Chairs flipped. Plates crashed to the ground.
Outside: cars screeching. Tires burning. People shouting.
Smoke started pouring into the sky, thick and black.
“WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” someone yelled.
Lumi grabbed the table to stay standing. Ethan grabbed her wrist to keep her from falling.
The sound was deafening. Screaming. Shattering glass. Car alarms.
The ground was still trembling.
Lumi and Ethan stared at each other in the middle of the chaos, both in shock.
His hand was still gripping her wrist.
Suddenly there was another loud explosion beneath them and they....
TO BE CONTINUED...
- Writer
