Conquer It All

Life begins

I can still remember my first day here in another city, it was strange and everything is new to me. "Hey! Are you Max?", says a guy who's in his early forties. He looks friendly to me. "Yes sir. I am Max." I answered him smiling, I don't want to have him a first impression of me that I am not approachable because everyone back then thinks I am. "My name is Henry, and I'll be your driver today to get you to your apartment." Henry looks gentle and he's really talkative inside the car as he drove me to my apartment but I like him though because I really just need a companion in this new city, being twenty three is really hard although some of them tells me that life at this age is still easy, you can never really comprehend adulthood. First of all I don't have a girlfriend because. . . well, because I am not lucky with ladies. I tend to shy away everytime I have a crush on a girl. It's so hard to confess, and to muster such courage and get rejected at the end is very scary to me. "So it's your first time in this city?" I was sent back to reality as Henry asked me the question, "yes, sir. It's my first time." I answered short as much as possible because I don't want to make any mistakes. "Just call me Henry, no need to call me 'sir' boy!" and just by that he laughed so loud that all I can hear is him. I also laughed because it would be impolite if I don't.

"Will my apartment be near at work?"

"Yes, it's very convenient for you, your apartment is near at a drugstore, a 24/7 convenience store, and of course near our workplace."

"Well, that's fine for me."

As he drove me to my apartment, for the first time in a while silence fell and it's comfortable. We stopped at a four storey building that really looks like an apartment rather than a four storey building that looks blank, in every floor I can see their balcony. It seems like men and women are residing in here because I can see clothes for women too that are hanged on the rooftop.

As we enter the gate that looks very unguarded, it just stands at four feet tall, I saw that all of the rooms on the first and second floor are occupied by women.

"Your room is on the fourth floor, the one on the farthest right." Henry told me in somehow a tired tone.

"How I hate stairs, boy, my arthritis will kill me."

"I'll be fine on my own, I can bring my own things upstairs" I offered Henry because it will be a bother if I'll let him carry all of my things to my room and go back and forth.

"I'll be fine, just let me carry that one bag of yours."

I handed him my backpack who weighs lesser than my other two other baggages.

Carrying these baggages upstairs is a great workout for me, I hope Henry is fine. As we reached the second floor a man whose around his late twenties helped us with our baggages with his kind smile. He carried my two baggages like they're nothing, I guess he really worked out a lot, and good thing for Henry because he's now free from my backpack and after reaching my room Henry went to talk to our landlady.

"I guess you are my new neighbor, I'm Matthew by the way."

"I'm Max, thank you for helping."

"It's nothing, man. We're all here to help one another. Well, except for that guy in that farthest room to the left. Don't ever bother him, he's always sulking and doesn't want to talk to anybody."

"Why?" I asked Matthew because I want to know why I don't need to bother him.

"He doesn't like people, we tried to talk to him but he just ignored us. One time I touched his arms so I can greet him, he slapped my hands away. Such a rude brat."

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, because he doesn't like us?" that got me thinking for a minute before I finally realized.

"Maybe he just wants to be alone" I finally said it like I just solved a mathematical formula to solve all queries.

"Then why would rent in a place full of people? I gotta go, Max is it?"

"Yes, I'm Max."

"Nice meeting you Max" and Matthew left running.

"Yeah, nice meeting a new person."

I went inside my room to finalize all my things and I met Henry downstairs to give me instructions what to do.

It all went well and now I'm resting on my bed, being comfortable and all but what Matthew said really bothered me, why would anyone who doesn't want to be around with people will likely to be in this place?