Poisonous addiction

Chapter2

Julia sat in the dimly lit bar, surrounded by a haze of alcohol and cigarette smoke. With each sip of her beer, the bitterness in her throat seemed to mirror the bitterness she felt inside. Her friend Lisa’s accusations struck her like a slap in the face, the harsh words digging deep into the wounds of her soul.

"I just wanted to do the right thing," Julia sobbed, her tears mixing with the sticky beer on the table. "But I'm so tired, Lisa. I'm so tired of fighting this uphill battle."

Lisa reached across the table, her hand finding Julia’s as she offered a reassuring squeeze. “I know, sweetheart. I know it's been hard. But you're not alone in this. We’re in this together, remember?”

Julia nodded, her eyes red and swollen from crying. “But how? How can we possibly come up with $6,000 in a week? It’s impossible.”

Lisa leaned closer, her voice low and determined. “Nothing is impossible. We’ll find a way. And we’ll start with the wallet.”

Julia looked at her friend, a glimmer of hope kindling in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Lisa smiled, mischief dancing in her eyes. “Well, I may have been a bit harsh on you earlier, but I did notice something when you showed me the wallet. There was a business card in there, remember?”

Julia furrowed her brow, trying to recall. “A business card? You mean…the owner’s card?”

“Now, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed,” Lisa continued, “but I did happen to notice that this guy is no ordinary Joe. He’s a CEO, Julia. A CEO!”

Julia’s eyes widened, her curiosity piqued. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Lisa grinned slyly. “Well, if this guy is a CEO, he’s probably got more money than he knows what to do with. And you just happened to stumble upon his wallet. It’s like fate, Julia. Don’t you see?” You just don’t need to return the wallet.

I still can’t Liz, it’s not mine, I can’t take the money inside I have to return it, his documents are in it” Julia persisted.

“What? That’s absurd, you can’t be serious Julia, think about your family, think about your miserable life, you’ve come too far and now the universe has finally heard you and you just want to throw it away like that? Julia woke up” Liz yelled.

“There has to be another way to get things fixed, not this way.. “ Julia said.

“ Wait, don’t tell me you have a crush on him already” puzzled she looked at Julia face, No, no, no, that can’t be, Julia, that’s impossible “

“Liz I know okay, I definitely understand that.” Julia replied while wiping away her tears.

Lisa looked at Julia with compassion, “I’ve never seen you so soft, guess you’re also a human being.”

“F**k Julia screamed pushing her hair backwards.

Babe, you have to make use of the money in that wallet, this is the only way you could save yourself.

Julia looked at Lisa, hot tears rolled down her cheeks, she bent her head in sorrow, thoughts of her dead father filled her mind, she couldn’t stop thinking of how she always wanted to prove herself to him, “I have to save mum, I can’t lose her, shivers of fear was sent down her spine, for a moment she was sacred if been alone.

“ I’ll do it,” she said.

Liz looked at her, held her cold clammy hand, “That’s the right thing to do, and you owe no one any explanation” Lisa said.

In the stillness of the early morning, the blanket and pillow had served as Julia's sole comfort, a respite from the harsh realities that awaited her. Yet as the dawning sun filtered through the cracks in her ceiling, so too did the harshness of her circumstances.

With heavy eyelids, she rolled over, only to find her gaze fixed on the wallet, an inanimate reminder of both her desperate situation and the uncertain path that lay before her. As she held the wallet in her hands, its weight was almost tangible, as if laden with the gravity of her decision.

She drew a deep breath, her mind wrestling with the morality of her potential actions. “I gotta do what I got to do,” she whispered to herself, her voice weak yet resolute.

Rising from the bed, she gently placed the wallet back on the table. With deliberate steps, she made her way to the washroom, her mind still grappling with the consequences of her plan.

As she gazed into the mirror, the reflection that met her was a woman torn – between the moral righteousness she’d been raised with and the desperation that had become her constant companion.

She felt like punching the wall so hard but she didn't want to hurt herself more. She dressed up as she needed to deliver newspapers to houses before she went to the hospital.