Chapter 1 – The Man Who Follows Me
1078 Words
Chapter 1 – The Man Who Follows Me
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“This is available in beige and black. Light colors suit you well, ma’am, so how about you try it with this one first?”
My throat hurt and my legs felt like melting after standing the whole day. I’ve been working for twelve hours now, yet the end of my shift still looks so far away.
It would have been bearable if not for this kind of customer that I have with me.
“Isn’t this rough? It looks like it will tear my skin open in just one use.”
A chiffon dress will tear open your skin? What are you? A sensitive child who bleeds after being touched by sheer silk?
I flashed my biggest smile and breathed deeply. Screaming at the top of my lungs won’t help me a bit. Saying those words will surely end my job, and finding a new one is a headache that I don’t want to experience right now.
Working part-time for a year in a convenience store before luckily bagging this job is the greatest thing that I ever received after leaving my home. I am barely getting by with my salary, but it doesn’t matter as long as it can support my necessities.
It’s not like I can ask for more, since I don’t have a single degree in my name.
Above all else, this present of mine is nothing but pure bliss compared to what I had two years ago.
And so, I held my breath and calmed all the nerves in my body. I’ve seen a lot more Karen than this one and there is no way that I will lose to a childish brat who is afraid of sheer silk.
Patience is a virtue. I need to embody those words as I construct the explanations I will tell.
“Ma’am, this one has silk as its inner layer. You won’t be - “
“But that looks so hot. Your recommendations are awful.”
Then don’t buy and get lost. Why do I have to deal with this woman when she is clearly not buying anything? I’ve seen a lot of her kind, and this entire fiasco will end with nothing but my wasted effort.
She is making me break the sense of professionalism that I engraved in my bones.
“Then how about this one? This blue dress is – “
“I hate blue! Damn it. You just wasted my time. I’ll never shop in this place again.”
I was left with all the clothes in my hand and not a single sale. Ana, the owner of the shop, looks at me from afar and lets out a disappointed sigh. This is normal in a shop like ours, making me smile at her dispirited response.
“Let’s close the shop for now, Ada. Rest well this weekend and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“We haven’t met the quota, Ana. The rent is due by the end of this week.”
Ana stopped stacking the new clothes and looked at me indifferently. She is a kind and great employer if not for those savage eyes of hers.
We never missed a day when a kid would cry at the sight of her. It was funny at first, but I could now only pity this wonderful woman who meant no harm at all.
After all, she is an angel who accepted a stranger like me.
“Haha, we can get by like always. Stop thinking about it and just rest.”
The store was closed before I knew it. Heading back to my apartment is the only choice that I have after a long day of work. Ana’s daughter helps her during the weekend, so I get to have two days off.
“Hey, missy. Want to grab some drinks with me?”
Just two blocks, I haven’t even walked that much distance, yet here I am jinxing the luckiness that I received. I have spoken a little too early about the good life that I am living.
A drunkard, no less, blocked my way while trying to gauge my physical appearance from head to toe. The audacity! He should’ve known how unkempt he was before looking at someone else’s figure.
I did not waste any more of my time and turned my back away from him. Dealing with this kind of perv will not do me any good.
Staying with him is the same as saying that I wanted to turn my night into a mess.
“Hey! What the f-! Let go.”
However, this drunk stranger had a different plan. His left hand grabbed my shoulder, instantly stopping me from escaping. And before I knew it, his other hand freely made it to my breast.
Pain registered in my body when he mercilessly groped it without reserve.
I felt sick and scared as he rendered me emotionless. The man was hunching when I first saw him, but now that he straightened his body, his towering height made me feel like I didn’t have a single chance of escaping him alone.
Should I strike back? But how? I tried to move my legs to knee him, but my body could only shake in fear. Different dreadful thoughts entered my brain, making me feel much worse than ever.
I don’t want this. I hate his smell and the way he lasciviously touches my body.
Most important of all, I hate how helpless I am in this situation. The fear of being held against my will brings back bad memories of my childhood.
This drunkard is making me remember the past that I was trying to escape with all my might.
“Dang! You’re pretty flat for a woman. Are you sure that you are not posing as one? Anyway, you will do. Just be a good girl and enjoy everything that I can offer you.”
The disgusting freak momentarily let go of my breast to undo his pants.
I almost vomited when his underpants fell down to the ground, showing the sorry state of his lower half. My non-existent courage suddenly came back to life when I saw how small his thing is.
However, my reaction made it to the man’s eyes, triggering a dangerous sense of anger in him.
Making it too late before I realize that I no longer have a way out of this mess.
- Writer
