Danielle | GXG |

3

DANIELLE H--3

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Danielle,

I'm so glad I saw you again,

I'm glad I met you again,

I'm glad you became my best friend.

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I AWOKE IN ALARM when I felt that Marcus' side was empty, empty and messy. His pillow was left on the floor, it's cover threatening to come off, his side of the bed was scruffy. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes, licking my lips, I guess I have some cleaning up to do.

After cleaning the apartment and having my first ever shower, I then walked to the fridge to make some food. There laid a purple note stuck onto the fridge :

''DON'T CLEAN,

JUST FIND A JOB,

MARC.'

Frowning in annoyance I tore the note off the fridge and threw it in the bin, I have already cleaned, now I believe I have to find a job.

My stomach gurgled, no more food for me. My stomach is starting its digestive cycle, I ran to the sink, quickly washing the spotless plates I used to eat. I ran to the bathroom, pants falling and plopping my butt onto the seat.

I squeezed and squeezed to try and excrete, until I saw the heavy--

Never mind, good God, no one wants to know that.

Should I find a house first? Would Marcus want to live on his own? This is a small apartment, after all, I think I should.

I checked my purse and saw my card and a few notes crumpled inside. Opening the wardrobe door I threw on a white skater dress with white pumps and a flowery bomber, I tightened my hair into a neat bun and applied pink perfect lipstick with the squeaky clean bathroom mirror.

Oh no, my bags!

I quickly got my foundation from my bag and began contouring my face a bit. I did look much lighter than normal but it did the trick. I can't even imagine how Marcus felt when he saw my face.

I am going to find a house to live in a house...then a job!

The job would support my rent and then Marcus and I would be able to live in a detached house and a cute pug with children and--

The house, the house, the house!

***

I SEARCHED ALL AROUND Woolwich, stupid enough to think that a house centre would be on the streets, I came by a jobcentre and asked the boss if he knew where to find a house centre, he was stout with short teeth and a bald head.

"What the hell in God's name is that, ey?" He laughed along with the customer behind me, I stood among tall men, them the tigers and I the tiny mouse. Blushing, I clutched my purse, "I asked for a house centre, where is it?" He sniggered, wearing a serious expression and placing his hands in his pockets. "Foreigner, right? Notice it from yer accent, not like I'm from here anyway too." I rolled my eyes and kissed my teeth in annoyance.

"Answer the question! P--please."

"I don't understand what yer saying lady."

"I just want to know where the house centre is, just give help."

"I'm helping yer, I don't know what the hell yer talking about."

"Please--"

"There is no f*****g house centre okay! Can you stop rambling, you're pulling my freaking ears out!" My head lurched back to the American accent I'd recognised, the husky, soft voice that I'd had a conversation with on the train. "It's the f*****g council if you want to buy a house, look on the internet!" Never had I heard a voice so beautiful swear so much, the same guitar case is laid on the speakers back, the same leather jacket, the same purple eye shadow and the same deep black lipstick.

It was her, an annoyed Danielle. Her face had a scowl drawn on and her eyes twitched, the boss laughed. "That's my Danielle!"

***

THE BOSS SAID THOSE words, did he know her?

"She was annoying me, asking the same questions." Danielle rolled her eyes and smiled at the man behind the counter as I stepped out of the queue and the next customer conversed with the boss. "Danielle, it's me, do you remember me?" I said to her and she scrutinized me -- she didn't remember me. "Nah, I don't know who you are." I scrunched my face in humiliation, "Really? You don't remember? We talked on the train, yesterday."

She smirked, "How could I ever forget your face, Danielle? I was just kidding." She then handed me a card, "I'm pretty busy right now, but call me when you get home to your boy or something." I bid her goodbye and made my way out of the centre, oh yeah, where would the council be?

***

"SIGN OVER HERE PLEASE."  I signed the empty areas on the sheet, leaving one for the elderly woman to sign, "Thank you, so the house looks exactly like this?" I pointed at the pictures and she nodded, it was for a good deal too.

A modern house with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and dining room in the same area, a huge space for only £925 a month. I know it sounds costly but it has a balcony that faces the street! It's amazing how I found this house, I stayed for hours, literally, scanning the website for the biggest houses for the lowest price. Amazing, I know. 

My smile is plastered on my face, my hair a tousled state and my lipstick slightly smudged. I grab my mirror, sitting down on a chair, wrapping my hair in a messy bun. "Do you have any tissue?" I ask the lady and she gives me a bored look and returns to her work. I fuss with my lips, "When will this get done?" I get up and point to the laptop she has on the desk, "A few minutes miss, sit down."

Nodding I then bring my phone out and take a photo of myself on Snapchat, I edit it, adding 19:09 to the picture of me pouting and a caption saying. I have over 15 thousand people who watch my Snapchat stories, it is a lot for a person from Nasedo like me. The reason I have so much is because I used to dabble in modelling when I was in High School, this brought me some fame.

I remember being told to pose nude but with a bed sheet covering me, I was hesitant but my boyfriend at the time encouraged me to do such. He said: 'You'd get so popular, with a body like that! You should do it.' My boyfriend at the time was into business, instead of making me 'so popular' it only made me have the minority of that popularity and him the majority. I believe it was because I was seen as one of his other models, not my name on the photo, though some people still managed to find me. The amount of dedication -- I laugh at the thought.

"What day will you be able to have?" She asks me, shutting my memory. I scan my empty calendar, "Any day will be fine, the closest would be much appreciated."

"Tomorrow, 11:35 AM, that is the closest slot. Miss it and that's it." 

***

MARC CAME HOME EARLY, he says, that night. It was the night we had a nice chat, about many things. "You've got the job?" He washes the dishes of the meal we just had; Nasedo food this time.

"No, it's a house." His expression falls and he finishes washing the last plate, he sits on the neat bed and beckons for me to join him. "Why a house?" He rakes his hand through his hair in frustration, I am just a little naive child next to him.

"Well, for one thing, you can have the house to yourself. Second, it's a great deal!" I show him the forms and pictures of the house, he scans the sheet rapidly, then goes through the pictures. "Yeah, pretty good deal," he nods, sighing. "You sure about this though? How will you pay the bills?" I understand what he's saying -- it wasn't the plan for us after all: we were supposed to live together so we can both make a living, cheaper too. Am I being impulsive?

"I'll get a job shortly after."

"Money like that is hard to come by when you're just starting off..." His voice trails off, he then gets off the bed and opens his cabinet in the kitchen and takes out a piggy bank, handing it to me. "All the remaining saving's I've made, you can have it as a starter."

"No, I couldn't possibly--"

"--You can pay me back later, it's about 3.5K." He urges me on, placing the piggy in my hands. Yeah, I guess I will pay him back later, or not use it at all. I nod and put the piggy on his table and hold his hands in a reassuring way. "Hey, I may not even use it at all." I smile at him and he begins to grin at me.

"So tell me about the time I missed in Nasedo!"

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