My Ex Waited In Line For My Autograph

CHAPTER 2 - SURVIVE.

CLEO CLEMENTINE.

I inhale and exhale sharply. I had browsed through the internet all night, gathering all estate agents' numbers I could call to get myself a place to simply exist in.

I have called six in total, and they all had the same thing to say: “I think the only available apartment is way beyond your budget.”

Hell, I wish I even had a ‘budget’.

I have one last number to call, and if these people don’t turn up, I could as well just go into the street and sleep in a subway station.

“Hello? I saw your number online, and you’re an estate agent. I’m wondering if I can be able to find an affordable apartment for rent through you?” I say into my phone.

The male agent clears his throat at the other end. “Yes, hi. Thank you for contacting us; you sure can. You just need to book an appointment with us, and we’ll take you through the options we’ve got.”

“Okay,” I say confidently, swallowing hard. “There’s just a little problem. Could I pay the deposit maybe a month after, when I get my paycheck? Of course, that also includes payment for your services.”

“Hello?”

“Hello…”

I look down at my phone screen to find out the call had disconnected.

Oh f**k me!!! He could have at least listened to what I had to say.

But what paycheck? I don’t even have a darn job yet. Bold of me to assume I’ll get one and get a paycheck between now and the end of this month.

“Let’s be optimistic, Cleo,” I say to myself, gulping down hard. “My life sucks.”

I applied for thirty different jobs last year; twenty-nine of them got back to me with, “… the position has now been filled with someone more fitting for the role.”

The remaining one couldn’t even be bothered to reach out.

I fling my phone angrily, making sure it lands perfectly on the bed. I would have smashed it on the ground since the situation calls for it, but I can’t afford to get a new one, so… terrible idea.

Suddenly, the phone begins to ring.

I hesitate for a while before reaching for it halfheartedly, and as soon as I lift it up to my ear, the call answers automatically.

“Hi, is this Cleo Clementine?” the caller asks immediately.

I immediately get up on my ass. “Yes, speaking. Who is this?”

“This is Diana Hayes, calling from OminiVision Global Media. I’ll get straight to the point because we are in a bit of a crisis here. I know you applied for our secretary position over a year ago, and I apologize for our silence, but your application just came back to my desk. Something sudden happened with our current secretary today, and the position was left completely vacant without notice. We are backed up with work, and we urgently need someone in that chair who can hit the ground running immediately.”

Now, I'm more serious than ever. How many times does a miracle like this happen in a lifetime? The chances are close to f*****g Zero.

“I’m even available right this minute if you want,” I blurt out without thinking.

“Good,” Manager Hayes says in satisfaction. “Since right now we need bodies and brains, there will be no interview. I want you to come straight into the office this Monday at 8:00 AM ready to work. But in place of an interview, you’ll step in to help us put out the fire and handle the immediate backlog. Once the urgency settles down and things are back under control, we will evaluate your performance and decide whether we offer you a permanent spot or part ways. Sounds good?”

“Sounds great! Manager Hayes. I’ll do my best.”

“Excellent. I’m emailing you the details and address right now. See you Monday morning at 8:00 sharp. Don’t be late!”

She hangs up.

See… be optimistic! Works every time!

I pick up my pillow and scream into it, still finding what happened hard to believe. Did I just get a job just like that?

I drag the pillow closer to my chest, squeezing it so tight I’m sure that if it were wet, I’d squeeze it dry.

“This calls for a celebration!” I scream into the void, faking a loud cry.

Because I’m on a very tight budget and can’t afford to go to a bar to drink, I decide to go to a*****e nearby that I saw on my way to the guest house. This is when I realized how hungry I am.

My stomach twists and turns so hard I almost diagnose myself with Acute Pancreatitis on the spot. This is when I realize all I did was cry for three full days without anything to eat.

Luckily, I’m still even alive. Taking $8 off the $48.99 in my account is worth it as f**k.

I jump into the shared bathroom, and luckily, no one is in it. I quickly brush my teeth twice and shower, making sure to dress in the bathroom before stepping out to see a lady waiting. I smile at her, but she doesn’t return it.

Rude.

On my way to the store, I get a hamburger from a street vendor, my first breakfast, lunch and dinner in three days, for $5.50, then a cold bottle of Coca-Cola from the store for $2.25, reaching a total of $7.75.

I rub my stomach impatiently; it growls louder by the second as I walk out of the store.

On reaching the door, a man bumps into me so hard I drop my precious hamburger and Coke to the ground.

I gawk at him, my fist clenched beside me. He’s dressed casually. A blue jean and cream t-shirt that fit him so well, with his brown hair nearly styled back, his face shaved and clean. Looking fresh, clean, handsome, edible, eatable, and yummy.

Maybe it’s because I’m hungry; everything is beginning to look finger-licking.

I look down at my breakfast, lunch and dinner that just got knocked off my hand, then at the man standing in front of me.

“Sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry,” he says in a very unbothered way.

I can’t be bothered either, so I sigh instead. My life is beginning to go so well. I'm the happiest woman on the planet currently, so I will not let him ruin the day for me.

I could just pick up the Cola and hamburger, since they’re not dirty.

“It’s okay, I understand,” I say shortly, waiting for him to leave so I could pick up my first meal in three days, one I am very, very, extremely impatient for; I can barely stop myself from licking my lips at the thought of tearing the thing out of the packaging and shoving it into my mouth in one go.

He nods and begins to walk away.

His first step away from me lands on my hamburger, and I watch my only hope for dinner explode like a ketchup bomb under one huge shoe.

I immediately feel myself lose every slice of composure left.