Chapter 3

2 YEARS LATER

“Do you want to talk to granny??” Sophia asked her daughter, Ann, a very beautiful girl with the prettiest eyes, having all the features of her mom.

“Hm” she didn’t actually reply as her mouth was filled with chocolates.

“Drop her off at the kindergarten and leave already. You told me they pay high and you cannot afford to not get accepted!” Luisa scolded her daughter, she’s wasting too much time.

“I’m already on my way” Sophia smiled and picked Ann up into her arms before getting her bag and other stuff.

She spent 7 minutes walking to the kindergarten that’s not so far from her house and was happy as the girl didn’t show any sign of not wanting to go there. Maybe because she had her mouth busy, it was good either way.

~~~

“Here I come, I really have to get this job oh good lord!” Sophia muttered softly as she stands in front of a renowned clubhouse she had applied to for a job.

The Starlight nightclub is known for its exotic nature and gaining frequent recognition by people of affluence in the area. It is a no child's play house, only those who could afford it marched in and out the premises.

Sophia recalls hearing about the vacancy from two people having a conversation one time she was out in the street. She knew how reputable the nightclub is and how greatly it would help resolve the financial challenges that probed her family especially now that her daughter Ann was fast growing and in school.

She felt anxious about the interview she was set to attend at the moment. It's been a long while since she last worked a job, her resume was outdated and so, she feared she would not get accepted but with her fingers crossed and a deep sigh for calmness, she makes her way in.

The whole place seemed rather empty as it wasn't yet night time. She noticed a reception table by the corner, there was no one seated there so she stood in front of the door, clutching tight to her bag as she ran her eyes across the room.

"Excuse me miss, can I help you?" A feminine voice asked from her side.

She turns to the direction of the voice and sees a very beautiful dark lady with the loveliest smile, wearing a crested navy blue polo shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans calling to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there when I walked in." She said, walking up to the reception where the lady had shifted to.

"My bad actually, I had gone out for a thing. And I can see you're new here" She replied, still wearing a smile on her face whilst Sophia smiled back, nodding to her statement.

"As you can see miss, the place is yet to get filled up with customers but if you want, you can still sit and have some fun. If you'd like to have a drink, our bar's over there." She said, pointing in the direction of the bar.

"Oh no Ms. I actually got an interview here today. That's why I'm here." Sophia replied

"May I get your name please?" She asked, politely, bringing out a note pad from underneath the reception desk.

"Sophia Dalton." She checks through the note pad for a while and sees Sophia's name on the list.

"You're quiet early miss. The interview doesn't start until the next 30 minutes. But you can wait and at least feel comfortable while you're at it." She said, putting down the pad on the desk.

"Oh! I see, thank you." Sophia smiled

"You're welcome miss and by the way, I'm Daniella." She smiled, pointing to her name tag on her shirt as she reached for a hand shake.

Other applicants we're starting to troup in by the minute. They all seemed very young and beautiful with sassy attitudes too. Soon the interview began and it was Sophia's turn after five others had gone in.

>>>>>>>>>

"I see you once worked as a waitress at a nightclub some years back and then as a store keeper?" The interviewer asked.

"Yes sir, I did." 

"And from what I can see, you were fired from the nightclub for insubordination?" 

"What actually happened was, my boss tried making advances at me and when I refused, he got upset and had me fired. I was only trying to protect my dignity as a woman." She said in her defense.

"If so, why didn't you press charges? I believe sexual harassment in work place is a crime."

"I couldn't afford a law suit sir." The interviewer looked thoughtful for a second, staring at her intently.

"This is two years after you got fired from your last job. Why did you have to wait this long to apply for another job?" He asked, puzzled

"I couldn't afford working on a job at the time as I had just given birth and needed to care for my child. That's the reason I came hoping to get employed here at the nightclub so I could earn enough to fend for her needs." Sophia explained.

The interviewer sighed, taking another look at her resume. "Well you're pretty and have experience working on the job though it's been years. I'll give you the job. However, I'd have you know that I wouldn't tolerate any form of misbehaviour here at the club. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir, very much." She happily replied.

"Well then, congratulations Ms Dalton. You're hired." He said, reaching for a handshake.

>>>>>>

"Mom, I got the job." Sophia squealed over the phone.

"Really? That's great news my dear. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks mom" she replied

"When do you start and is the pay worth what you heard?" Luisa asked.

"I'm headed home now. I was told to resume tomorrow. I'll be working on the night shift for starts and the pay is exactly as I heard. Who knew one could earn that much from working as a waitress at a club. It pays twice the amount I earned on the last job." She replied.

"Alright dear, that's good. Let's talk more when you return." The call drops.

Sophia thanked her stars for her luck on getting the job. She had felt intimidated earlier seeing the other girls who had arrived for the interview. 

She felt the need to celebrate and so decided to stop by the market to get ingredients she would use to prepare a special celebratory meal. 

She walks to the bus station where she would ride a bus down to the market but there were no buses passing by. And she couldn't afford to take a cab as she wouldn't have enough spare change left to go the market.

Waiting for a bus seemed to be taking forever and it was getting late already. She decides to make a stop at the next bus station up front, probably she'd find one to catch there.

Halfway through her walk, it starts to rain heavily. She was stuck in the middle of the street with no shade to hide under. 

"I never should have left the bus station" she groaned in anguish.

At this moment, she wished even by chance a cab would show up but the streets were dry. Now, there was no chance of her going to the market or even getting home early. 

With no where to seek shelter, she continued her walk under the pouring rain, her body soaking wet. Suddenly, a black Toyota Camry pulled up beside her.

Her attention was drawn to it when she noticed the driver kept honking his horn consistently.

"Miss, where are you heading to? I'll give you a ride." The masculine voice called loudly, trying to overshadow the sound of the rain.

Just to be sure he was referring to her, she turned to look behind her and saw there was no one else. She leans forward to the car, pulling back her wet hair.

She was stunned to see the driver is very handsome, the most handsome man she's possibly ever seen in her life. His grey eyes sparkled, giving life to his fair facial features.

His thin lips were a natural pink, his heart shaped face, well sculpted with a sharp nose and jawline. Sophia feared he was too good looking to be nice. In her opinion, the better looking guys are the worst, especially if they are the rich ones, which she could tell that he was.

"It's alright sir. I'm close to my destination and wouldn't want to spoil your car seat with my wet clothes." She replied, trying to be as loud as she could and then walks away.

The car follows behind her, flashing it's rear lights whilst honking his horn at the same time. Sophia paused turning to the nice stranger in the nice car.

"It's alright miss. You'll catch a cold if you keep walking in the rain like this. Let me take you home, I have no intentions to harm you." He reassures her.

"I really could use a ride. I guess." She said after a thoughtful few seconds.

She obliged his request and got in the front passenger seat of the car. He reached for the back seat and pulls out a white towel.

"Here miss, you can dry yourself with this." He hands it over to her as he starts his ignition.

Sophia gladly receives the towel from him and uses it to dry her hair. He notices her shivering softly and reaches for the heater beneath the dashboard to make her feel warm as they continued their journey. The rain was starting to subside when they got closer to her street.

"Where do I drop you off miss?" He asked, breaking the long and awkward silence.

"I'm fine over there." She said, pointing to a spot far from her home for fear of revealing her exact address to him.

He swerves his car to the side. "Are you sure you'll be okay here?" 

"Yes I am. Thank you very much for the ride. And I'm sorry I ruined your seat with my wet clothes." She apologised. At this time, it had already stopped raining.

She thanks him again for the ride as she alights from the car. She waits for him to drive off before going down her street back home. Surprisingly, he didn't bother asking her name or collecting her number like most men would. And she was thankful for that too.

>>>>>>>>>>>

"You're soaking wet, why did you have to come home under the rain? You should've waited for it to stop before going all in." Her mother nagged.

"It's not like I wanted to get soaked by the rain either. There was no shade to hide under on my way to the bus station." She replied, taking off her wet clothes.

"I already have hot water heated up for you in the bathroom. Go shower and come join us for dinner." Her mother said, walking out of the room.

>>>>>>>> The Next Day 

"For some days now, I've noticed some unusual movement in the house opposite ours. There's been a lot of stuff and people going in and out the house. Almost like someone's preparing to move in." Sophia said, over a cup of coffee at the dining.

"I noticed it too. The lease sign has long been removed, so I'm sure someone's moving in soon." Her mother replied, joining her at the table.

"Whoever it is, I hope they're better than the last neighbours we had. They almost turned the street into a hood with constant partying and loud music. How annoying." Sophia said, sipping from the hot cup of coffee in her hand.