Chapter Two

A knock on the door interrupted my cleaning midway. I opened the door, and a girl about my age, putting on a purple and white flowered gown, was at the door. I took in her appearance; she had a set of Brown eyes, and her black wavy hair was tied in a high ponytail. She looked a bit simple, but she was beautiful in her cheap clothes.

"Hi, I am Grace!" She said this while smiling at me warmly. I was surprised at how forward she sounded, but I guess it's their way of greeting and meeting the new occupants. I just stood still, holding a mop stick in my hand, while staring at her.

"We live opposite you, just me and my grandma," she announced excitedly as she pointed at the door opposite us.

"Hi, I'm Matilda." I smiled at her. I know it's a bit strange, but I kind of liked her energy. I guess my smile made her feel relaxed and a little more chatty.

"There has never been a young person packed in, so I wanted to be friends with you," she went on, but this time around the smile on her face disappeared. She was making cute faces, and it was a bit funny, but I managed to hold down my laughter.

"When did you see me?" I queried her, surprised at how she knew we packed in yesterday. We didn't see a soul outside when we moved in; it was like a deserted, haunted house. I was perplexed when she spoke as though she had seen us the previous day.

"She made a guilty face." I saw you yesterday through the window when you came in with your

"Dad, come on in". I gesture with my hands while smiling.

"No, I shouldn't bother you early in the morning; I just wanted to drop off this cookie as a sign of let's be friends ". She said she was stretching the glass jar she was holding; that was the first time I realized she was holding something in her hands.

"You don't have to." I tried convincing her, who still gives out cookies these days, just to be friends, but it seemed a little weird and old-fashioned to me.

"Please", She made puppy eyes at me. I can't believe it, but I just couldn't turn her down and remain unmoved by my decision; she looked like a nice person. What could go wrong? I asked myself.

"Okay," I said. I took the cookies from her. I didn't want to drag the matter any further.

"Thanks, Tilda; I can call you that right," she asked, her face lit up in a smile.

"Of course, we are friends now, aren't we?" I teased her, and she giggled at the mere mention of friends before she disappeared.

"Bye," she said.

"You too, Grace."

I shut the door and went back into the apartment while smiling at her funny attitude.

A few minutes after I was done cleaning, and that was when I realized Dad hadn't come out of his room this morning. He has had a knack for drinking himself to sleep since we lost Mom; I guess he missed her so dearly. They have been inseparable during their days together. I peered into the room through the keyhole and saw him lying down and snoring away on the bed.

"He must have had it rough yesterday night," I thought to myself. I decided to do a little grocery shopping to stock up on our pantry since we didn't eat much yesterday.

* * * * * *

I was in the kitchen fixing up breakfast for us when I heard a rattling sound coming from the room. I assumed Dad was awake now.

"Honey!" Dad called.

"Dad, you are awake!"

He staggered a little but found his footing immediately.

"Dad, you should go freshen up; you don't smell too nice," I said, smiling.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered immediately and disappeared into the bathroom. I chuckled and continued cooking. I was preparing scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage.

I could hear Dad whistling as I set the breakfast table. "I guess he is in a good mood this morning," I muttered to myself. It has been quite a while since I have seen him this happy. I guess the change in the environment did the trick.

"Honey, this is good. How did you manage your way around town?"

"I had help," I replied.

"Oh wow, already, you have made friends," he chuckled.

"I will be stepping out later to look for something to do; I hope you can manage by yourself till I am back."

"Sure, I'm not a kid, you know."

"Of course, my baby is all grown up now." We both smiled and continued eating in silence.

Dad dressed up and left while I stayed back at home. There wasn't much to do at home, and there was no one to talk to. I considered going to meet my new friend Grace, but on second thought, I decided not to bother her.

I picked up a book to read, but I grew more bored than I was earlier. I dressed up and decided to check out the town. I mean, it won't hurt to go look around; it's not as if I'm going to pay for looking around the town. It was quite a lovely town, a little bit too quiet compared to New York, but I kind of liked it. After spending so much time walking around aimlessly, I decided it was time I visited the library. I found one with the help of G****e; it was nothing fancy, but it was quiet. I picked up a few books from the shelf and busied myself with reading and digesting them.

After reading for a few hours, I was feeling a little drowsy, and I knew it was my cue to leave the library. I got out and decided to get an ice cream from the ice cream shop I saw down the road and also maybe look for a job at one of the local shops. I couldn't possibly spend the rest of the summer without a job, so I trekked down a few shops down the road and went into the ice cream shop. I wanted to get a cone, and to my surprise, the girl from our apartment, Grace, was the one there.

"Hey!" I called out, and when she turned, I smiled at her and said, "One vanilla cone for your best friend".

She chuckled and waved at me, asking, "What are you doing on this side of town?" She was a bit surprised to see me.

"I went to the library and decided to get ice cream here."

"Oh wow, you must be bored at home."

"Don't get me started!" I sighed.

"I should not bother you; besides, you are wearing work cloth, and I don't want to put you in trouble."

"Oh, really," she teased. I smiled, and she turned to attend to the two other customers that came in almost immediately. I took my ice cream and turned to leave. I was almost at the door when she called me back.

"Please wait a little bit so we can go together; I am almost done with my shift".

I nodded and sat back in one of the chairs. I kept myself busy with a book I had borrowed from the library and licking my ice cream.

Someone tapped my shoulders, and I sat up. I must have dozed off while waiting for Grace.

"I'm done; let's go". She said to me, she had changed out of her work uniform, and her hair wasn't tied and covered up like before.

"Grace By any chance, are you guys hiring?"

"Do you want a job?"

" Yes"

"Well, we are not exactly hiring right now, but for my best friend, sure, we are hiring. Come fill out this form for me". She went back behind the counter and brought out some forms, handing them over to me.

"Thanks, dearie".

"Sure, sugar, and to show me gratitude, you let me buy you dinner, and we discuss". Grace said

"I thought I should be the one buying?" I asked, a little confused.

"Well, does it matter who buys it as long as we eat?"

"Free food! Amazing!" I exclaimed.

"Sure, I can manage that."

When I was done filling out the form, she told me I could start tomorrow, which was a bit surprising. I was about to ask her if she was the owner of the shop. But as if she could read my mind, she quickly explained to me that the owner put her in charge, so she could hire or fire anyone.

"Oh, wow, you must be trustworthy," I complimented her.

"Not really; he is just too lazy to handle his business."

"Oh!" I exclaimed.

We stepped out to take a few bites before going home; she was not in a hurry to go home, and neither was I. We were contemplating what to eat when we came across a Korean restaurant. I told her I wanted to try out the famous Korean chicken feet. I had always seen them eating it in Korean dramas, and I wondered what it tasted like. She gladly obliged to buy We got into the restaurant and placed our order. I was excited about trying this new dish out, and Grace couldn't help but laugh.

"I hope you don't get disappointed."

"Never!" I replied while excitedly waiting for our order. I nearly jumped out of the chair when we were served. I put on the disposable gloves on the table and dove right in.

I took a piece and took a bite; it was far beyond what I had imagined. It had a spicy, sweet, and sour taste. The chick was so soft that you could easily separate the flesh from the bones. But it had another level of spiciness.

"Wow!"  

"You might want to be careful with the bones now, Tilda; we can't have you choking on the bones," Grace warned, but I was so engrossed with what I was eating that I didn't heed her warning.

Grace told me a lot about herself; she hasn't had it easy all her life. I thought I had it rough, but after listening to Grace's story, I knew there was another part of life I hadn't experienced. You wouldn't believe she had gone through half of what she said, judging from her jovial nature. I guess she got tired of complaining and decided to take the bull by the horn.

She told me that she never met her father at all. She barely knew her mother as she left her with her grandmother in search of a better life, and that was where she met her end. She didn't feel it so much because she was more like a stranger to her. Things went back to normal as her grandmother made sure she never felt the impact of losing both parents because, as far as she is concerned, her father is dead to her.

It wasn't long after her mother's death that her grandmother fell ill. They thought it was just a minor issue until it progressed into a full-blown mental illness. She sometimes forgets everything.

Ever since then, she has been the one catering to everything. She told me she wanted to put her grandmother in a nursing facility, but she doesn't have enough money to put her in one. Her best friend moved to the city, and since then she has had no friends. She is saving up money to put her grandmother in the home and also for college.

We have lived in this part of the city for almost three weeks now. It has been a bit quiet, as my dad and I have been trying our best to put the past behind us. He no longer drinks himself to sleep, and he seems a bit happier than before. 

"Dad what are you doing?"