CHAPTER 3

Tessa’s POV

Lessons from a stranger.

I looked down first, imitating the slight bow of the man beside me. I felt a wave of inferiority wash over me as I concluded that whoever was behind those tinted glass was judging my whole existence, from my clothes down to my dusty shoes.

“Not just anyone dared to step into Crestwood estate” the man beside me said, as though reading my thoughts. “That must have been the reason why he slowed down to decipher who you are”.

“Interesting” I muttered under my breath, swallowing the rest of my questions.

At the gate, he stopped and looked at me, expression unreadable.

“Good luck with your contract” He said.

I nodded. “Thank you…for everything”.

He inclined his head slightly. “Take care of yourself, Tessa.”

And then, he was gone.

I stepped into the streets, head low, my feet dragging my tired body. Normally, I would have entered a taxi, but tonight, I didn’t want to be whisked away. I needed the wind, the movement, the city noises brushing against me like a small reminder that the world still existed beyond broken moments.

I bought a bottle of gin from the first corner shop nearby. Twisting the cap and taking the first sip, I let the burn travel down my throat, chasing the tightness from my chest. The noise from speeding cars, open windows, loud music, and the streets washed over me, letting my footsteps stretch long and feel light.

“How much for a pack of cigarettes?” I asked the shop owner who was already packing up his things, closing for the day.

“They are all sold out.” He replied after scrambling through the shelf behind him.

“Why is it that nothing is going well for me today?” I scoffed , breathing out heavily while holding my tears back.

The shop owner looked at me with a confused expression. “Miss?” He said

“I mean…” I started. “Even you of all people are making me feel unfortunate… I just wanted some cigarettes, is that hard to provide too?” I laughed bitterly, pressing my upper and lower lips against one another.

I walked away from the confused man and somewhere down the road, the faint sound of spinning rides caught my attention. I wandered towards it without thinking, drawn to the small amusement park located in a quiet corner. I sank onto a bench near a carousel and let my bag rest on my lap. My eyes fell to the ground, tracing cracks in the pavement, the discarded wrapper of a candy, a tiny puddle reflecting the half moon.

Then, a sudden thump of small shoes made me look up. A little girl, no older than seven, came jogging towards me, arms flying in the air, laughter bubbling out in tiny bursts. She climbed onto the bench beside me, swinging her legs carelessly, not caring I was a total stranger.

“Hi!” She said, voice bright and breathless. “Are you sad?”

I blinked. “Uh…maybe”, I answered, unsure how to answer a child.

She tilted her head, big eyes studying me. “It’s okay to be sad,” she said, sounding oddly grown up. “My mummy says…sometimes grown ups get all sad and stiff, like robots. But you can’t be a robot all the time, I guess,…it sounds tiring”

I stared, a lump forming in my throat. Her words were simple, almost clumsy, yet they carried something so real it cut through the armour I had already started to build around my heart.

“You…you think so?” I asked softly.

She shrugged, swinging her legs to and fro. “Yes. If you don’t cry it out, it gets stuck in your chest and you can’t even remember how to laugh” she started unwrapping the little candy in her hand.

I exhaled, a shaky laugh escaping my mouth. The weight in my chest lifted just enough for tears to prick the corner of my eyes. I wanted to tell her she was amazing, that she had no idea how much her tiny words meant, but all I could do was nod and force a smile, feeling a strange warmth bloom inside of me.

The little girl leaned closer, straightening her back to let her mouth come some inches away from my ears, her voice almost a whisper. “My mum cries alone in her room whenever my dad travels.” She sat back upright and continued unwrapping her candy. “Adults always get sad when they’re stressed but try to hide it.”

“And I bet your mum doesn’t cry all through till your daddy returns right?” I asked, not even knowing the reason I asked such a question.

“ Nope, she doesn’t cry all day long.” She stopped and brought out a rumpled paper from her shorts. “I failed my math test today.” She said, handing me the paper. “I always fail my math test all the time and I cry all day in the park until my mum comes to look for me. I cry when no one wants to play the swing with me too.”

I swallowed hard.

She continued. “Today, someone finally wanted to play the swing with me” she said, the happiness evident throughout her smiling face.

Eventually, she bounced off the bench, waving her tiny hand before running back towards the carousel, a small boy patiently waiting for her with ice cream in each hand.

I stayed a moment longer, breathing, letting her words sink into the hollow places in my chest.

When I finally stood,the night air wrapped around me like a soft blanket. My steps were steadier now, carrying me towards the little penthouse I called home.

The lights in the hallway flickered as I reached my floor. I slowed, keys already in my hand, when a voice echoed through the thin walls.

“Miss Tessa?” the caretaker called, knuckles rapping hard against my door. “We need to talk about your rent.”

Damn!. I didn’t even remember I had promised to pay up my two years rent I owed them. My chest tightened. I froze, then quietly stepped back, turning toward the stairs. One step. Then another. I hated that feeling. The feeling of hiding away from responsibility.

My phone buzzed.

I stopped.

Evan’s name glowed on the screen.