35. A Bad Day?

Ashley walked out of their apartment building. Down the long street and the large park in front of her, then out through the main gate.

With hurried steps—without her realizing it—her feet kept moving further and further away from the apartment neighborhood.

The only thing that occupied her mind right now, other than getting away from Josh, was making her stomach full. That's why before she left the apartment without a word, all she did was grab her wallet.

The disgust caused by Josh's long words made her immediately finish her lunch without wanting to linger there. Even though she had only eaten a few bites of the dish. But being at the same table with that man, while listening to his words, really made her very tired. It was as if the intentions of the two of them who wanted to try to find a way out and come to an agreement that was in line, could never happen—no matter how many talks were held or how long they looked for it.

As she consciously put away her unfinished bowl of rice and soup, regret briefly crossed her mind as her stomach immediately made a soft ‘kruk’ sound. A very clear sign that Ashley was actually still hungry. Fortunately, her position was already far away from the dining room where Josh was. So she was completely sure that he didn't hear the sound of her protesting stomach.

Avoiding Josh was one thing, but finding a delicious lunch was another thing Ashley thought she should prioritize. Only after her stomach was full would she rethink better and do a deep contemplation on what she should do.

Once outside the residential complex, her gaze scanned the row of commercial buildings along the main road.

Ashley had indeed lived in this country for three years when she was in school. Although the situation had changed a lot, she had traveled around a lot since four months after returning here. But specifically in this area, she had only moved in two days ago, and did not know the situation very well.

Her hand then automatically reached into her pants pocket for her cell phone—thinking to look for a well-rated restaurant around there. But her hand only found emptiness. Then she checked all the pockets on her pants and clothes, just in case she had put it somewhere else but forgot it. But just like the previous pocket, she didn't find the phone in any of her other pockets either.

Then a flash of memory hit her hard, ‘Ah, that's right. I didn't bring my cell phone.’

Ashley thought she had taken her cell phone along with her wallet, but it turned out that her actions overlapped and became muddled with her impromptu intentions, annoyance, and impulsiveness.

She let out a short sigh.

There was no way she was going back to her apartment just to get her cell phone. That would be very embarrassing.

So she continued her walk leisurely on the sidewalk, scanning, and choosing places randomly according to her instincts.

When she saw a bakery cafe with a pastel pink exterior design, somehow her desire suddenly changed from looking for a place to continue her lunch to the temptation of eating something sweet. It could have been her body's natural reaction to relieve her low spirits and irritation with sweetness as a medicine.

That's why she immediately turned the corner and entered the beautiful cafe without any further thought.

Ashley went to the ordering section and pointed out one slice of strawberry cheesecake, one key lime cupcake, one creme brulee, and one caramel banana trifle. Then ended it by choosing a Belgian Chocolate drink with a request for a large amount of whipped cream.

“Would you like to take it away?” the waitress asked lightly as the order was quite large for someone who came alone.

She shook her head and replied, "No. I'll eat here."

“Alright,” although a little worried, the employee seemed to handle it very well and professionally.

Ashley certainly understood what the employee was thinking—fear that Ashley wouldn't be able to finish it and end up wasting the food. But don't worry, she confidently promised that she would finish her order without any leftovers. Because apart from her failed lunch a while ago, the last food that entered her stomach was yesterday afternoon when she ate together with Bella.

After completing the payment and the employee placed her entire order on a large tray, she led her meals to one of the empty tables.

Sure enough, although it took some time, Ashley managed to finish all her orders of the delicious desserts and super sweet drinks. At this point, she didn't stuff herself to the brim, she was truly hungry. And all those cakes with mountains of sweets could finally fill her stomach to almost full.

She sat back and relaxed for a while to make sure that all the bites fit into her stomach properly. Just so she wouldn't get a stomachache if she had to get up and walk from there.

And while waiting for her stomach to feel more comfortable, her taste buds became craving for a cold drink that was refreshing but not too sweet. That led her to ask the employee where the closest convenience store was.

Once she got the hint, Ashley thanked him and left.

According to the employee's directions, it would take her about five minutes on foot to reach the nearest convenience store. Not too far, but not exactly close either. Even so, she still decided to go there to get a cold drink—and maybe sit on the veranda for a while to cool her head down. 

Even if she couldn't digest and analyze her problems today, she would do it later or tomorrow. Slowly and carefully.

When she arrived at her destination and stood in front of the refrigerator that contained a variety of drinks, her craving suddenly changed again to alcoholic beverages.

Ashley thought for a while, then looked outside through the window of the convenience store. Her eyes caught the background of the street that was still so brightly lit. She again scanned the several types of drinks in front of her, and decided to hold off on satisfying her craving for alcohol, even if it was just a beer. Still, he picked up a bottle of wine that was on the regular shelf near the refrigerator, for her to enjoy after she got home. The drink she chose eventually fell to a lemon soda that looked so refreshing.

She then sat on the veranda of the convenience store after paying and sipped her soda slowly.

The cold, sour, and popping taste flowed down her throat that had previously only been filled with sweetness.

But after that, a sigh followed by several others came out of Ashley's mouth desperately. She tried to focus her mind so that she could start thinking about the problem and the best solution. But let alone the best solution, one kind of reasonable choice could not be found immediately.

Unable to think properly with the atmosphere outside like this, Ashley finally decided to think about it while walking home.

Her hand grabbed the convenience store plastic containing the bottle of wine she bought and started walking leisurely.

But suddenly, in the midst of her attempt to really contemplate while walking, her eyes caught the commotion that was happening not in front of her.

There were some boys wearing school uniforms, teasing a scavenger grandmother who was pushing her cart. They were teasing her, taking over her cart to the point of overwhelming her, and messing up the used boxes by throwing them in all directions. If that wasn't enough mischief, one of them deliberately snatched a shabby knit money bag until the strap that was originally slung over her shoulder broke. The snatching boy quickly ran away and crossed the road. The bewildered grandmother stumbled after him, not knowing the light had turned green when she only reached the halfway point.

Ashley was wide-eyed.

She quickly ran after her while shouting "Grandma! Stop! Come back!"

Her eyes didn't stop checking at the traffic and the vehicles that were potentially going to pass there. When there were several cars from both directions speeding towards her, Ashley accelerated her running.

She also kept trying to shout "Stop! Please stop!" to those cars while making gestures with both hands.

That grandmother was only a few steps away from the closest car. And all Ashley could think about was protecting the old woman's fragile body from a fatal collision. So she impulsively and without thinking, jumped up to hug the grandmother.