Lila

Ten years later.....

"Wake up would you?" Sam tried her best not to shout. Lila looked at her friend, she almost looked frustrated but that didn't mean she would give in, she would never do that.

"Lila is right you know, this isn't a good idea" Cindy, who was sitting on the floor at a corner said supportively.

"Wow, now she's right? Look around, both of you. You like here? This place?" Sam waved her hand in a circular motion, indicating she was talking about the house.

"We are four months behind rent for crying out loud! Aren't you tired of suffering? Of being looked down upon? Aren't you tired of all this?" Sam added.

"This still doesn't make what you are saying right. Prostitution, really? I don't think you can even hear yourself" Lila looked at her friend like she was insane.

"It's not prostitution, it's stripping, and what if it was hook up? What's wrong with that? Isn't it just sleeping with men? Are you trying to keep yourself? For who? It's not like prince charming would come and sweep you off the floor. Who wants to marry a girl from the streets, a girl that throws people's refuse for a living? Both of you should wake up" Sam ran a hand through her hair in as she tried to calm down. Their words were just getting her pissed off the more.

She sat down on the old plastic chair near her, she was so frustrated and annoyed. Why won't this two just reason with her? This was a way out of this dreaded life of theirs and they don't want to grab this opportunity?

"I'm not doing that. My parents didn't raise me that way"

"Raise you hmmn? Did they really raise you? Where are they now? Why did they leave you?" Sam asked in a hurtful but sarcastic tone. She knew it was a very sensitive topic for the three of them in the room, but she looked like she cared less at the moment.

"Did you have to say that? Your story is different from hers, why scratch up almost healed wounds?" Cindy, who hasn't spoken since spoke up. She seemed to have been affected by Sam's words too.

"I'm sorry" Sam apologized, acknowledging that she had done wrong.

The silence that followed next was deafening.

"I'm not interested" Lila voiced out as if saying her final decision after much thought.

"Okay, I won't be forcing you, but don't regret this" Sam warned, she turned to Cindy and looked at her with questioning eyes, as if asking her what her decision was.

"I'll stay with Lila, not interested either," Cindy told her.

"Okay, Your wish" Sam gave up, if they didn't want to help themselves, so be it. She stood up and lay down on the mat beside her.

"You both should not regret this" she muttered with her eyes closed as if trying to get some sleep, which was indeed what she was doing.

Lila looked at Cindy and wondered what she was thinking about, why she didn't join in the conversation. She was the most chatty of the three, but she was suddenly quiet and on her own.

"Anything the matter?" She asked, concerned. Cindy shook her head.

"Okay, I'll just head to my spot then, I think it's going to rain today" She stood up from where she sat and scanned the familiar room with her eyes.

It can't just a room, it was more like a refugee centre. There were some old tattered flat mattresses on the floor, some mats too, even cartons were there, it was all over the place. That was what it was supposed to be since about fifteen people occupied the room.

Sighing sadly, she left the room, her spot was in the other room, which was meant to be the sitting room. Funny how no room was used for what it was meant for. The house had a total of four rooms, the sitting room and kitchen inclusive. She didn't know how many people occupied the whole house, but she knew for a fact that about eighteen or more stayed in the sitting room.

As she sat on her mat, she thought about Sam's proposal. Though Sam was right for stating the fact that she was tired of this life, of disposing people's refuse, of staying under this God-forsaken house. But that didn't mean that she was ready to sell herself, the remaining ounce of her dignity.

And what she said about her parents.... Well, let her not think about that. Sam had said it out of anger, and she already apologized.

Lila closed her eyes, trying to catch some sleep, it was now or never, the sky was cloudy, and it might rain anytime from now, which also meant no sleep for her, her spot in the house which was by the window side a huge factor to that. Window? Hmmn, how ironic, there wasn't any window in the house, though there were openings for it, none had been fixed, worst of all was that it wasn't even covered with anything, if the rain dared to fall, then it would be a double shower for Lila.

She hated the spot and loved it at the same time, she hated it because of the open window, the cold, the rain, and the mosquitoes she had to endure every night. The good thing was that it helped reduced the odour she received from the room. The foul smell was too much, though she was accustomed to it already, she couldn't help but try to cover her nose sometimes to avoid perceiving it, especially when she goes out and after breathing in the fresh air, come back to be welcomed by the smell. It wasn't a surprise though, it was to be expected from a two-room apartment crowded with about thirty to forty people.

"I have to stop thinking and get some rest, or I won't get any today" but the conversation two of her roommates were having didn't let her, she listened in.

"Chunky is missing" one stated, he was eating dried French bread.

"Has he been kidnapped?"

"That's what I heard. He had left two days ago to deliver a parcel for Mr Corner and hasn't returned since" the first guy replied with bread in his mouth.

"Oh goodness, this is getting serious, and now Chunky?"

Lila wished she could stop hearing these things. It wasn't new about the recent kidnapping going on around the area. Rumor has it that a particular kidnapping squad was in the area, kidnapping children. They disable them and send them into the streets to beg. The world was just so cruel.

But Lila didn't want to think about it. She doesn't know who this Chunky guy is and hoped no one she knew falls victim to those serial kidnapping squad. She had many things to think about, and many things to do, and mourning wasn't one of them.

Convincing herself to go to sleep this time, and not allow anything to disturb her, she drifted off to sleep.

She opened her eyes when she felt droplets of water on her.

"Oh shit" she cursed under her breath. She had probably slept a little longer than she should, and the rain was setting in. Everyone inside was already packing up their things and moving them to a corner, because if they didn't, they would have themselves to blame.

She hurriedly packed up her few belongings and wrapped up her mat, then she dropped it where others dropped theirs to avoid the rain touching them.

"I thought you won't pack your things" Cindy gave her a short smile.

Sam watched the scene as everyone tried keeping their things safe, the rain was getting heavier by the minute and no sooner than later, drops of water were seen leaking into the house, the leakage was coming from almost everywhere.

"I can't believe you guys though, see how we are living, and you aren't even giving my suggestion a second thought?" Sam finally voiced out her inner thoughts.

"I don't want to go back to that topic Sam" Lilac was quick to say, and truly, she wasn't ready to. She was exhausted and was feeling sleepy, but the rain had just decided to foil her plans of having a good sleep.

"Me neither" Cindy chimed in. Sam said nothing, but didn't bring up the topic again.

They sat on a wooden bench at the end of a wall, where they hoped the rain won't touch them, at a time, Lila started sleeping unconsciously, her head falling from one side to the other. The laughter from Cindy and Sam made her open her eyes, and she realized that they were laughing at her.

"You won't understand," she told them in a tired tone.

"You know we would, we are all in the same situation" Cindy replied, trying to suppress her chuckle.

But Lila shook her head in a way that stated that she didn't want to talk about the matter or prolong the issue.

She had visited up to thirty houses today, knocking on their door and asking if they had any waste they wanted to dispose of. Some happily provided their refuse and paid her, it wasn't actually a payment, but a tip for helping, but she didn't mind, any small money was useful. Some politely told her that they had none, whole some shooed her away like she was some dog. She didn't mind, she just disposed of the one she got her hands on. It was so tiring, coupled with the fact that the pick-up van didn't come around, whatever their reasons were, so she had to trek a long distance to get to the incinerator and dispose of the refuse. It was so exhausting and tiring, and when she was through, she found herself in the lost and found, where she worked in the evenings. She stayed behind the counter, waiting for someone to walk in through the door.

Few people came though, to check if any of their missing items were there, but none found what they were looking for. She was very happy to close when it was finally time and had rushed home to get some rest, then this?

She ended up resting her head on Cindy's lap and drifting off to sleep.

The rain stopped some hours before midnight, just three hours, and they used the next hour to dry up the house and sweep out the water. Though bad, it was also a good thing as it would help reduce the foul smell of the house. Or maybe that was what Lila thought.

When finally her head hit her mat, she drifted off to sleep almost instantly, she was so exhausted that she didn't even wait to bid her two "sisters" goodnight like she always did.

When she opened her eyes the next morning, she almost cried, she had probably not gotten enough rest, again.