The embarrassment

>>Maya

My stomach growled while I stood outside a cafe and stared at the desserts on display. Then I looked at my purse.

No money for luxury.

I closed my eyes in frustration.

Hell!

I only have enough for one meal a day!

God! Why is this happening to me? 

I began to walk towards my current lodging.

It’s all because the university decided to cancel dorm scholarships… At least I got free breakfast and dinner there. I only had to worry about one meal.

I sighed when my stomach growled again. Going from three meals a day to just one can be cruel huh? Very very cruel.

I kept walking till I reached a fruit stall.

The owner was a middle aged female. She noticed the drool coming down my mouth while I was staring at those shiny red apples. It was as if they were glossed to appear more appealing.

I didn’t notice she had seen me ogling the fruits until she picked one and presented one to me.

“Want one?”

I stared at it for a second, almost tempted to take it but then I shook my head.

“No. I’m not hungry.” I told her and she laughed.

“That so?” She put the apple back in its place and I gulped but I still managed to walk away, this time all the way to the long blind alley. The dark part of which had rag tents. Many others like me stayed here.

Honestly, because I wasn’t the only one who was reduced to living in such conditions I didn’t feel that bad. Looking at all the other people here made me feel a bit better.

I sighed and sat down at the entrance of the tent. It was dark enough in this part that no person could really see here us all but we could see the people on the other side as they walked by the alley.

***

“Girl, you’re here today as well.” The fruit stall lady said, “Why do you come here daily just sit by the fruits and sulk?”

She was right.

I came here every day just to sit by the stall, curl up and sulk, “The smell of the fruits help me out.” I tell her.

She usually ignores me because she thinks I’ve made no attempts at stealing her goods. But oh! How wrong she is.

Just because I don’t suspiciously run away, doesn’t mean I haven’t stolen anything.

I have.

How did I manage to get it so easily? I’ve done it many times in life before, in times when I really needed to eat.

Things were easier in the countryside. People were kind and would offer food as a gesture of kindness. Plus, it wasn’t as expensive either.

The bigger cities are horrendous when it comes to prices.

Everything is so expensive! It’s like money evaporates right through the pockets.

I had no need to steal anything since I got the scholarship but now… I sighed while I had my head buried in my knees.

I’m really sorry lady but you’re an easy target for me.

Silently I looked up. Her attention was on another customer so I was able to quietly slip a banana under my shirt in the hidden pocket. 

If I’m lucky, I sometimes snatch extra for the people living in the tents with me.

Then I immediately returned to my original stance in which I was crouching while my head was buried on my knees.

I heard another customer approach the shop.

“Hey Risa.” The male customer greeted the fruit stall owner.

“Hey~ Are you here for your usual amount.”

“Yes please.” His voice somehow felt familiar but that was all the more reason for me not to look up and let him see me or meet his gaze.

“I’ll get to it immediately,” Risa said.

“By the way Risa.” The customer stopped her.

“Yeah?”

“What’s with this kid sulking by the stall?”

I flinched. Why is he suddenly asking about me?

“Oh this kid? She’s here around this time. God knows what pleasure she finds in it.”

“Is that so?” I felt a strong gaze on me so I decided to take a peek.

Slowly I lifted my head up, enough to see the face of the man, but the moment I did my heart leaped through my throat and came straight out of my mouth.

Shit!

I looked down again.

It was Yohan.

What’s he doing here?!!! 

I have to flee.

That was my very first thought and an obvious course of action. So while I was in the same position I changed my direction to the opposite side of where he was standing. Then I placed my hand over my hood pulling it as low as possible and stood up.

Time to leave.

I began walking steadily away from there without looking back.

Please don’t pay attention to me.Please don’t pay attention to me.Please don’t pay attention to me.Please don’t pay attention to me.Please don’t pay attention to me.Please don’t pay attention to me.Please don’t pay attention to me.

I kept chanting the words as I kept walking. When I finally turned the corner I stopped and looked back.

No one was behind me and I walked a long way from the fruit shop so I took a breath of relief while placing my hand over my chest.

“Well hello there.” A soft voice whispered in my ear. 

It scared the hell out of me and I clenched my hoodie over my chest where my hand already was in fear and I almost screamed but managed to bring it down to a single eep.

I shot my head around and saw Yohan standing behind me with a smirk on his face.

“H-h-h-hi?” I brought up my hand in nervousness. 

How the hell did this guy follow me all the way here without making a sound?!?!

“Hello kitten.”

He stepped forward and I stepped back immediately but was met by a wall behind me which halted my movement. I tried to leave by going left but he placed his hand there. So, I tried leaving through the right side but he closed that path too with his other hand.

In short, I was trapped between his arms, unable to escape, unable to look at him and unable to avoid that sharp gaze that was making me feel even more nervous.

“I see you’re in a hurry.” He said.

“Yes. I have to go back and study.” I kept my eyes down and startled fiddling with my clothes.

“Really? I thought you were going to waste some more of your time sulking there by the stall.”

“What~! No way, I was just a bit down so I sat there.”

“The shop owner said otherwise.” He placed one of his hands on my chin and brought my face up to look at him.

“Th-that-” I gulped, “She’s a good lady so I have been going there a lot.”

“I see.” Looking at him made me feel weird, “I wonder if you’re telling the truth.”

“Of course I am! What else could there be?” He retreated the hand on my chin and lowered it while I kept looking at him.

“I wonder why.” I felt his hand slip under my shirt and my heart started beating like crazy. His fingers against my skin made me shiver but then he slipped it out, “Maybe because of this.”

He showed me the banana he took from under my shirt, “Stealing isn’t a good habit.” He said in a low tone.

With my eyes on the banana my cheeks started to flush. With each passing second they became more red. 

I had never been caught red handed like this.

It was an ultimate humiliation.

I gulped and dropped down my gaze again.

“So kitten.” Yohan spoke, “Care to explain why such a cute little thing like you would resort to stealing?”

I fiddled with my thumbs but kept my mouth shut.

“Keeping quiet won’t do you any good.” I still didn’t speak. This was so embarrassing! I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me whole. 

God! Someone kill me! “If you don’t speak up, I’ll tell the owner what you have been doing.”

I didn’t.

He sighed and removed his other hand from the wall and backed away, “Your choice.”

He began to walk away when at the same time another moment of utter humiliation striked.

My stomach growled so loud that the stray dog sitting a few feet away decided to present me with his bone.

Tears started filling my eyes as I bit my lower lip to fight back my emotions.

Someone shoot me!

I slowly turned my head to look at Yohan who had stopped the moment my stomach decided to make the sound of whales mating.

He was looking back at me in utter confusion and worry. I could clearly see the surprise on his face. He then looked at the banana in his hands and then at me.

Then sighed, grabbed my hand, and pulled me along with him.