The day was a lazy day.Lucrecia did not like days like this, where dawn stretched itself into hours and magnified and then overemphasized the garishness of New York, when the sun, finally up, would crawl too lazily across the sky and bathe the entire city in a gold light.Such a boring colour, gold. The only thing worth noticing about gold was that gold was gold. Only valued because of its name as a material and precious metal. Other than that, the colour gold meant nothing. It was pathetic. Bland. Who cares that it made every other thing sparkle and feel like royalty?Lucrecia did not care for such things. There was only ever one thing to bother about. Money, and if not that, then how to make money.She tossed her head back on the quickly wearing-out sofa in the crammed space she called home.Less of a house than a box, Lus apartment had two doors and looked exactly like she always called it: a shoebox. Quite literally.One of the similar run-down houses on a block that seemed to
Rise and shine, meathead!Groan. You know this is human torture, right? You should be arrested. No one wakes up this early.Yes, they do, meathead, Samantha said as she flung the curtains open. Red light streaked in like captives set free and landed on a fine, fair face. The face was instantly hidden under a duvet.Oh, come on, you big baby. Its 6AM already. The whole of New York is up by this time. Samantha cooed at the face. It grumbled and squeezed the duvet.No, theyre not. Richard grumbled.Samantha chuckled and lifted the duvet. Perhaps youre right. Still you really should get up. The pancakes will get cold.Richard groaned and turned over. The duvet came away from his head slowly. Samantha crowded his vision. Puckered lips and perfect, golden hair, like the wheat he always fantasized about as a child. Wide, seeking eyes and was she wearing his shirt?Oh, he loved this woman. Come here.What?Im going to kiss you, he said, grabbing her by the waist. She sq
Thank you for coming with me, Adam. I honestly dont know what I would be able to do without you.Probably nothing, your majesty. Who knows, you might even stop breathing if I wasnt momming you around every other minute. I understand, sir. Adam retorted.Adam, as much as I appreciate and understand your sense of humor, we discussed that I am Kevin, remember?Why, of course, sir. How could I forget? Forgive me, master George.”You keep that up and I might have to recommend you to the countrys association of ass-lickers. Felix said as he picked up an apple and his eyes roved around it.Anything to keep me in employment, my good sir.Adam replied good-naturedly, and besides himself, Felix could not help it when a small smile creased the corners of his eyes.After close inspection, Felix raised the apple to the trader and asked him the price, then put the apple back. They walked away from that stall, and to another stall. Felix repeated the same thing there, and at another as w
Richard sat at the edge of a wide window that allowed to him to see a yawning view of the city of New York. Skyscrapers loomed in the backdrop of the gray and ashen city, and just down below, he could make out the heads of the twenty-thousand odd people that regularly walked that road, either going, coming never at a place.New York. The unsleeping city.It was one of the things that he admired about his quaint, little, overcrowded city. The heat, the bustle, the smooth flow of business. It was so easy to get conned here. It looked easy to make it here, but that was just it. Looks.He knew how difficult it was to make it in a place like this, and he had tried. He had tried to do legal jobs, but what could he really do? A man with little to no or education, and a talent for shifting things it would only be a matter of time before the company would lay him and others off, not because they caught himno one ever caught himbut because the company would have no more funds to support per
The minute Lu opened her door, she knew something was up. Khalil was still laughing giddily behind her, so she put two fingers to her lips and motioned for him to be silent.She closed the door as silently as she could and took off her heels. She was dressed in a nice, red cashmere gown that accentuated her hips and flaunted a lot of leg.Her hand stretched absentmindedly to the doorpost. She retrieved something long from the darkness and crept steadily into the house. It was just a one room apartment, plus the toilet and a cubicle that was supposed to serve as the bathroom, but there were plenty of places to hide if she was being attacked.This is how we greet friends now, Lu? a voice sounded beside her. Then she smelled cigar smoke. She shouldve known.A match was struck in the darkness and a cigar was put to it, but in the brief illumination that the matchstick offered, she could make the gaunt face of the man that had raised her.Sir John! She tried to push down the lump in h
The call had lasted longer than Felix had wanted it to. It was magnificent, simply magnificent, hearing from Kelly again. She had sounded wonderful the first time they had met for lunch, but hearing her languid voice in the cool of the night, it was like he was being enveloped in smothering want and rose petals.He wanted more.He couldnt deny it now; he was smitten and he was absolutely powerless about it. He wondered how Adam would feel if he knew that he had called Kelly. It was a good thing Adam had decided to spend the night at his own house this time around. Felix could easily imagine Adam asking to please speak with Kelly.It was a thought he didnt want to think of. No. Kelly was his alone, and when they went on tomorrow, he would prove his love for her.She was really interested in lifting the children out of the streets and poverty-stricken areas and giving them another chance at lifea better one.He did not think much about what his father would think. The king could chuc
You know, I dont think I quite trust Lu with this job.Now you think? Ive been yelling this thing at the top of my head from the get-go. Shes getting too attached to this man, and she doesnt even know it. Not good for family.Richard said, filling his speech with as much venom as he could muster.He had been absent from Samanthas house more often these days, but she chalked it up to him job-hunting. He had told Samantha there was something big coming and he wanted it to be a surprise, so she didnt really fuss when he went out for such long periods of time anymore.Only this one job, baby. I promise.Nothing was going to get in his way, and most definitely, no one. He was going to make sure this job got done no matter what. A better life it was all he could ask for. He had lived so long dirty, miserly and downtrodden.He had worked hard for this. He had worked hard all his life. He deserved this. He needed it.He folded his arms as a dark look came across his face.Look, its
She couldnt believe this. Of all the things Felix could do, he was going to drag her arse halfway across town, just so what? She could watch him make goo-goo eyes at a woman?Damn him!If she walked any faster, her jean trousers were going to literally give up right there and then, and just go paft! And then Felix would finally be happy, the world would at least look at an arsehole that was not bad at all.Until then, she couldnt wait to get to where he was, give the girl a run-down, stick her foot up his ass and contemplate whether this charity thing was worth it.~~~In all her life, Lucresia had never seen anyone smile so broad, so genuinely at having seen her. It was always the other way around. People loved seeing her body, they just didnt like seeing her. Exes, people shed conned, people who had tried to con her out of her belongings and body parts the list was endless. And yet Alexs smile was like a searchlight, except it was fixated on her. She suddenly felt her heart s
What if she had not given him enough chance to explain or maybe she wasn’t even in the mood to listen to him. She let anger and bitterness cloud her. If he hid the fact about his child to her, it was for a reason. Maybe he didn’t want it to ruin their relationship bit she failed to see things his way. She was just bent on her own thoughts. She sighed as she went over to her baby and carried her to the bed with her and within few seconds, she was fast asleep. ...Eric constantly checked his phone to see if at least there would be a flash call from Sam but none. Even if it was a single lined SMS, he would appreciate it. Had she moved on?, he thought to himself He felt sorry that he kept such a big secret from her. He had always wanted to tell her, bit he didn’t seem to have the opportunity or rather the opportunity had been there but he was just too scared of her reaction. He was so scared of loosing her and he cherished her more then an anything. Today is the second day sinc
“Sam that was all in the past, yes I admit I was a cheat, liar, player and all evil you could think of me then, but Sam, that was all in the past . Believe me when I say I’m a changed man now. I have nothing with that girl. In fact I am even shocked to see her here.We haven’t been in contact for two years now and suddenly she just appears and wants to spoil the beautiful relationship we have. Please don’t believe whatever she said. Believe me when I say you are all I have and want. I love you so much and that’s all that matters“One could feel table sincerity in his voice but could easily believe him buy Sam wasn’t taking any of that. She felt so hurt and bitter that she didn’t want to talk to him. She was so pained“Are you done talking?”“Now leave me alone!” she dragged her hand away from his and walked away. “Sam please you have to believe me” he called after her, but she didn’t even look back at all. She just disappeared away, out of his sight. Eric stood confused and ang
“Who are you?“Sam asked with a sudden frown on her face as she saw the blonde thick lady, who had just opened the door to Eric’s house and is standing half way, as if blocking the entrance from her getting in“I should be asking you that question” she replied rather rudely, looking at her from head to toe with a smirk on her face. Samantha was confused. She didn’t know what to do, She was in a cross road. One mind told her to walk away, maybe when she saw Eric later, he would have a lot of explaining to do. Or rather she should just walk out forever since she wasn’t enough for him.Was Eric seeing another woman and deceiving her? Why was her life like this?Why does every man she keeps meeting keep failing her and leaving her shattered?She couldn’t accept the fact she had been played yet again by another man after the first one left her shattered and helpless. This woman standing in front of her, beautiful, with curves, her blonde hair packed in a ponytail and looking so radia
Eric sat in his parlour and took another sip of his beer. He didn’t seem to understand why Samantha had been avoiding him so he decided to go check up her and the baby. If she wasn’t going to see him, he was going to see her and make her see him.“oh, hello Eric! Nice of you to come by.” Samantha smiled as she opened the door to let Eric in. Her smile couldn’t be more fake. “i haven't seen you around lately so I came to check up on you and the baby.” Eric walked in.“I’ve just been a lot of busy lately, have a lot of things on my mind and all that stuff.” Samantha waved her hands in dismissive way.“maybe you should take a break, rest a little if you can. You don’t need so much stress in your life especially not when you have a baby to take care off.” Eric sat on the couch and looked at Samantha who was clearly avoiding eye contact. “enough about me, how have you been?” Samantha asked, sitting beside Eric and giving cheerful smiles every second. It was beginning to get weird.“I’ve
Samantha sat in her chair. Her thoughts were far from the sight of her child playing before her. Samantha was thinking of far deeper things. She was thinking of the life that her and Eric might or would never have. It wasn’t her fault; the life she had led so far was going to decide the fate that her and Eric had together. Samantha was deep in thoughts, she wanted the good life for her child and for herself and also for Eric but in her mind, she knew that she would eventually have to decide on who to let out her plan.Samantha crossed her legs on the chair. She c could see her child on the ground, having the time of its life. Samantha smiled. She wanted that; to be free without a care in the world. She just wanted all these choices and decisions to go away and leave her with the perfect and peaceful life she wanted to lead. It wasn’t the biggest thing in the world to ask but Samantha knew it was going to be hard and she would make choices she didn’t even want to make. The first choice
It was a very cool morning, the sun was barely out but one could see the rays from it that projected itself into the room, through the windows. The room was not so big ,but quite seizable to contain three people in it. Samantha was already lying on the bed with her son beside her . The room was well decorated with lots of flowers and designs. There was a little television hanged on the wall and a medium size refrigerator beside the bed. The bed was a medium size one which could contain two persons comfortably on it. Samantha rolled from one side of the bed to another and finally opens her eyes ,she stretches herself and notices that it was already broad daylight. She sluggishly and lazily got up from the bed and made for her rope which she put on herself. Oh god !what a stressful day I had yesterday, Samantha said .Walking into the bathroom of which its door was just adjacent to the bed she had laid on, She takes a brush and begins to apply paste on it . She swings it into her mouth
Eric had driven for nearly all of the night. His eyes were tired. His hands were tired, and even though he did not look like it and would not mention it to Samantha, he was tired.She had gotten tired the minute the clock struck 10PM, but she had kept up a losing battle with her body to stay awake. The baby had been asleep from before they even got in the truck. And for as many times as she slapped herself to stay awake, when the clock struck 11, she had thrown her head over the baby and settled into sleep.Eric did not feel himself drifting. He just knew that after the car had begun to move along the road shoulders and brushing nearby shrubs (one of which painfully slapped him on the head) that they had to stop and rest.They had been on the road for over six hours now. And there was a baby in tow. They had to stop and rest.He started keeping his eyes out for signs and notice boards. There were no other drivers on the road, so he kept on going. He hoped they would find a motel soon.
“Are you okay?”“Oh? Oh, yeah. I am.” Samantha whispered, then added, “t-thank you.”Eric gave a grunt in acknowledgement and turned the key in the ignition. The truck came to life with a rumble.“Here goes nothing,” he said as he clutched the gear shift.~~~Inside, Samantha fought a war against herself—a war she was gradually losing. In the last five minutes, she had turned at least seven times to catch a glimpse of Eric.To see his strong, proud chin. To see that flaming red hair. To see the stubble on his lips—she imagined how they would feel when she ran her lips across them—and all seven times, she had immediately thrown her gaze to the back of the truck as if she was searching for something.She wondered if Eric noticed this. She hoped not. She was already dying inward of the embarrassing prospects that her mind seemed to keep dreaming up.She tried to rock the baby in her arms to distract herself, but she found herself turning again, ever so slowly.Her eyes shot to his face a
Eric’s eyes were wild, but his face was calm; at least, it looked calm—on the outside, he seemed composed; nonchalant, even, but deep within, he was shivering and quaking down to his very soles.“Come on. We have to be quick. So you and the baby can sleep.”“I’m not worried about myself or the baby, I’m worried about you. What—are you… everything’s going to be alright, right? You’re going to be okay?” Samantha asked, a pleading expression on her face.She had tried several times to hide it. It was near impossible. One can only tamp down and attempt to suppress what they felt for so long. But like every other thing that is being restricted, constricted, squashed down… there were only two choices. Ever.That thing either chose to quake and break and fall under, and be forgotten, or… it would rise, and fucking explode.Samantha felt that way now. She could feel it deep in her—in her body, in her mind… in her soul… she was falling in love with Eric, and soon she would not be able to hold