Chapter 1: Portraits of Acadia's life

ACADIA

“Grrgh grrgh” the alarm clock went off waking me up from my beauty sleep. With sleepy eyes and tired arms, I stretched to aggressively turn it off, sighing and wishing I had more time to sleep before I started the day’s hustle. I felt a sharp pain course through my back and aching which felt like I had fought a never-ending war the previous day. Juggling between two part-time jobs did that to me. I reluctantly stood up from my bed and went to do my morning business before going to the kitchen to take my green tea which was part of my morning routine. Green tea always made me feel better and alive, for some people, it was coffee but coffee gives me anxiety. Setting my favourite mug which read “best friends forever” on the kitchen island, I called my best friend's number.

“Hi bestie” my best friend Emily replied after two rings.

“Hi Emily, when would you ever pick my call on one ring?" I asked and moved to caress my forehead with the tips of my finger in an attempt to calm a rising headache.

Rolling her eyes, “Emily, don’t roll your eyes at me.” I reprimanded knowing what my best friend did even without seeing her.

“Oh give me a break, it’s not my fault that my phone seems not to like being close to me. She whined.

This caused me to chuckle. Emily had never had a good relationship with her phone. If one were to place a bet on her, they would lose every penny. One time, she could not find her phone for two days and I couldn’t contact her, making me very worried. Turns out she had left it in the pile of clothes in her closet and forgot it was there. So I was not surprised by her exasperation but it still annoyed me every time it happened.

“Anyways, I called to remind you of the dinner we planned to have today”

“Thanks babe, but i didn’t forget.

Emily had been there for me since college days, our encounter was one never to be forgotten. I was sitting alone at lunch break one time in school not because I did not have people who wanted to become friends but because I was very picky about my friends and most of the people who approached me were either just there to gossip or pick on others.But Emily walked up to me that day and asked if she could sit at my table. I agreed because she had a cool aura about her which drew me to her. We chatted for a while and I found out that she had a few classes with me in high school and we went to the same university. Ever since, we became inseparable and now we were out of school. Emily was now working in one of her dad’s companies while I was navigating through financial struggles, working two part-time jobs and occasionally freelance writing. Life indeed has never been on my side.

I had lost my dad at age fifteen and my mother died from cancer not too long ago. A tear slipped down my face as I remembered holding her hands so desperately begging for her not to leave me alone in this cruel world. I had my brother but my mom and I shared a lot of mother-daughter moments. When they proceeded to take her corpse to the morgue, I went into a state of panic and reached out to her in desperation, however, my elder brother, Michael grabbed me by the shoulder and gave me the tightest hug I had ever received while we both sobbed profusely.

Now, It was just me, my brother, Michael and Emily. Michael got enlisted in the army, so he was out there serving his country in Afghanistan. I am very close to my brother but I was still very much mad at him for choosing to enrol in the army even after I begged him not to. He is all I have and I didn’t want to lose him too.

“Are you still there?

“Ye…yes. I stuttered and suddenly remembered my call.

I heard Emily sigh. “I was telling you about what happened yesterday and you zoned out. Are you okay?

“Yes, I am. I’m sorry i zoned out, a thought crossed my mind”

“Well, apparently, it didn’t just cross but stayed for a while. Anyways, I have to go, we’ll talk better when we meet today.”

“Alright, we’ll meet at our spot by 10pm, don’t be late”. With that, I ended the call, and rinsed off my mug. I went upstairs to prepare for work, it was soon time for my shift and I didn’t want to be late because my boss was not easy to deal with and he would deduct a few charges which I didn’t need.

You must be wondering who I am. Well, I’m Acadia Dimitri. You already know my family story, I don’t like to tell it that much because as you know, it is not the most pleasant story to tell.

I wore my work wear and hastily blow dried my chestnut hair, one of the features that I inherited from my mom. She was the most beautiful I had ever seen. My blue eyes had a striking resemblance to my dad’s.

Picking my car keys to the rusty Jaguar E-Type that my dad left me. I ignited the engines and drove to my first shift for the day. I was 5 minutes late when I got there earning a glare from my boss. Rushing to pick up my apron, I proceeded to take orders after saying a quick hello to Ethan, my co-worker.

By 11am, I was already exhausted but I had one more shift before I would go home. I reached out to turn on the radio to hear my favourite songs playing in sequence , I tapped the steering in sync with the beat and sang along with the songs that played just to give my spirit a lift which it so desperately needed. By 5pm, I was done for the day, and drove home for a quick rest before I would have to go out to Emily.

Laying on my bed and scrolling absentmindedly through the internet, I found that there was a vacancy for a content writer role at my dream company , D. M. Corps. Ltd. One of the prestigious companies in the state, I gasped and quickly clicked on the link which took me to the sign up and application page. Reading the job description, I quickly sent in my application and prayed fervently that life would smile this one time at me.

I wore my high-waisted jeans and a black sleeveless blouse, I drove to our spot, stopping by to get Emily’s favourite chocolate. Emily thankfully got there 5 minutes later.

“Mamiiii” Emily cooed and hugged me.

“Hi Emily, how are you?”

“I’m doing good, today was very tiring. Why do we need to go to work? Why can't we just go on a never ending vacation? Emily whined.

I chuckled at Emily’s display and reached out to give the chocolate to her. "Because for some people it brings some sort of fulfilment and to some it serves as a source of income." I answered.

Emily lightened up immediately she saw the chocolate, taking it, she quickly opened it and started eating it. I smiled, I never understood Emily’s love for chocolate.

“I did something today.” I began, unconsciously fidgeting with my fingers.

“What’s that?” Emily asked.

“Remember the company I always spoke about in college, the tough one with very slim chances to get in?”

“D. M. Corps. Ltd.?

“Yes”

“What about it?

I took a deep breath before continuing “I stumbled upon a content writing job opportunity on I*******m, there’s a vacancy in the company and I sent in my application.”

“Oh my love, that’s great! I know you will get the job, you have all it takes.

“Thank you, babe. What would I do without you?

“Absolutely nothing.” Emily answered.

I chuckled, feeling extremely grateful that life had not taken everything from her. I still had her best friend and brother. They meant everything to me. We ate, chatted and laughed about other things.

When I got back, I laid on my bed and looked at the ceiling thinking about what getting the job at the company would do for me. It would not only be a boost to my financial life but it would also be important for my career. I would have the opportunity to express myself through writing. I never felt that I fully utilised my creativity at my current jobs.

I fell asleep that day thinking about what my life would be like as a content writer at D. M. Corps. Ltd.