With her body soaked from both rain and tears, Theressa trudged along the path that led her home. Her apartment was quite a distance from her workplace, but she had been so lost in her sorrows that she barely realized she was walking until she arrived at her front door.
Entering her dimly lit apartment, Theressa confronted the harsh reality of her dire situation – unpaid rent, job loss, and a crushing sense of despair. Alone and without solutions, she grappled with the daunting challenges ahead, realizing she had no one to turn to for help.
The knock that roused Theressa from her troubled slumber was far from ordinary; it was an urgent, almost aggressive pounding that reverberated through the walls of her small apartment. Disoriented and groggy, she fought her way out of the tangles of sleep, her disheveled hair sticking to her damp forehead, a result of the evening rain that had soaked her to the bone. With heavy-lidded eyes, she stumbled towards the door, her senses still grappling with the abrupt intrusion.
The moment she swung the door open, a harsh glare of light assaulted her, momentarily blinding her. She squinted, struggling to adjust to the unexpected brightness that slapped her face awake. In the doorway stood Fred, a coworker from her now-former workplace, nonchalantly barging into her space as if he owned it. In his hand, he clutched a brown box that Theressa instantly recognized as the repository of what little she had left behind at the company.
"Took you long to answer," Fred remarked casually as he made himself at home on Theressa's couch, his demeanor an odd mix of concern and indifference.
"Thought you were dead," he continued, his words laced with a hint of sarcasm.
"Soon will be," Theressa replied, her voice carrying the weight of resignation as she closed the door behind her.
Fred pointed out the obvious, holding up the box of her belongings. It was a small act of kindness, a lifeline amidst the storm of her recent downfall, and she acknowledged it with a curt "Yeah, thanks."
A heavy silence hung in the living area, pregnant with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Both of them seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but the words remained trapped in the labyrinth of their minds.
"I'm sorry things turned out this way," Fred finally broke the silence, guilt etched across his features like a scar.
Theressa, still grappling with her own mix of emotions, didn't place the blame on Fred. He had been the one beacon of compassion in her tumultuous workplace, and that wasn't lost on her. She nodded, her lips forming the words that offered solace and closure. "It's past now; let's not talk about it."
Fred accepted her stance with a solemn nod, sliding his hand into a file bag as he rose from the couch. "I contacted a friend and tried to find you a position," he began, a note of uncertainty coloring his voice.
Theressa wasn't entirely sure where this conversation was headed, but a small flicker of hope ignited within her. Perhaps her life was about to break free from the clutches of misery.
"It's a car production company, M'Race," Fred explained, his voice carrying a note of excitement and opportunity. Theressa, with one eyebrow quirked in bewilderment, still struggled to grasp the revelation. Fred passed a form to her, a tangible representation of the life-altering news he was about to deliver.
"It's a high position, and you get to work with the CEO directly," he continued, emphasizing the gravity of the opportunity. "You could search the company up on the internet, but the interview is tomorrow."
A small but genuine smile crept onto Theressa's lips, mirroring the tears that welled up in her eyes. Gratitude and disbelief mingled in her voice as she whispered, "Thanks."
Fred, understanding the whirlwind of emotions that Theressa was experiencing, offered a practical suggestion. "You should get yourself out of these clothes and eat something," he advised before making his exit. The weight of unemployment had gnawed at Theressa for far too long. She had bills to pay, debts to clear, and an uncertain future to navigate. Finding a job wasn't easy, especially as she approached her thirties, an age at which society seemed to undervalue her.
As the tears continued to trickle down her cheeks, Theressa clung to the fragile thread of hope that Fred had handed her. Even though the interview was yet to be conquered, she felt a glimmer of excitement, a spark of possibility that had been absent for far too long. She was determined to find her way out of this misery.
Taking Fred's advice to heart, Theressa stepped into the shower, shedding the damp, rain-soaked clothes that clung to her like a reminder of her past struggles. The warm water cascading over her body provided solace and renewal, washing away the burdens of the past and soothing her frayed nerves.
While cleaning and organizing her apartment, Theressa thoughts were fixated on the job opportunity offering tripled income of what she earned from her previous company's unreliable pay.
Balancing groceries and a flurry of messages, Theressa gave in to curiosity and found unpleasant messages from Justin. Despite the sting, she remained determined to move on from her past job, Justin, and Eunice, and without much thoughts, she blocked him before heading to the grocery store.
Inside the supermarket, regret crept in. She had neglected to make a shopping list, and now she was wandering aimlessly through the aisles, contemplating her choices as she scanned shelves filled with food items. With limited funds, she had to prioritize her purchases wisely. Her favorite cereal found its way into the cart, two boxes of it, followed by her preferred brand of condensed milk.
Suddenly, a deafening noise pierced the air, causing a collective panic among shoppers. Theressa, jarred by the sound, tumbled to the floor, paralyzed. She couldn't move even when a man stood before her, pointing a menacing gun in her direction. Panic enveloped her; were they robbers? But they didn't appear interested in money, and what made it even more unsettling was that they didn't hide their faces. Dressed in black suits, polished shoes, and sunglasses, they exuded an eerie aura.
The armed man in front of her sneered, chastising her for her vulnerability. Fear coursed through her veins, but she kept her head up, not yielding to the intimidation. However, his sneer vanished when another man arrived on the scene. An unseen presence behind her added to the tension. She anticipated the worst until the new arrival spoke.
"Are you waiting to be killed?" A stern and commanding voice emerged from behind her, sending shivers down her spine. She dared not turn to face the speaker or respond.
"We are not here to kill... at least not people like you," the man in front of her stated, his attire mirroring that of his comrades. He wore a long black coat, an unusual choice given the hot weather, and black leather gloves. Theressa had noticed the white horse designed on the black gloves and slowly she strained her head to see his face, but a face mask obscured his features.
The man in the long coat knelt down to her eye level, his inquisitive gaze penetrating her. "You look curious," he remarked, his words hanging in the air. It was an odd question, and Theressa couldn't fathom why he wanted to know her thoughts. All she could discern was that this man was peculiar.
Her gaze wandered to the others who were now leaving the store, not in haste but with an air of surrender. "Can I leave?" Theressa managed to utter, not addressing the question that truly nagged at her. Leaving was the smartest course of action; she didn't want to risk being the last person in the store when things took a sinister turn.
The man in the long coat tilted his head slightly. "Sure."
Without further hesitation, Theressa bolted from the store, her unpaid-for cereal and milk tucked under her arm. As she made her escape, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had just encountered something profoundly strange and unsettling.
Theressa couldn't shake the unsettling incident from her mind, particularly the man in black gloves on a horse. Even as she ate her cereal, she found herself oddly grateful to the enigmatic figures who had, in an unusual way, treated her to a free breakfast.