Chapter 17 More than flashlights
Naomi
If I had to stay home every day after coming back from school, I was going to lose my mind. I needed to leave and start doing something…anything…to be able to get my mind off things.
So, I made up my mind to tell Ma'a I was going to go out there and look for a part time job, and she had to understand me. If not, I was going to do something that I would regret in my next life.
When she came back that evening, I had already made dinner, and everything was set. When she opened the door, the first thing she said was, "You hardly ever go to the kitchen. So, what prompted you to do that?" She was all smiles; it was like she had won a lottery at work before coming home.
"It's nothing. All you have to do is go and take your bath. You come back so that we can eat. I mean, I just decided to cook today," I said, trying to make it sound believable. But I was losing my mind; my thoughts were fuzzy, such that if I did not do something soon, I could run mad.
She went to her room and was back in less than fifteen minutes. I didn't say much as we ate. I couldn't hold it any longer after a while. I decided to air it out.
"I want to look for a part-time job, something I can do after school.”
The spoon she was about to put in her mouth rested mid-air, and she looked at me like I had suddenly grown seven heads.
"You cannot do that, Naomi. It is forbidden."
It was my turn to look at her like she had grown seven heads, too. "Is it not possible? You have been working on your own and taking care of us, so I think it is only fair for me to help." I said it like it was the reason I was asking her this, but that was not exactly it. I just needed something to convince her.
I didn't have anything else to tell her except that. She didn't have to know my real reason for doing that; all I wanted was her approval. And where I was standing right now, even if she didn't approve of me going to look for it, I was going to look for it anyway, because I was the only one who understood what I was going through.
She would never understand, even if I tried to explain to her, given how she tried to shut me up every time I came to her with my complaints. I didn't think it was the right thing for me to do by telling her the exact reason I wanted to get a job.
"I understand that you want to help, and I appreciate that. However, you are not going to work, and that's final," she said and shoved the food inside her mouth.
I tossed my food inside the plate, leaned in my chair, and crossed my hands. I knew it was going to turn out like this. I shouldn't have told her in the first place.
"Okay," I said and went back to eat my food. I already had a place where I wanted to work. It was down the street across from us. They needed a waitress. I'd checked it out and would be getting the job, with or without her approval.
A heavy sigh left her lips as she studied me. "It's dangerous for you, Naomi. That's why you can't be out there on your own."
And that got me.
I had to stand up. "That's what you always say, with no valid reason why it's dangerous for me. You know what, I'm never going to ask about it again."
It was disrespectful of me to talk like that to her, but I couldn't hold it back. She kept saying that but with no reason why the outside world was dangerous for me. I was never going to ask her again.
It was Saturday evening, and I decided to go and check out the job. The manager of the diner had asked me to come over so I could review the contract, and if the terms were good with me, I was going to sign.
The place wasn't that big, but it looked classy with glass doors and brown linoleum floors.
There were two sets of red couches around each table. At the end of the diner was the counter. There were two ladies in white chef clothes cooking, and I could tell that was the kitchen.
I moved over and greeted them.
"Good evening to you." I waved with a shy smile. One of them turned to look at me with a sly smile on her face, while the other didn't pay any attention to me.
"Do you need anything?" The one who hadn't paid attention at first turned to me with raised brows, like my presence was interfering with her work.
"Uhmmm...no...yes, I came to see..."
"Wait, I remember the face. You came here last week. The new girl that would be working with us."
"Please, I will like a glass of water."
A customer said behind me, and I shifted to the side to give her space.
"Serve the customer water, Alice..."
"My hands are tied. Let the new girl do it."
Huh? I glanced at them. I didn't come here for that, not just yet.
"Come on. Take this." Alice, the girl that had greeted me earlier, placed the tray of water in my hands. I had no choice but to go serve the water. I didn't complain; maybe this was going to increase my chances of getting accepted.
I returned to keep the tray. I extended my hand over to the other girl, since Alice was busy.
She turned to reach out for the tray, but she halted. Her eyes were in a particular place on my hand.
When I followed her gaze, I noticed she was staring at the blisters on my hand. I didn't bother to cover them up, since I knew I wasn't going to school, and it was not going to be a big deal.
However, I didn't know I was going to get judgmental stares here.
"What ugly things are those? Are you planning on working here looking like that? You would scare the customers away, and that would not really be a good thing."
"What is going on?" Alice returned, her gaze flashing between us. When she dragged the tray from my hand, that's when I realized I was still holding it.
"Don't you see those on her arm?"
Alice's brows lifted in realization. She had really big brown eyes with thick lashes.
"Do they hurt?" Was her first question, no disgust in her voice. She probably understood that it was likely caused by something.
"No. I was born with them."
"That's what you're going to ask? Don't they look disgusting in your eyes?"
"Come on, Mandy. People have more disgusting things. Just let the girl be."
Tears burned in my eyes as I listened to their conversation. It didn't burn because I was pissed by what Mandy was saying, but because of Alice. She asked about it with a clear voice, no judgment. And she was the only person to ever be this nice to me when it came to these marks on my arm.
I ended up working with the girls for a while. I didn't see the manager because he didn't come to work. Why did he even ask me to come when he knew he was not going to be around?
On my way home, I noticed something. I hadn't heard the petrichor scent in a while. It was like whoever the scent belonged to, had decided to take a rest, which I was truly grateful for, since I didn't know where the scent was going to drag me to next time.
This part-time job started at 6:00.p.m, and ended at 9:00.p.m, an hour before Ma'a came back from work. At least that was going to buy me some time before she found out what I was doing.
I passed through a narrow dark road that was perched between two houses before we reached ours.
Something wasn't right. I could feel it. The hair behind my neck was feeling funny. My body was getting cold. I ran through the narrow way and came to stand under the light in front of our neighbor's house.
I glanced down at the dark pathway, but it was too pitch black for me to see if there was anything there.
What even happened to the light in that area? It was practically bright yesterday, and it was dark today.
I turned to leave, but it felt like someone moved behind me in a swift motion.
Then, I saw it. Tall, broad, and dark. It wasn't coming towards me, but going back. It was the structure of someone. How was I able to see them in the dark?
Most importantly, who were they?
My mind questioned, but I was not ready for what I saw next, which made a loud scream leave my mouth.
They turned to face in my direction, and what I could see were the eyes.
Those familiar blue eyes. They were as bright as the moonlight.
"No!"