Chapter 1: A Place To Stay
"Mom! I DON'T want her at my place! What? She was FIRED! No way!" my cousin Abby exclaimed, complaining to her mom over the phone. "Mom, couchsurfing is for people in their 20s. For heaven's sake, she's 36! It's NOT cool. At her age, she should have a stable job, a house..." she spat out my age like she just chewed pieces of bitter melon. "She should have been married by now, urgh! Whatever happened to her college degree? What a waste!"
Suddenly, there was a long pause. I could hear Abby gasping. I wondered what she was so shocked about.
"Oh my, God! Mom, I didn't know," she said almost in a whisper. "Alright, I won't mention anything about marriage. She's so unlucky!"
An hour ago, I arrived at her condo unannounced. I had no way to contact her. So I had to tell her mom about my situation.
Upon explaining that I'll be staying at her place for the weekend, my cousin went straight to her room, called her mom, and complained. I wished she had lowered her voice and been discreet about it. I could hear her loud and clear as if she intentionally wanted me to hear their conversation. What an entitled, snobby brat!
"What? Food too? Mom, I'm NOT selfish. It's just that I've planned my food schedule for the entire month. Everything is in place," she said. Then there was a pause. "Ok, FINE!" Another long pause. She sighed. "OK. Bye, Mom."
I expected her to come out of her room any minute now.
Meanwhile, I took the liberty of assessing my cousin's condo. It has one bedroom. The living room is spacious, faultlessly clean, and lavishly furnished. She's from the affluent side of the family. Upon graduating from college, her parents gifted her this unit.
A moment later, she emerged from her room. She smiled at me apologetically.
"You know, I don't appreciate being surprised like this..." Abby said. "You should have given me at least a week's notice."
"I'm really sorry," I said in an apologetic tone. "I was supposed to stay at my friend's apartment, but suddenly her family came over. It was bad timing."
Abby sat down on the hot pink leather couch opposite me, crossed her legs, and drew in a deep breath. "I'm not a selfish person. It's just that I'm not used to having a roommate if you know what I mean..."
Of course. She's the only child. Selfish. Entitled. Rich parents adore her to a fault. And most importantly, she's a makeup influencer with more than 500k followers.
"Of course, I understand. On Monday, I have a final job interview. So after the interview..." I smiled, trying so hard to be casual, but deep inside, I'm filled with deep embarrassment. "I'm going back to her place!"
She raised her eyebrow. "Alright, then. But let's set some rules..."
I was taken aback by her lack of concern. She's not showing an iota of interest in me. In the overall scheme of things, I'm REALLY insignificant. "Oh, OK."
"Absolutely NO touching my stuff," she said as she crossed her arms. "My house should be clean at all times because, you know, I'm an influencer. I'll be taking videos and selfies at any moment. I DON'T want any unsightly things caught on camera."
I nodded. "Of course, I understand."
"Finally, about the food..." she paused for effect.
"Oh! I totally get it. No need to worry about food..."
"Good. Good!"
"No need to worry about me. I'm a girl scout. I'm always ready! I even bring my own blanket and pillow," I said beaming proudly. "I can sleep on the couch!"
"Oh no!" Abby said while shaking her head, feeling aghast. "NO ONE sleeps on my couch."
"Oh! Then I'll on the floor."
She looked relieved.
"And no worries... I have two blankets!"
"Oh, good! Then we're all set," she smiled.
We fell silent. There was nothing to talk about, I guess. We're uncomfortable with each other's presence. We're relatives but not close. We're the complete opposite. The last time we saw each other was about 10 years ago during a grand reunion.
Meanwhile, she was busy with her phone, so I tried to just wait. I checked my phone. No messages; just damn spams. It's 4:45 PM. A few minutes later, I broke the silence. It wouldn't hurt to make small talk; show a bit of interest.
"I saw your makeup tutorial videos! It must be nice to be an influencer," I laughed coyly. "You must have a lot of free makeup from your sponsors."
She glanced at me. "Well, it's a lifestyle I've grown accustomed to," she said as she casually ran her fingers through her hair, emphasizing its jet-black, silken strands. She said proudly, "But it's not for the faint-hearted and the aimless."
"I envy your strong motivation."
"Oh, girl. Motivation can take only take you as far as 5 contents before you get burned out and de-motivated. Motivation is overrated," she said in a tone that makes you think she's a pro. It's so convincing. "It's all about planning ahead, being creative, and having the right network of friends. And it helps if you're being true to yourself."
Oh, golly! I wanted to say.
"And you look amazing!" I said with pure honesty. "You're like a girl boss."
"I AM a girl boss. And you look," she paused, gave me a once-over, and disapprovingly said, "TOO healthy?!" She paused. With a smile, she said, "In an adorable way, my dear cousin."
I flinched. This brat. I really want to rip her tongue out! Instead, I have to metaphorically kiss her snobby ass, or else I'll be sleeping on the street.
"Anyway, I'm heading out. I have a collab makeup session. And we call it TGIF makeup session with my besties," she said enthusiastically. "So help yourself..." she said as she pulled the stroller containing her stuff.
Suddenly, Abby's phone rang and she answered, "Hey, bestie! I'm on my way. Oh, you're here already? OK. Oh, no! No!" she said as she pulled something from the stroller and handed a box to me.
I took the box from her hand. It's chocolate. I mouthed thank you. She smiled. While still on the phone, she waved her hand as she sashayed out the door. "There's no need to come up. I'm downstairs in a sec. See ya, bestie~"
A moment later, I'm all alone—just me and well... The box of chocolate.
I'm surrounded by the luxury that my cousin, who is 10 years younger than me, enjoys. I'm jealous. I had dreams and pictured a life I was supposed to share with the man I love. But in an instant, love flickered out like a candle whose flame was extinguished. And that bastard took my hard-earned money!
I let go of the emotions weighing me down. I couldn't help it. I wept because life has been unkind to me. But I have myself to blame. I was naive. Gullible.
I vowed to find that scamming son of a beet, get my money back, and literally kick his ass.
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