Priceless

Day Six

"Where to today?!" I'm excited. And I let myself be.

Yesterday, I broke in front of him. My parents had already shattered me at home before he arrived, but that is usual. But as I saw myself failing every time at golf, what really broke me was that my parents were right.

I'll just be a failure in the end. I have always been. Why do I think I can be better? And me missing the ball was a demonstration of their yells that day.

But then he held me close. No one has ever done that to me. Whenever I break, I either get hit or I'm ignored.

But he hugged me. He held my arms with such tenderness. My heart froze at that moment.

I cried all over again last night after taking a picture with him and walking back inside the empty house. I cried because I missed his warmth. I cried because my heart felt something new.

It was complete.

I was afraid to sound so excited today, but I can't help it. I smile widely at him as he has his nose in a book by the Cafe. He looks up at me and gives me that warm smile. There's something different in his eyes. A new kind of shine.

He closes his book and leans towards me as I sit in front of him. "Dear. I have practice today for this week's performance."

He's a performer? Oh. That's new.

"Performance?" I say with a smile. "What do you do?"

"I play the piano."

"Wow..."

A blush starts at his cheeks and he does a nervous laugh. "I'm not so good as you think."

"I bet you are. I love the piano."

His eyes grow wide at this. "We finally have something in common." This brings a laugh from my chest and he smiles at the sound of it. "It's this afternoon. So how about we meet up later in the evening?"

"I work in the evening. But can we meet up at night?"

"Sure! Any time, Dear." My heart melts at the way he says my nickname and I like my name for the first time. I nod at him and take one last look at his lovely smile before walking our separate ways.

The whole day, I stop my feet from walking to the theater to watch him play the piano or whatever he does there. I have an urge to text him and tell him to come eat lunch with me. I walk out of my building and expect to see him reading a book as he waits for me. I want his warmth all over again.

But I eventually end up going to my other job that my father hit me so much for. It's dark already but the cold makes goosebumps start at my arms. The man with the blank expression gestures for me to go in and I do. Once again, my head floods with the smoke from all the weed they're doing in here. I've stopped coughing now, but my head always ends up with a hammer banging against it. I don't know how people live with this every hour of their days.

The big boss throws a black bag at my feet and I pick it up. It's heavy today. There must be new people in his business.

"You know the rules," he says in his scary low voice. I nod at him and quietly make my way out. I know a short cut where no one can see me walk to that one park.

One of the homeless there takes my bag and nods at me. I quickly run away from him and let out a sigh of relief. This job is always nerve wracking. Either a police officer catches me or one of those creeps attacks me.

I wait by a corner where I told him to pick me up. Right in the middle where he doesn't see my job or my house.

One hour passes by and I furrow my brows at the messages he has left unread.