When Rain Falls

Chapter 3 | The Hamptons (Part 1)

When Rain Falls

Chapter 3 – The Hamptons (Part 1)

     Before I left, Prisha gave me a pink box of donuts and a ham and pastrami sandwich for dinner. At first, I refused, but she kept pushing the box back to me, insisting that I take it. She said she felt bad for not being able to help me find a place to stay. I thanked her for being so thoughtful. The gesture made my heart happy and contented. Who said New Yorkers were rude?

     As soon as I stepped out of the diner, I stared down at the box in my hand. At this point I felt like a homeless person. It didn't feel right for taking a free meal. Looking for a room to rent out wasn't her problem. It was my situation to deal with since it was my fault for coming here without a solid plan in the first place.

     I whipped out my phone and started browsing my contacts. I kept scrolling past my dad's friends' names, including his extended family who were scattered around New York. Most of them live in Saratoga Springs and that's a few hours away. I couldn't afford to live that far, especially when I have a mission. As soon as I get settled somewhere, I'll plan my trip to Long Island.

     I froze when my screen stopped at my stepmother's name. My finger hovered over Mabel's number. No. I will not call her. She doesn't need to know that I'm here in New York. It'll only show how weak I am the moment I contact her, and I refuse to show any signs of weakness when it comes to her. When I was younger, my mom scolded me a lot whenever I refer to my stepmother as the evil witch. It was usually in a joking manner, but in reality, I was never close to Mabel. She never gave me a reason to.

     After browsing the map on my phone for the nearest motel, I headed towards the crosswalk. There was a bus stop across the street and that was the only way I could catch the bus that'll take me to the motel I wanted. I didn't have enough money for a hotel, so a motel will do for now. I was in the middle of the crosswalk when I heard a woman cry behind me.

     "Cosmo! Stop! You need to get back here right now!"

     I turned my head and a black and white Alaskan Malamute brushed past me, causing me to lose my balance. I fell down on my butt and hit my tailbone really bad. The woman who was wearing a rose-colored velour track suit crouched down beside me, panting. "Oh my God, are you okay? I am so sorry! Is anything broken? Do you need to go to a hospital?"

     I winced when I started massaging my tailbone. "It's okay. Don't worry, shit happens."

     "I am terribly sorry." she turned her head to the dog who was near the bus stop, barking and waving his tail nonstop. Cars started honking at us so she started helping me up to my feet. I grabbed my bags and we made our way to the bus stop.

     The dog started licking my hands. I lowered myself and rubbed behind his ear. "Hi there, Cosmo. Nice to meet you."

     "Cosmo, you've been a very bad dog this week," she rubbed underneath his chin and bent down to give him a kiss on top of his head. "Now, I want you to say sorry to the nice lady."

     The dog stared at me and started whimpering. I laughed and smoothed my hand across his beautiful fur. "It's okay, boy. Apology accepted," I got up and smiled at the woman beside me. She was looking at me in a funny way, then she lifted her index finger with a huge smile on her pretty face. "You're Raina Hart, right?"

     Then it dawned on me. No way? No wonder she looked familiar. "Deidra Miller? Oh my God, I remember you."

     We both hugged each other. We were like two long lost friends who lost communication. I mean, we did lose communication over the years. "Wow. What a small world. It's funny bumping into you like this. How's everything with you?"

     "Oh, everything's good," I nodded, forcing out a smile. "How about you? Do you live in this neighborhood?"

     "Yes, my apartment's just two blocks from here," Deidra's eyes fell to my pink metallic bag. "Wait, are you leaving this town or are you..." she trailed off.

     "I just got here today," I said, gripping the handle of my bag when I saw a homeless man appear at our side, staring down at my belongings. Cosmo growled and barked at the man and he continued his way down the sidewalk, dragging a small shopping cart behind him. "I'm going to take the bus to a motel not far from here. Then tomorrow I'm planning on searching for an apartment."

     "You know what? You can stay with me," she said, grabbing my bags. "Please, it's the least I could do for you. I feel bad because Cosmo hurt you."

     "It was an accident," I said in Cosmo's defense. "I can't stay angry when it comes to animals."

     "That's true," she nodded as we started walking. "Do you have a dog?"

     "No, but I have a snowshoe cat named Paprika," I pointed at Cosmo who was obediently walking alongside Deidra. "How long have you had him?"

     "Oh, Cosmo's not mine," she shook her head. "He belongs to my boss."

     "I see. You're pet sitting."

     "Yeah. I take care of Cosmo every now and then when he's out of town. He's away on a business trip right now in San Diego, but he'll be back tomorrow," her eyes widened in excitement when she turned to me. "If you want, you can come with me. I'll bring you along so you can meet him."

     Meet him? Uh, no thanks. I am not interested in meeting rich old farts. I had my fair share of ogling eyes from my father's business friends when I used to visit him during the past summers. They were as old as my grandfather. Maybe older. I wanted to scrub my skin so bad whenever they looked at me. Especially when they ran their tongue across their lips? Trust me, no amount of soap could take away that disgusting feeling.

     I was brave enough to speak up about my concerns. It was making me uncomfortable to the point I never wanted to visit my dad in his office. When dad found out, he was furious. I don't know what he told them exactly, but he probably gave them a piece of his mind. So, when I saw them again, they no longer looked at me like how they used to. Deep down, I knew what they were still thinking. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on inside their wrinkly, shiny bald heads. 

     "Where does he live by the way?" I managed to ask, just so I could continue a conversation with Deidra. I didn't want to give her the impression that I wasn't interested in meeting her boss.

     "He has a beach mansion up in The Hamptons. We'll drive there tomorrow morning."

     The Hamptons. Of course. Just my luck. The gods of fate must be on my side. It's like they're actually helping me accomplish my mission. This is good. Tomorrow, I'll ask Deidra if we could drop by my dad's mansion. I know Mabel usually leaves early in the morning for work. That will be the perfect time to sneak in the mansion undetected. As for the cameras? Crud. I forgot all about the cameras. Oh well. I'll think of a solution later. I've spent a lot of time playing around the mansion as a kid, so I know where everything was.

❤️
Raina will sure be in for a surprise when she sees her friend's boss. ;)

Thank you guys for reading!