Someone to Love

One

Hayden Industries, October 16, 2016

Sitting down in a Board meeting should be an actual cause of death.
I'm 25 and I should be living my life, travelling around the world, seeing sights, discovering myself, and whatnots.
But no, since my father paid for my education, I have to use it and pay him back with my so-called acquired skills.
Hell, I didn't even want to go to college, or even have a master's degree. My dad is crazy rich, I can pretty much survive until I die, but since I'm the only kid, and I'm the one that he's gonna leave this whole hell to, I need to be...respectable.
" Miss Hayden? " someone said, bursting me out of my thoughts.
" Yes? " I said, looking up from my iPad, where I was supposed to be following the keynotes.
" What do you think? " he said, probably pertaining to his presentation, which I wasn't exactly paying attention to because I wasn't exactly in the mood to be a director of this company.
I did a quick scan.
A project in New York, Hayden Industries is building a hospital.
" Why New York? " I said, I just needed to comment.
See, I'm not just a rich girl, I'm smart and I got in Ivy League by myself, my dad paid for it, but it was part of the deal that I pass in to them.
Stanford all the way baby.
" What makes this stand out to the other hospitals out there in New York? " I said
And they all looked at me.
" For me, all hospitals are the same, you get fixed up, but their idea should have been, everything in one place, uh, building a hospital that offers the best intervention, like putting all of the shopping cities in one big mall. " I said
Shit, I think that was the idea.
" That's the idea, Ara. " Dad said
" Then, I like it. " I said
I'm smart and sometimes I zone out, that happens.
After the meeting, I went to a bidding.
HI wants to build a hospital, a big hospital, and HI is known for building big buildings, and making it big.
The whole HI building is unnecessarily tall and big.
My dad, assigned me to spearhead this hospital project to prove myself.
Literally.
He plans on retiring from the President-slash-CEO position and giving the seat to me, and this project is the biggest project that is gonna happen.
And it starts when I win in that bidding.
How hard can biddings be?
And if I lose, he says that I lose everything along with it.
I'm pretty much confident that I'll get this.
You'll just raise your hand as the prices get up, or start it high as you get it.
It's a big chunk of land, we're probably just the one bidding for it.
Turns out, I'm not the only one who showed up for the bidding, there's like five of us.
You may think that five is not that intimidating, but I tell you,it is.
Those five people have billions in their pockets, figuratively, but they have billions, not in their pockets. And they looked experienced, I don't, because I don't let the stress get in to me, don't want wrinkles.
Experienced, but they look like they're just two, three years older than me. They're still ahead, I only have one year of experience. And this is my first bidding, so my experience doesn't count.
And I came a little too early so, I sat down on one corner and drank my coffee and just checked for any Facebook updates.
And also, did a little bit of Pinterest.
And Twitter, and Instagram.
Sometimes, I can't even believe that I graduated from Stanford, and didn't even get a single ounce of professionalism from there.
Well, I did, but it's rather minimal.
What I thought was a little bit, wasn't a little bit.
When I looked up from my phone, everybody was gone.
I missed the bidding.
I'm dead.
Literally.
Shit.
Fuck.
Oh my God.
" No.. no.. " I stood up, walked to a person and asked-
" Has the bidding started? " I said
He looked at me as if I lost my mind.
" The bidding already finished. S&C won. " he said
Clearly, he is from S&C, he has a pin of the logo of their company on his collar.
Luckily, I don't have any markings of Hayden Industries, I'm dead meat.
" It's a surprise that Hayden Industries didn't show up, they were really-"
I turned around before he could even finish, and went in my car.
Shit, social media's a bitch, seriously.
Oh my God.
And then my phone was ringing.
AH1 is calling.
My dad is calling.
Shit.
I breathed.
" Hello, Ara-" I said, probably sounding all professional and scared.
" Get the fucking hell in my office, right now. " he said,and then hanging up.
I put the phone down in a cup holder and rested my head on the steering wheel.
Oh my god, I graduated from the one of top schools in the US, and I lost a multi-million project over Pinterest.
" No. " I said
When I got over at Hayden Industries, everybody was looking at me, as if I'm some disappointment, who chose social media over a company.
And probably, word gets around.
Dad's office is over at the 40th floor, so I still have a long elevator ride to go before I face him.
I mean, it's just one deal, I'll evem delete the apps after I meet him, I'll do better the next time.
When I got up at 40, everybody there was also staring, and whispering, and I know that they are talking about me,  ugh.
I approached Dad's assistant, Lily.
" Hi, Lily. " I said
" Oh, Ara, hi. " she said
" Is he in a good mood? " I said, that was the question I always ask her.
" No. " she said
" Am I dead meat? " I said
" Just enter his office. He's waiting for you. " she said
" Do you think he's gonna kill me? " I said
" I don't think you did anything wrong, Ara. " she said
I looked at her, it's either she's on my side, or she's playing  dumb about hearing what the real issue is.
Either way, she's a good person.
I grew up practically seeing her everyday.
Since Dad owns the company and runs it, and Mom also works here, as the Chief Financial Officer, I was basically left to assistants.
And I'll probably be better being an assistant compared to being a director or something.
" Thank you, Lily. " I said
She nodded, and I walked to enter Dad's office.
I don't think he's my dad in this meeting, he's my boss.
"What the fucking hell, Ara!" Dad shouted
I couldn't reply.
"All you had to do was be there and bid, and where were you?"
"I was there."
"But?"
I didn't answer.
"Hand over your credit cards."
I frowned.
"Dad, I'm not a teenager."
"Ara, now."
I handed him my card wallet.
"You have 5 hours to move out of the house. You are to just get your things."
"Woah, wait. You're disowning me?"
"S&C got that deal, I didn't get anything. All because you were sitting in some corner-"
"Dad, I'm sorry, I really am. Give me another chance, Dad. Come on-"
"It was nice knowing you, Miss Hayden." He said, and then going back to what he was doing.
I suddenly felt that the air was thinning out.
"That's it? You do realize that-"
"5 hours is already running." He said
I screamed as soon as I entered my car.
The thing is, Dad and I weren't really that close.
In fact, I'm not even close to both of my parents, they both are all about work. It's a miracle that they even had me.
I quickly packed up all my clothes and some of my things, and then left home.
And to think I didn't really need to do that, but my father is true to his word.
And I also took the Maserati. He gave me that in the first place, and plus it is in my name.
But I was dumb enough not to ask for a house.
Before I left home, I called Mom, in case she cared.
"Hello, you have reached Alice Hayden. Please leave your name and number and I'll try my best to get back to you." Her voicemail said
I chewed on my lip, trying to fight the tears.
"Hi, Mom. It's Ara, Ara Hayden? Uh, I would just like to tell you that Dad made me leave home. Hit me up when you can, or not. Bye." I said
Where the fuck am I supposed to go?
I parked in front of an apartment building.
They have an opening.
Not an apartment, but a tenant looking for a roommate.
Which is good, because I need money, and I need a home, and this is compromise.
How did I know that?
For some weird coincidence, there was a stupid flyer that was stuck in my wiper blade.
I rang the doorbell.
" Hi, I'm looking for Melia? " I said on the intercom.
" Are you here about the apartment?" The voice said
" Yeah, um, I'm Ara-"
And then the door buzzed open.
" Hi, I'm Melia, I own the place. " she said, she was about 45, and she smelled like roses.
" Hi, Melia. I'm Ara. " I said
" Come on in. " she said
Not only does she smell like roses, but the whole apartment building smelled like it, honestly, it smelled like an old lady.
I don't think I can live in this apartment, but if this lady is gonna give me a good price, I think I have to live with it.
And plus,it's only temporary, Dad will soon realize that I'm the only one who is more than qualified for the job.
I was the only one trained by him.
" So, um, I was surprised that someone responded to my advertisement that quickly." she said as we entered her apartment.
" Why? Is there something wrong with the apartment? "
It smelled like roses, the wallpaper was roses, there are flowers and photos of flowers everywhere, it's scary.
I'm guessing she's single or a widow.
" Oh God no! It's just that, I was expecting responses five days from now. "
There's nothing wrong with the apartment. Okay.
" Oh. I just really needed a place to stay. "
" May I ask why? "
" The house that I lived in, uh, the owner decided to live on his own. "
She nodded.
" Do you want some tea or coffee? "
" Uh, no, thank you. I'm fine. "
" Do you want to see the apartment? "
" You mean look around? "
She frowned.
" Oh, I'm the landlady. "
And then I frowned, I don't know what's going on.
" This isn't the apartment." She said
" Oh! " I think I sounded too relieved.
She frowned.
" Um, so, the apartment, where is it? " I said
" It's upstairs. I think you're gonna love it. " she said
" Really? " I said
We left her rosy apartment.
" Do you love to have time for yourself? " she said as we went up the stairs.
" I guess so. "
" Good. Because the owner of the apartment is rarely home. He's a doctor. "
" He? "
" You're not conservative, are you? "
" No, um, I just really need a place to stay. "
" Okay, he's a surgeon, and he's always in call, and he practically lives in the hospital. So, if ever you're gonna stay here, it's like having the place on your own, with half the rent."
" Okay. May I ask why-"
" He was supposed to meet you today, but his schedule didn't permit him exactly, and asked me to step in. "
" No, why is he having his place rented out? "
" Because he's rarely home, and he found it useless to pay full rent if he doesn't use it that much. "
We stopped walking in front of a door.
I nodded.
" I guess that's practical. " I said
I'm guessing the house might smell like musk and there would be cobwebs everywhere.
Might as well, let there be sheets every where.
" So, this is the apartment. " she said as she punched in the passcode.
And then we entered the apartment, which to my surprise smelled like a good morning.
No cobwebs, and no sheets.
And it's so clean.
" Like I said, rarely home. " Melia said
" Wow. " I said
" Yeah, it has two bedrooms, one is his and the other one is yours, this house also has a dishwasher, full air-conditioning, in-house laundry, and a balcony. "
" Sounds like a lot for a guy who lives alone. "
The interiors was basically grey, white and black.
It was kinda masculine-y, but it was my kind of colors.
" That's why he wanted a roommate."
" But is he conservative? I mean, living with a girl might-"
" He said any person as long as they could pay would do. "
I nodded.
No photos, just a house with some basic furnitures.
" Oh right, do you know how to keep a house? "
" Huh? "
" He prefers if the person can keep a house clean. "
I frowned.
The place is pretty well kept.
Not a speck of dust anywhere.
Clean as a hospital.
Considering that he's a doctor.
" Can I see the bedroom? " I said
" Of course. " she said
The apartment was too spacious for one guy, but it seems befitting to me.
I grew up living in big houses, one roommate is not that big a deal compared to 12 house staff, it's gonna be fine.
Well, it doesn't fit 12 house staff, but as long as it has a roof and a bed, I'm fine.
" The thing is, it only has one bath,-" she said
" That's not a problem, you said he's rarely home. " I said
" He is. " she opened the bedroom door.
It's average, but it's clean, and a double-sized bed, it's fine.
" I think I love this place already. " I said
" Really? "
" Yeah, can I move in now? "
" Of course. "
I got my wallet from my purse.
" Do I pay you now? " I said
" No, you just give it to-" and then her phone rang.
" You should answer it. " I said
And then she left me in the apartment.
So, I took the time to roam around, it actually has no sign of the owner, apart from the utensils and the things in the bath.
No photos, no diplomas, no nothing.
But his room was locked, so maybe everything was there, maybe he's just very private.
" So, what do you think? " Melia said
" I'll take it. "
She smiled.
" Okay, do you need help with moving in? "
" I'm fine. Thank you. "
" Okay, just give the rent to-"
" Yeah, I will. "
" You should park your car in the garage. " she said
" Okay, thanks. "
After going back and forth from the garage and the apartment, I have finally brought all my stuff in the apartment.
Wow.
This is the first time that I am going to live alone, like alone alone.
Like without my father's supervision or anything.
Wow.
I'm a grown woman.
No, I'm disowned. And it's gonna be hard for me because I grew up to be a spoiled, little, rich, Daddy's girl, who happened to have degrees from Stanford.
I think I need to drink.
I fumbled through the cupboards, and cabinets, for anything that contains alcohol.
And this house is clean as fuck.
No alcohol!
It's either the person who lives here has issues with alcohol or an alien.
Who the hell does not drink?
I looked out the balcony and spotted a convenient store.
And it's just right across and he doesn't even take advantage of it!
Liquor is just a few steps away!
Ugh.
So, I went to the convenient store and bought one bottle of vodka.
One, because that's the only thing that I can afford.
But if my cards weren't frozen, I could have bought all of them.
At about seven in the evening, I started blaring out two of Sia's albums, 1000 Forms of Fear and This is Acting.
Because Sia speaks to me and it goes well with my plans on getting drunk and crying my eyes out.
This went on for three fucking fucked up days.
And I woke up each day on the floor.
And reeking of alcohol, sadness and despair.
And every single day for those days, I bought vodka from the liquor store across, and I'm close to finishing the whole vodka shelf, considering that they only have five bottles of vodka.
Five!
And I have three!
It's the end of day four, and the end of bottle number four.
Big Girls Cry is blaring and speaking to me.
I lay down the floor.
It has been days and none of my friends have called me, or texted me.
I think that they have heard about me one way or another.
Or maybe they have, and want nothing to do me because my ass is broke as hell, and my dad disowned me.
Hell, my mother is overseas and she has not called or texted or emailed me!
We're not close anyway.
I'm broke compared to the amounts of money that I used to spend on a daily basis.
I mean, I'm drinking fucking cheap vodka.
This is fucking $6, at least I'm getting the effect that I want, for the past days.
Since I got in this apartment, I sleep drunk on the floor, wake up with a mad as hell hangover, stand up, throw up my guts, take a shower, put on make up, eat something, whatever this guy has in here, which by the way I'm almost done eating his stack, buy vodka and shout out Sia lyrics, and then drink.
That's the schedule.
My dad disowned me because I lost a deal, a deal that he didn't want to push through in the first place.
A deal that he didn't want at all.
I just remembered that.
It was groundbreaking, sure. But a mall? In New York?
Compared to our strings of malls around the world-
I woke up on the floor, on the sound of silence.
Someone turned Sia off.
I sat up.
I have a headache.
As expected.
And it's 4 am.
I stood up.
And a guy was standing near the kitchen counter, staring at the three empty bottles of vodka that I neatly stacked on the counter.
My vision is blurry, but I think he's hot and nerdy.
I think my hair is big and my make up is all over my face, and I'm wearing an oversized shirt, with no shorts and no bra.
And I'm drunk.
" Um-" I said
He looked at me.
And I feel like I'm naked.
He frowned at me.
" Wh-" he started.
" Hi, I'm-" before I even finished my sentence, he looked at me, and went to his room.
So, I went to my room and slept for the first time on my bed.
And it was a good night sleep.