Mia
I hated this shit!
I would literally kill someone if this noise continued.
I'd cheerfully burn their bodies and keep their ashes in a jar!
The music emanating from the top floors could cause an implosion in the entire building.
I would a thousand times settle with the faltering and muffled footsteps heard from the sidewalk as if I slept on the streets. I groaned then stuck my fingers into my ears, hoping to cease hearing the heavy metal music coming from above. Unfortunately, my little act was in vain. It felt like I had a rock concert right in my face. Can't a human being sleep in peace in their apartment? Sorry, I meant basement? I resided in a basement with my little brother and my Papa.
Before I went on with anything, I was poor. Well, my family was poor. This explained why we lived in a wretched, unfurnished, shabby, old, harlem, and gloomy basement the owner gracefully sheltered to us for free. Though we shared the room with little maintenance equipment. The hole punctured in the roof casted the sun's reflection right into my cornea. The tattered and almost broken bed I shared with my brother sank both of us down till the mattress touched the floor. Still facing the sticky and disgusting wall and away from my brother, I tossed my hand behind me to shake him up.
"You know, I always wake up before you." I heard him speak from behind me. I turned and saw him seated on one of the two chairs we had in the room, neatly dressed and ready for school. Oh so he wasn't on the bed.
"I'm just waiting for you to make me some sandwich for school. Didn't want to wake up because you kinda got in late yesterday." He gave a small smile. Ever since our mother died, Jayden simply lost his glow, his amazing and contagious personality. A fourteen year shouldn't experience such lamentation. More fuel was added to the fire the day our papa was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis making him unreadily paralyzed. The disease had no cure but had specified treatments that could prevent further deterioration. We had to sell all our property for his medication which unfortunately wasn't enough and to no avail.
I dropped out of college in sophomore year, realizing it was my responsibility to take care of my brother and my sick father. And now, I worked as a librarian in a small local center. This job wasn't exactly the kind to land you thousands of dollars since it was a small community library but it played a fair cut in taking care of my struggling family.
"Okay, kiddo I got you. Do you mind helping me out of this quicksand?" I stretched my hand to him as he pulled me up.
Okay, so I didn't finish describing the room to you. So every room had four walls right and so would obviously have four corners too. One corner housed me and Jay, another housed my dad and another housed the maintenance equipment and the last space we used as a kitchen.
The room had a venetian lantern that flickered little sparks of light. The room wasn't dim. it wasn't chandelier bright too. A non-working fan hung on the ceiling, not that we needed it anyway.
We had a bathroom too, the size of a small walk in closet. We didn't own a lot of stuff so the space was practically enough but the environment wasn't hygienic especially for my Papa.
I walked to his bed and saw him lying awake.
"Good morning papa." I pecked his forehead as his shadowy eyes blinked at me.
"Good morning Mia. Can you help me up into the wheelchair?"
"Of course Papa." I carefully set up the wheelchair. The disease had so far spread to his hands and arms making them immobile. He'd been complaining of pains in his patella of which I should take me to see the doctor but the money wasn't even enough for transportation fare to and back. I carried him by the armpits and gently sat him on the wheelchair.
"Thank you, sweetheart."
"No problem papa. I'm going to fix some breakfast for Jay then I'll heat up some soup for you, alright."
I trudged to the kitchen, opened the one cabinet that contained few utensils and to the mini fridge which made uproarious sounds like a freight train. I took out some leftover soup and some bread and eggs with lettuce. I boiled the soup on our one slot stove and made a simple egg sandwich for Jay. Then proceeded to heat the soup for my Papa.
"Thank you, Mia." Jay hugged me as he went forth to our Papa to bid him goodbye.
"Okay goodbye." He chirped and climbed up the stairs.
"Okay Papa, I have heated your soup but its still hot, so I'm gonna shower then I'll come and feed you okay."
He gave a small nod and I glided into the bathroom. I would normally wash my hair but the water didn't gush like how it's supposed to be, it came out like drizzles of raindrops. I brushed my teeth in the same spot I took shower since there was no sink. Getting out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel. I went to my bag and got out my faded blue jeans and a cotton shirt and trod back to the bathroom. I couldn't possible dress in front of Papa, you know and it was not like I had my own room.
I wished.
So this was what I did everyday.
I brushed my long brown hair backwards allowing it to cascade down my round my waist like waterfall but instinctively changed my mind and made it into a loose bun. I loved my hair, it was super long but also mad frizzy because your girl didn't offer it the best hair care.
"You look beautiful honey."
"Thanks Papa." My papa always told me how beautiful I was because I reminded him so much of my mom. Just like my mom, I had brown hair, brown eyes, average height, normal figure and a tad bit of freckles just on the cheeks. Regardless, I was still beautiful to him and nothing made me happier.
****
The library was just an acute distance from my home. A hundred fast paced steps and you would get there. I passed by a local Chinese restaurant and the jabbering and laughters of waiters and guests were heard. The sweet aroma of the assorted foods however filled the atmosphere provoking my stomach. I hurriedly skipped by the restaurant to escape been caught by Hank Marvin.
Thankfully, I arrived at the library with no growling of my hungry stomach. I walked into the doors of library and spotted Erica, the janitor.
"Hey Erica, Good morning. How are you?" I smiled at her and made way to my desk. I felt her follow me instead of just responding which made me tad suspicious.
"Hey Mia." She replied. Her plump face wore a gloomy look and was so red. One would think she had been crying or just been sneezing a lot.
"Mia, there's something I have to tell you."
Panic attack.
Why did I just have a panic attack? Was it like the new wave?
"Umm... Erica, What is it? Is everything alright?" She was a middle age woman but we loved each other so much. When I dropped out of college, she presented me to this tranquil abode full of books. Where I could work and read at the same time.
Oh, I didn't tell you. I read literature in college. I loved books; always wanted to be an editor. An editor in a big publishing company like the Starvnos house of Publishers.
But unfortunately, that was never going to happen.
"The thing is.... we've all been laid off."
"What! I let out. No Erica, that can't be possible." I clutched at my heart.
Panic attack.
"Erica, but why?" I asked, my voice cracking at every syllabus. "What did we do? Where's Mr Powell? I know I report late sometimes but I have to see that my dad is really taken care of__"
"Mia, It's not about you or any other employee here." She aggravated. Erica propped her elbow on the desk, rubbing her forehead. I understood her grief, she'd been working here all her life. This library was practically her livelihood.
"Then what Erica?"
"Mr Powell used the library as collateral." She burst into laughter, a laughter that turned into soft and tiny unbidden tears.
"How?" The frustration was eating my senses. At that moment, I stomped my feet hard on the floor, banged my hands on the table but not hard enough to break it.
"He went for a bank loan and used the library as collateral. I don't know, maybe he thought he could make full payment at the stipulated time but he couldn't."
"He told you this?" Streams of tears were pouring down my face at that point. "This couldn't be happening now. Papa's condition is worsening each day, I need money for this medication."
Jay.
I couldn't give up on my little brother.
I felt a deep thumping beat.
My heart.
"He called me to the office when I got in. He said he couldn't relay this information to you so asked me to do it."
"Erica, my life is over. This was the only job I had. This was the only thing I was doing to help my family. You know that."
"I know Mia, and it breaks my heart. I've known you for four years now and I've seen how diligent you are and how you're doing everything in your ability to support your family. But I believe you'll get another opportunity. I believe we all will."
"Opportunity?" I gave her a hopeless laugh. "I don't even have a college degree. You think some million dollar company is going to hire me? I puffed out a breath. "You don't understand. Papa's condition is getting worse. I need to take him to the doctor." I ran my hands through my now disheveled hair.
Erica stood still, her eyes glowed with tears and her hand hovered over her mouth to stop the muffled crying sounds." I'm so sorry kiddo."
I nodded, accepting the circumstances. This was my life.
Was there a good thing ever going happen to me?
How would my family cope now?
At this point, I needed a miracle.