"I apologize for the lights, dear. I contacted the repairman yesterday but he was sick and promised to do it when he gets better. But don't worry, it's only a mild fever. He will be back on his toes tomorrow to fix the lights." The woman explained, gesturing to the flickering ceiling light. The slight discomfort I felt towards the place magically vanished and I smiled back at her.
"I understand-" I replied, trailing off.
"Alie. Just call Alie." She said politely, opening a door to expose a spacious corridor. "I am the landlady and I live on the third floor." She explained while we walked across the carpeted floor.
My eyes surveyed the length of the corridor. Though the building looked a bit old, it was surprisingly clean. It simply lacked a bit of paint to completely cover the aging walls.
"Please excuse the walls. They look old but they are strong, they can withstand the impact of earthquakes . I can't let anyone paint them yet because I couldn't stand the acrid sll of paints due to my severe asthma." Alie explained, noticing I was observing the walls. I smiled at her in complete understanding.
I had asthma too back when I was a child and I couldn't take the scent of industrial chemicals without my asthma attacking . Luckily, my asthma vanished as I grew up.
Alie stopped walking when we reached the room at the far end of the corridor. She fished out a set of old keys from her pocket, and after so brief fumbling, she found the right one and unlocked the door. It opened with an ominous creak.
I took a deep breath, expecting to see the worst. Instead I nearly jumped in joy when Alie turned the lights on to reveal a small but spacious room with a standard size bed, a round table with a chair where I could eat my als, and a cabinet large enough to hold my clothes.
"Would this room be good enough?" She asked, turning to my direction.
"It's more than enough," I replied, overjoyed. The room actually surpassed my expectations, I thought to myself while surprisingly feeling comfortable already. The room has the sa vibe as the room Mom and I had rented seven years ago, when we sold our house to pay for father's hospital bills.
"Good to hear that dear." Alie's smile grew wider. "Well then enjoy your stay here Miss—"
"Phoenix." I filled in, embarrassed to realize I've forgotten to tell her my na after she introduced herself.
"Ah, yes Phoenix. What a beautiful and unique na you have there." Alie said. "You have an eye-catching eye color too. Are you wearing contact lenses?"
My cheeks turned pink from the complint. "It was my mother who gave that na. Phoenix ans rising from the ashes of one's failures and building an empire of success." I told her, recalling Mom's exact words with a smile on my lips.
Gosh, I miss Mom so much. I thought to myself, feeling a bit down after ntioning her na to a new acquaintance. It's sad to think that she's not here anymore.
I sighed and turned to Alie to respond to her last question, "No, I'm not wearing any contact lenses right now. My eyes are natural. The weird color is a result of a rare eye condition called Heterochromia Iridum." I explained.
"I don't know what that ans but consider yourself blessed. Despite your condition you have such amazing eyes. Looking at your eyes feels like staring straight into your soul. They're beautiful!!"
"T-thank you." I mumbled. Alie was exaggerating. There's nothing special about my eyes.
"Here's the spare key." She said and handed the keys. "In case you need my assistance, you can call via the telephone. My number is written on the card under the telephone."
Alie prepared to leave but before she made her way to the door, she apologized for being too chatty and taking too much of my ti. I replied with a smile, assuring her that I didn't mind, quickly rembering to pay Alie the exact rental fee for one month's stay.
"Thank you, Phoenix, dear." Alie took the envelope and gently closed the door behind her when she left.
I placed my heavy suitcase beside the bed then surveyed the room once more. The minimalist style suited my taste and the large window near the bed made feel more at ho. There was a small bathroom in the corner. It was small but it did not matter as long as I could take my daily bath.
I walked to the window and pushed it open, exposing a large flower garden and filling my room with a fragrant scent. I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes for a mont, enjoying the refreshing cool breeze that lifted my spirits.
Feeling more relaxed, I began unpacking my clothes.
Just as when I'm placing my clothes on the bed, my phone started to ring. Thinking it was sothing important, I quickly picked up the call, only to realize that it was Ace on the other end of the line.
"Phoenix, can we -" Ace's frantic voice was on the other end of the line, but I imdiately cut him off before he could say anything more.
"You're still trying to contact ? Sha on you!" I scoffed in disgust. How dare he even bother to contact after what he did to ! He was the one that demanded that I divorce him, and he also had an affair with his secretary and actually got her pregnant!
"Don't call again!" I demanded, and I hung up before he could even get another word in.
If he had any sense at all, he should stop communicating with . But no, Ace had clearly lost his mind, seeing that my phone lit up with a second call from him. I rejected it too, but my phone screen showed that I already had a dozen missed calls and text ssages from him.
The nerve of this man!
I have had enough of his antics and I wanted him out of my life imdiately.
"Good riddance," I muttered to myself as I vindictively turned off my phone and kept it underneath the pillow with no plans to turn it on.
Now that that issue was taken care of, I was ready to take a warm refreshing bath. My head was still pounding from my hangover, and Ace made things worse. A bath would be just what I needed to recover.
Grabbing my folded bath towel on the bed, I went to the bathroom with my toiletries.
I felt at ease in my room because I'm sure Ace won't be able to find . I was ready to spend my day peacefully sleeping in my room, and no man will be allowed to disturb !
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