Chapter 21
"Hey, wanna go on a trip?"
Her reply came instantly; I wasn't expecting that.
"Yeah, sure. Where are we going? And who all are going?" She's excited.
"Haven't decided where. As to who, Kevin and I were discussing about a trip. We met on the subway last month and thought it would be fun. So, you will go?"
"Yep. Sure."
Sarah hangs up and I sigh in relief. Things seem to go my way nowadays, and I'm super scared, and confused.
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Ten Months Ago
The mail that came at 9 o'clock in the morning was the best I have received, in forever. Bold, professional letters displayed,
"Congratulations! You have been provisionally selected as a clerk in the Bank of Birchwood."
That was the first time I had seen father smile in a long time. It seemed genuine. Mother just held my hand, pressed her eyes against them, and didn't talk. Then she gave me a small smile that made me feel giddy and definitely a little guilty.
We all knew what this job would mean. In addition to this being one of the most prestigious jobs there is, there are no branches of this bank around here. Which means I'm going to have to move out.
The training took place at my hometown, a fortnight of new faces from different parts of the country. For a girl who had never been out of the small town she was born in, it was a thrilling experience. I ended up talking more, laughing more and actually making friends with people. For the first time in life I felt like people liked me, and I liked them. The last day of training decided my fate: I was selected for a smaller branch near Birchwood, Holtshire, which was about five hours away from home.
I moved to Birchwood the next day the training period ended. The first sight of the town made me feel empty inside, as empty as the railway station of Holtshire. An old ticket counter sat on the end of a platform, with a few young fellows milling around it. I hired a vehicle to the Milky Way Complex, where the branch is situated. The Complex sits in contrast with the rest of the town, it has fifty or more shops, several branches of financial institution, and a few salons too. My colleagues were shy, but helpful, so were my landlords, and in a month or so, I began to imagine Holtshire as my new home.
The only problem I faced was the lack of companionship. The staff at the branch were all married, and left as soon as the office hours ended. I took to visiting restaurants another part of the town, which hosted the only mall in the town of Holtshire. It was grand, crowded, and felt like another world altogether. It was all the town has, so I joined a gym to spend the hours after work. I lost a few pounds, and all the times I spent at the mall made my pockets empty but my wardrobe pretty full. The salon burnt another hole in my wallet, but the salon owner was too friendly, and I liked spending time there. With all these, I got myself a full makeover in less than three months.
I didn't realise that I looked different until I accidently came upon Kevin hanging out with his friends. He was one of those chubby kids of the school who turned into a stud after. He and I never had much to do with each other, in fact, I didn't think he even knew I was present in the class. The moment he looked at me standing in a LBD, my curly hair untied and wearing red lipstick on my way to meet Katherine, he came and gave me a big hug as if we were long lost best friends. We hung out a few times after that. The group was getting bigger every time, more classmates of mine joining in, and I had a notion that we were slowly turning into some kind of celebrities, and I was enjoying the limelight.
A weird dream came to me one night after I met Kevin. There were five people which included Kevin and Sarah, a girl from my class who I never talked to but heard quite a few rumours about, and we were off on a tour. The next morning I proposed the idea of the tour to Kevin and he was all for it. I took Sarah's number from him and messaged her.
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We meet at the Railway Station at eight in the evening, take the train at ten. The journey is fun, and my eyes keep going over to the people sharing our compartments. One of the men is tall, big and wears glasses. My eyes keep flicking on him, and his are on Sarah. I laugh to myself and choose the lower berth, leaving the berth facing Sarah's empty for him.
We reach Latashore in the morning, take a cab to the homestay, where the owners tell us lunch would be ready in two hours. We refresh ourselves, take a nap and wake up, when the owners tell us the fish is taking a little time to get there. We wait another hour, at the end of which Sarah is on fire. She shouts on us, on the owners, and the cab which takes us to a nearby restaurant because it is taking us too slow. Being the smallest of the group doesn't stop her from scaring the daylight out of a 220 pound guy and a 175 pound girl. We follow her meekly inside.