ELIZABETH & SEBASTIAN

ELIZABETH’s POV

“What are you doing, can't you see she's an elderly woman?”

I got home and saw some thugs throwing our things out, and one pulled my mother.

“Well, maybe if you pay your rent then we wouldn't have any problems.”

One said to me from behind he looked like the boss so I just rolled my eyes.

It was a small town, and some of the houses there had faults, if it wasn't a broken window then the shower wasn't working or the power supply had been cut off, but the pay wasn't much so we didn't have much rights to speak.

‘How could I have forgotten about the rent?’

I thought quietly to myself.

“What are you waiting for bring out everything and lock the door”

The thug boss shouted at his boys.

“Sir, please, I beg of you to give me one week, please, I promise to pay you.”

“You are begging me on your feet?”

I immediately went down to my knees and bowed my head, tears dropped from my eyes.

“Elizabeth, what are you doing?”

My friend Felicia came down from a cab and saw me on my knees, she immediately ran towards me, dragged me up, and wiped off my tears with her scarf.

“Girl, what's wrong?”

I explained everything to her and she brought out money from her purse and gave it to the thug boss.

“What are you doing, Felicia?”

“It's fine Elizabeth I just received my two months' salary so I can spare.”

She smiled at me and she helped us bring our things back into the house. My mum was in tears, so I took her into her room and put her to sleep. And I walked back to Felicia.

“Felicia, thank you so much, I'm more than grateful right now”

I said with a big smile on my face, Felicia had always been a good friend to me, she was always there for me whenever I needed her even when I lost my father, she stayed with me and my family for 3 months, and just looked after us.

We got into my room and sat on the small bed that could barely hold us. The house had two small rooms, my mum and brother stayed in one, and I stayed in the other. I  didn't have money to waste on curtains so I used my mother's wrappers to cover the windows.

“Felicia, I need help, please, I beg of you, anything, I'm ready to do it”

“Didn't you collect your salary for this month?”

Felicia asked without hesitation then I told her that I already collected advance payment from my 4 jobs, just to get what to eat at home and also for my brother's medication, and now I had nothing.

“I'm so desperate right now, I'm seriously tired of going back and forth, it feels like the whole universe is against me.”

“You know what, I will try and talk to my boss for you, maybe he can arrange something for you.”

“That would be great, Felicia.”

“Now, please, stop crying, such beautiful ocean eyes should not shed a tear.”

“Oh, please.”

I said and smiled while she wiped my tears.

“Maybe, just maybe things might have been better if only you had agreed to date my boss.”

“You mean Ashley? The same “boss” of yours that always has used condoms all over his office in his club?”

“First of all, it is a bar, and yes that same Ashley.”

She bowed her head in shame and laughed. She also knew that her boss was very promiscuous.

“Do you need me to come with you to the bar?”

“Not at all. I will go alone, you just wait for my call.”

It was almost 6 so Felicia left for work. I stayed in my room and prayed to get good news from Felicia that evening.

I decided to sleep a bit, and when I woke up it was almost 8.

I went to the kitchen to prepare something for us to eat.

“Aunty, you have been sleeping, are you fine?”

“I am fine, Samuel.”

My little brother came out of the toilet and saw me. He was 15 years old, and he looked smaller than his age because of the disease he had.

‘Oh, lord if not for anything else then at least for my brother's sake, I can't lose him too, please, this disease has already taken my dad.’

I thought.

My phone rang and I quickly went to pick up the phone, and it was Felicia.

“Fingers crossed.”

I said to myself before I answered the call.

“Elizabeth, I have wonderful news.

Her voice was shaky but I was rejoicing already.

“My boss said a man told him he needed a girl for seven days but he also said he wasn't sure what he needed her for.”

“What? Seven days?”

“Yes, seven days, as in a week.”

“Do we know who this man is? And I need to be sure what he needs a lady for.”

“My boss is keeping him anonymous for now, he said when we meet him we would recognize him immediately, you said you could do anything, so let's meet the man first.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow.”

I wasn't convinced but I’d say I was ready to do anything and I was.

I ended the call, finished cooking, and we all

ate. I went to bed to sleep.

The next morning as early as 8, Felicia was in my room dressing me up.

We got to her bar at exactly 10 am.

Her boss, Mr Ashley, looked at me and smiled.

“His driver will be here by 11, so sit and relax.”

He said to us, how could I relax? I was so nervous.

It was time and a car came to pick me and Felicia up, I had never seen such an expensive and big car before.

We got into the car and it took us to a hotel.

I held Felicia's hand and we followed the driver to a room, he told Felicia to follow him and they left me in the room.

I was so scared the room was so big and the designs were to die for, the saint of vanilla flavor perfume filled the room and a deep voice came from behind me.