Abigail's pov
"Can you go faster?' I asked breathlessly, my eyes scanning the road.
The taxi driver stole a quick glance at me. "There is traffic, ma'am," he spoke calmly.
I gazed outside the window again, seeing cars in a straight line, each honking impatiently.
There seemed to have been an accident.
I sighed and relaxed into my seat bringing my palms into a tight fist, while waiting patiently for the cars to start moving again.
The driver said nothing else, and returned to staring out the car, while it began to rain shortly after.
My mind returned to Cathy's phone call about my landlord throwing my things out,
making my eyes water with tears.
I had no job now, no source of income, and now my landlord is at my home doing God knows what.
I'd promised him last week that I would pay off my rent this week, yesterday was the deadline he had given me.
I would have gotten a paycheck today if I hadn't been fired. Now it's gone, all gone.
The sound of engines revving brought my attention back to the road. The cars had begun to move again.
"Finally," the taxi driver spoke as he began to drive.
My head turned to face him. He was a white man in his late fifties, and he had dark blonde hair, but you could see a few white strands visible.
"Looks like they finally towed the car off the road," he said.
I followed his gaze, my lips parting as my gaze caught the car that had been in an accident. It looked like it had run into a pole.
The alloy looked folded, and momentarily, I wished that was me.
I wish I had been in that car when it crashed.
Unlike the driver, I wish I hadn't survived because then I wouldn't have so many problems.
A few minutes later, we arrived at my home.
I paid for my ride with the little money I had left and stepped out of the car.
It was dark, but the headlights of the taxi pointed out my property that layed on my lawn.
My eyes became wide in shock. "He really threw me out?"
My clothes, my shoes, and my books are all ruined and all wet.
I rushed towards them, almost falling on the grass.
I grabbed as many clothes as I could and rushed towards my apartment.
I burst into my living room and tossed the clothes on the floor.
Rushing out, hoping I could save the rest of my stuff that had been soaked in the rain, when a loud voice echoed through the house.
"What do you think you are doing?!"
I froze, panting heavily. I slowly turned around to face my landlord.
He was dressed in a pair of grey suit pants and a checkered button up shirt, which his round big stomach pushed hard against.
"I…I…" I tried to speak but could only stutter, "I…told you that I would pay you this week." I said with tears forming in the corner of my eyes.
"You were supposed to pay back yesterday!" He snapped in anger walking toward me.
He picked up the wet clothes I had tossed on the floor, and without saying a word to me, walked past me.
"Where are you going!?" I asked, shivering from the cold as I ran after him.
He tossed my clothes back in the rain that had begun to pour heavily again and turned to face me.
"Get out of my house now, or I will call the cops on you!" He barked.
"Can I get a week at least…" I said stopping on my words as a flash of lightning from the sky, throws a bright light across the place falling on my property on the wet floor and a book I'd had ever since I could remember.
I never knew my parents, so I was raised in an orphanage, and the only thing I have of her is that book.
The pages in the book were all blank… except the first page, which has a sketch of a baby.
Of me.
Beside it was a signature and a writing that said, "Love, Mom."
The caretakers in the orphanage had handed it to me when I turned fifteen, they said the book laid its neck to me when I was dropped off.
It was the only thing I had of my mother.
Now it's being soaked in the rain.
I rushed towards the book.
But as soon as my feet touched the soaked grass, I slipped and fell, meeting the ground with a loud thud.
But I got up immediately and rushed towards the book, not caring if I fell again.
I bent to pick it up.
My whole body frizzing instantly as the pages crumbled into pieces.
It had become too weak from the rain.
It was ruined.
"This is the only thing I have of her." I muttered, shaking from the cold, or maybe it was the sadness that masked itself as anger within me.
I turned to face my landlord. "This was the only thing I had of my mother!!" I snapped, my eyes going up in anger.
Without saying another word, he turned around and went back into my house, banging the door behind him.
Suddenly, the door to the house beside mine creaked open, and Cathy appeared on her door way. She was five years older than me.
Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, while she had on a pair of black pants and a Biggie's button-up T-shirt.
Biggies was a nightclub, it was where Cathy worked as a waitress. She looked all set to go to work.
Cathy's eyes went up as she saw me. "Abby." she said worriedly.
She shut her door behind her and began rushing towards me.
I parted my lips to speak, but before I could let a word out, the door to my apartment came open, with the landlord coming out with the rest of my clothes in his hands.
"Mr. Pierce, please." Cathy begged as he tossed the rest of my clothes onto the wet floor.
"Give her a week, she will pay up, I swear." Cathy pleaded.
"I already gave her a week, now she has to leave," Mr. Pierce said in anger as he turned to walk away.
"But Mr. Pierce, "You can't do this, she has nowhere to go," Cathy pleaded.
He turned back to face us in anger. "Keep talking and you will lose your home as well!" He barked.
"What?" She said in disbelief, "You can't do that, I already paid my rent."
"Then don't push me !" He said daringly.
With that, Mr. Pierce turned around and walked back into my apartment, shutting the door behind him.
Cathy turned to face me. "I'm so sorry Abby, but don't worry you can stay in mine until you find a place to stay. I have a spare room, you can use that for now." she said and helped me gather what little could still be saved, then took my hand gently.
"Come on, Abby. Leave all this for now. You'll freeze to death out here."
I nodded weakly holding back my tears, and allowed her lead me into her house, which was nicely organized.
She pulled me straight into the guest room and turned on the light.
"You can stay here," Cathy said softly. "Make yourself at home, as long as you need. Don't even think about it."
"Cathy." My voice cracked as my eyes began to tear now. "Thank you."
She waved a hand, attempting a small smile. "Don't thank me. You'd do the same for me. And listen, don't go worrying about it tonight. Tomorrow we'll sort it out, alright? Just try to get some rest."
I nodded.
She glanced at the clock on her phone then signed. "I have to get to work. Biggie hates late coming. I'll return in the morning. You'll be fine here."
Before I could protest, she rubbed my shoulder lightly, and then left the room. Within seconds, I heard her front door shut.
Few hours later
I lay on the bed face up staring at the ceiling.
I had cried my eyes out and now they are probably swollen.
Yet I couldn't sleep, no matter how much I wished for sleep to come, to take me out of my misery, it still stayed far away.
Eager to shut off my mind, I went into Cathy's kitchen, and opened up her refrigerator, hoping maybe she had beers to knock me on my butt.
My landlord throwing me out is the last thing I wanted to think about now. I don't want to feel any more depressed when I think about it.
But it was empty of anything alcoholic, only water, juice, and leftovers in little containers.
I signed, closing the refrigerator's door shut.
I stood for a moment, then grabbed my phone. It had ceased raining.
Dressed in an up and down black hoodie, I walked out into the cold and began heading down the street.
Unlike other places, the city of New Orleans was never dry at night. Everybody has a night life, well…except the ones who have no jobs.
A few blocks away, I found a convenience store, grabbed a six-pack of beer, paid immediately, and stepped out.
Upon my return, I was scrolling through my phone, when I got a notification from Susan. I opened the chat and read through it, it was about a job.
I sighed.
Another job as a waitress at a club.
I ignored the notification and slipped my phone into my hoodie pocket when I somehow realized I had walked into the Blackwater Lane.
My whole body tensed up.
Nobody came here at night, not unless they wanted to get caught in mob business.
I turned quickly, ready to head back the way I came, when I heard the sound of a gunshot echoing through the dark street.
Another shot followed, going off the walls of the alley rattling the six-pack of beers in my hand.