Promises Made

"Hey Rix! You ruined my mud house," Sania exclaimed, her voice laced with frustration.

"I swear, it wasn't me. It was the wind," Rix protested, his tone defensive.

"You're lying," Sania accused, pushing his shoulder in annoyance.

"I'm telling the truth!" Rix retorted, his voice rising as Sania turned and walked away.

From the window of my house, I watched the children of my landlord playing in the small garden. Rix and Sania's playful argument echoed through the air, a familiar sound in our neighborhood.

Outside, the garden was adorned with white lilies, red roses, and tulips swaying gently in the breeze. Rix was innocent this time; it was evident that the wind had caused the damage, not him.

Despite his protests, Sania, too young to understand, continued to believe otherwise, ignoring Rix's explanations as she retreated.

It had been two weeks since I moved into the house Carl rented for me. Thankfully, he had accepted my decision and agreed to cover my expenses for the first two months until I found a job and could support myself.

"Ok, I'll find a house for you. But I'll cover your bills. No more arguments," Carl insisted, understanding my current situation and offering his support.

Given my circumstances, unstable and unable to sustain myself financially, I reluctantly agreed. There seemed to be no other viable option.

After overhearing Sarah's conversation with her mother, I realized it was time to leave her house as soon as possible. Sarah had done so much for me already, from helping me escape to providing me with shelter until I could find a new place to live. I was grateful for her assistance and harbored no ill feelings towards her.

The next day, Carl took me to see a house available for rent. It was located near a supermarket, a two-story house owned by a couple with two adorable children, Rix and Sania. Although I wasn't particularly fond of children, I found myself charmed by these two playing in the garden, building mud houses and bickering when they were accidentally destroyed by the wind.

The room they offered to rent was suitable for me; I only needed one room, and it was furnished with a single bed, a wooden window, an old study table, and a chair. It provided just enough space for me, and the rent was reasonable, sparing Carl any additional burden.

"I like the house. Can you ask them when I can move in? I want to do it as soon as possible," I instructed Carl.

After speaking with the landlords, Carl confirmed that I could move in whenever I wished. With few belongings to my name, I was ready to leave Dillon's place behind and start anew.

"Ok, I'd like to move in this evening. Does that work for you?" I informed my landlord.

"As you wish. It's your home from now on," he replied with a smile.

"Great. Thank you," I responded gratefully.

Leaving with Carl, we headed to Sarah's home. I felt a personal need to express my gratitude to her. Words alone couldn't convey the depth of my appreciation.

"You have no idea what you've done for me. I'll always be grateful to you for this. I owe you more than I can say. If you ever need anything, remember that I'm just a message away," I told her as I hugged her tightly, extending my thanks to her mother as well.

Although her mother's expression wasn't very warm, I still embraced her before bidding them farewell.

Carl dropped me off at my new home. It was only half the size of the room I had lived in for most of my life. There was a time when I used to redecorate my room every six months, and now I couldn't believe I was living in such a small space. Yet, this was my new home—a place where I would sleep every night and wake up every morning.

However, I had no one else to blame but myself. So, without complaint, I smiled and accepted it as the new normal. Life doesn't always hand you the fruit you desire; sometimes it makes you taste the bitter ones so you can appreciate the sweet ones even more.

I considered myself lucky. My new landlords were incredibly cooperative, loving, and supportive. I moved in the evening, with Carl bringing snacks and groceries to help me settle in. He left for home when his mother called, and I stopped him from mentioning that he had been with me. Not because they would be angry with him for seeing me, but because they would learn about my circumstances, which I found shameful.

It was a shame they had tried to shield me from, but I hadn't listened. I was stubborn.

Mr. and Mrs. George invited me to dinner to mark my first day as their tenant, and I assumed Carl had introduced himself to them, which bolstered their impression of me. Despite knowing my background and the wealthy family I came from, they treated me like a cherished member of their own family.

Their kindness and warmth were overwhelming, considering my current situation. I wasn't particularly happy about it. Throughout my life, I had impressed people with my family's wealth, which had been handed down to me without any effort on my part. It was an inherited status, impression, and wealth. Yet now, I had not a penny of that wealth. Homeless, penniless, and feeling hopeless.

During dinner, their children joined us at the table. As they finished their meal, they asked if I would read them a bedtime story later.

"Me, read a story?" I echoed, surprised by the request.

"Yes, please." Their puppy faces were so innocent and compelling that I couldn't bring myself to refuse. Besides, it had been a while since I had the chance to resume my reading routine, which I had lost some time ago.

"Okay," I agreed.

After finishing my dinner, Mrs. George approached me with two mugs of coffee—one for her and the other for me.

"You're so kind, Mrs. George," I said, smiling gratefully as I sipped my coffee.

"And you're so sweet," she replied, patting my cheeks affectionately.

After enjoying our coffee together, I headed to the children's room to fulfill my promise of reading them a bedtime story.

"Do you have any storybooks?" I asked Rix.

"Yes," he replied, walking to the book rack and selecting a book. "Mom brought many for us. Sania loves reading, you know."

"Wow, that's great. So, you enjoy reading too?" I inquired.

"Whatever my sister loves, I love too," he responded with a smile.

I smiled back at him and gently patted his back.

"Let's get into bed," Rix climbed into his bed, while Sania was already tucked in.

I pulled the chair out from under the study table and placed it near the bed.

The story I chose was about a mommy sparrow.

On a warm summer evening, the mommy sparrow was returning home with her beak filled with grains of food to feed her hungry babies.

'Chu chu chu,' her chicks chirped excitedly in their nests, eagerly awaiting their mother's return with food. Their tiny stomachs were rumbling louder than their chirps.

'Da da da,' Daddy Sparrow sheltered them under his feathers, soothing them to quietness.

"Shu shu shu," he hushed them.

'Cha cha cha,' one of the little ones peeked out and started squawking.

'Flip flap flip flap,' mommy sparrow flapped her wings vigorously, trying to reach her nest and feed her babies.

'Tip tap tip tap,' mommy sparrow's luck took a turn for the worse. As she hurried toward her destination, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, she collided with a kite, causing the food to spill from her beak.

'Cray, cray, cray,' the mommy sparrow began to cry. 'Drip, drip, drip,' tears streamed from her eyes, plopping into the pitcher of water her food had fallen into as she perched on the rim and gazed inside.

'Tik, tik, tik,' she pecked at the pitcher in frustration.

All her efforts were in vain as the water remained stagnant, and the sun began its descent toward the horizon.

'Chu chu chu,' the distant cries of her children reached her ears.

'Flip Flap flip flap,' she returned to Daddy Sparrow and recounted the entire incident.

'Fap fap fap,' Daddy Sparrow flew with Mommy Sparrow.

'Tuk tuk tuk,' together they gathered stones from the ground and tossed them into the pitcher one by one.

'Chu chu chan chan,' the kids continued crying in their nest.

As the water level rose, Mommy Sparrow plucked the grains from the water.

'Flip flap flip flap,' together they reached their nest and fed their children with their beaks.

'Chu chu chan chan,' she sang joyfully and nestled down contentedly.

By the time I finished reading the story, both of them had drifted off to sleep in their bed. I closed the book, returned it to the rack, and placed the chair back in its spot.

I entered my new room and pulled a chair by the window, settling into it. The full moon cast its radiant glow, illuminating the night sky as if a celestial spotlight had been switched on. For hours, I found myself captivated by its brilliance, lost in its ethereal beauty. With each passing moment, I hoped to find some clarity, a guiding light to steer me in the right direction. Yet, as time slipped away, I couldn't shake the feeling of aimlessness and despair.

Sitting there, staring at the moon, I yearned for a beacon of hope to pierce through the darkness of uncertainty. Tears welled up in my eyes, silently cascading down my cheeks. Just when despair threatened to consume me, a sudden streak of light streaked across the sky, fleeting yet mesmerizing.

Closing my eyes, I allowed the tears to flow freely, releasing the weight of my burdens. In that fleeting moment of illumination, I felt a newfound sense of hope stirring within me. As the twilight dissolved into the vast expanse of the night, I embraced the promise of a brighter path ahead.