Page 14 of Tiers of Joy

I slam my door shut.

“Arsehole! Not a great start, hey Jay.” I mutter. I wait for the twat with the truck to drive off before I start back on my journey.

It’s dark by the time I reach the bakery. It took me nearly four hours to get here. I pull up outside and sigh. I see Cassie the estate agent jump down out of her truck and smile as she walks over to me.

“Hi Esme, glad you made it okay.” She states.

“I'm sorry I'm late. There was an incident with a rude truck driver.” I state.

“Oh no worries. I guessed you’d take a while, I've only been here for twenty minutes. Come, let me help you carry your cases in.” She says helping me to unpack the car.

She hands me the keys and smiles. I unlock the door and step inside. The musty smell hits me from where it’s been empty for so long. We walk upstairs to the apartment and I put down my suitcases and switch on the lights. It’s a plain and simple apartment. There’s a chair in the living area and an old basic kitchen. I smile.

“I hope you don’t mind but I grabbed you some coffee and milk. I also left a saucepan on the stove for you.” She smiles.

“Oh thank you so much! I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, there's a little map I've drawn out for you, and some other paperwork. I shall leave you in peace now. Welcome to Baddeck, Esme.” She smiles before leaving.

I smile and a lone tear falls down my cheek.

“I did it Jay, I made it. This is my new life.” I whisper to the empty room.

Chapter Four

I passed out on the only piece of furniture that was in the place. I had no blankets so I made use of my entire wardrobe by putting on around five layers of clothing.

I wake up freezing. Shivering I walk to the thermostat and twiddle it to try and turn it up. The knob comes off in my hand.

“Fucking marvellous.” I mutter.

Seeing the early sunrise I decide to go out and search for the grocery store and maybe hire a man to fix the heating. I get in the shower to freshen myself up and wash away the jet lag.

Warming up in the hot shower I sigh, relieved to feel the heat from the hot water.

As I step out of the shower I pull back the shower curtain and the entire thing comes away from the wall. I stand soaking wet holding the shower curtain and rail in my hand.

“Seriously!” I say, starting to shiver.

Wrapping myself in the towel I add a shower curtain to the list of things I need to buy. I walk into the living room and rummage through my suitcase, pulling out my thick black leggings and long thick knit jumper. I plug my hair dryer in and switch it on. There is a loud bang and all of the electrics blow.

“What the hell?” I grit.

Giving up on the hair dryer I brush my hair and put it in a side plait. Pulling on my coat I grab my purse and the map Anna gave me and head out. First stop groceries and then the hardware store.

I drive for all of a few minutes when I spot the grocery store. I park up and jump out.

I walk in and the bell above the door chimes.

There are only two people shopping inside and they both turn and stare. I give them a polite smile and grab myself a basket.

I pick up some fruit, a couple of cans of soup, some juice, crisps, chocolate, and a couple of bottles of wine.

I walk up to the counter and I'm greeted by an older lady in her fifties.

“Hi there! I guess you must be our newest resident, you’re staying at the old toy shop, right? I'm Nellie.” She greets and takes my basket.

I notice the other two shoppers lingering around behind me. They’re obviously trying to catch the latest gossip, which I guess is me at this moment in time.

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