17 New Life
"I apologize for the lights, dear. I contacted the repairman yesterday but he was sick and promised to do it when he gets better. But don't worry, it's only a mild fever. He will be back on his toes tomorrow to fix the lights." The woman explained, gesturing to the flickering ceiling light. The slight discomfort I felt towards the place magically vanished and I smiled back at her.
"I understand-" I replied, trailing off.
"Amelie. Just call me Amelie." She said politely, opening a door to expose a spacious corridor. "I am the landlady and I live on the third floor." She explained while we walked across the carpeted floor.
My eyes surveyed the length of the corridor. Though the building looked a bit old, it was surprisingly clean. It simply lacked a bit of paint to completely cover the aging walls.
"Please excuse the walls. They look old but they are strong, they can withstand the impact of earthquakes . I can't let anyone paint them yet because I couldn't stand the acrid smell of paints due to my severe asthma." Amelie explained, noticing I was observing the walls. I smiled at her in complete understanding. I had asthma too back when I was a child and I couldn't take the scent of industrial chemicals without my asthma attacking me. Luckily, my asthma vanished as I grew up.
Amelie stopped walking when we reached the room at the far end of the corridor. She fished out a set of old keys from her pocket, and after some brief fumbling, she found the right one and unlocked the door. It opened with an ominous creak.
I took a deep breath, expecting to see the worst. Instead I nearly jumped in joy when Amelie turned the lights on to reveal a small but spacious room with a standard size bed, a round table with a chair where I could eat my meals, and a cabinet large enough to hold my clothes.
"Would this room be good enough?" She asked, turning to my direction.
"It's more than enough," I replied, overjoyed. The room actually surpassed my expectations, I thought to myself while surprisingly feeling comfortable already. The room has the same vibe as the room Mom and I had rented seven years ago, when we sold our house to pay for father's hospital bills.
"Good to hear that dear." Amelie's smile grew wider. "Well then enjoy your stay here Miss—"
"Phoenix." I filled in, embarrassed to realize I've forgotten to tell her my name after she introduced herself.
"Ah, yes Phoenix. What a beautiful and unique name you have there." Amelie said. "You have an eye-catching eye color too. Are you wearing contact lenses?"
My cheeks turned pink from the compliment. "It was my mother who gave me that name. Phoenix means rising from the ashes of one's failures and building an empire of success." I told her, recalling Mom's exact words with a smile on my lips.
Gosh, I miss Mom so much. I thought to myself, feeling a bit down after mentioning her name to a new acquaintance. It's sad to think that she's not here anymore.
I sighed and turned to Amelie to respond to her last question, "No, I'm not wearing any contact lenses right now. My eyes are natural. The weird color is a result of a rare eye condition called Heterochromia Iridum." I explained.
"I don't know what that means but consider yourself blessed. Despite your condition you have such amazing eyes. Looking at your eyes feels like staring straight into your soul. They're beautiful!!"
"T-thank you." I mumbled. Amelie was exaggerating. There's nothing special about my eyes.
"Here's the spare key." She said and handed me the keys. "In case you need my assistance, you can call me via the telephone. My number is written on the card under the telephone."
Amelie prepared to leave but before she made her way to the door, she apologized for being too chatty and taking too much of my time. I replied with a smile, assuring her that I didn't mind, quickly remembering to pay Amelie the exact rental fee for one month's stay.
"Thank you, Phoenix, dear." Amelie took the envelope and gently closed the door behind her when she left.
I placed my heavy suitcase beside the bed then surveyed the room once more. The minimalist style suited my taste and the large window near the bed made me feel more at home. There was a small bathroom in the corner. It was small but it did not matter as long as I could take my daily bath.
I walked to the window and pushed it open, exposing a large flower garden and filling my room with a fragrant scent. I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the refreshing cool breeze that lifted my spirits.
Feeling more relaxed, I began unpacking my clothes.
Just as when I'm placing my clothes on the bed, my phone started to ring. Thinking it was something important, I quickly picked up the call, only to realize that it was Ace on the other end of the line.
"Phoenix, can we -" Ace's frantic voice was on the other end of the line, but I immediately cut him off before he could say anything more.
"You're still trying to contact me? Shame on you!" I scoffed in disgust. How dare he even bother to contact me after what he did to me! He was the one that demanded that I divorce him, and he also had an affair with his secretary and actually got her pregnant!
"Don't call me again!" I demanded, and I hung up before he could even get another word in.
If he had any sense at all, he should stop communicating with me. But no, Ace had clearly lost his mind, seeing that my phone lit up with a second call from him. I rejected it too, but my phone screen showed that I already had a dozen missed calls and text messages from him.
The nerve of this man!
I have had enough of his antics and I wanted him out of my life immediately.
"Good riddance," I muttered to myself as I vindictively turned off my phone and kept it underneath the pillow with no plans to turn it on.
Now that that issue was taken care of, I was ready to take a warm refreshing bath. My head was still pounding from my hangover, and Ace made things worse. A bath would be just what I needed to recover.
Grabbing my folded bath towel on the bed, I went to the bathroom with my toiletries.
I felt at ease in my room because I'm sure Ace won't be able to find me. I was ready to spend my day peacefully sleeping in my room, and no man will be allowed to disturb me!
