New Habits

Rianna lives in her new room for 2 months, and her life starts to pick up a little bit. She found a kitchen job at a fastfood restaurant at Bijlmer Arena, near Pathé Bioscoop. Not her dream job, but she needs to start somewhere. She didn't finish her college degree because she got pregnant with Cathy in her sophomore year, and since she got married, she was a stay at home mother. She did a good job as a wife, and a mother, but that's something you can't put on your resume. Since her strong points are her ability to cook, clean, and take care of other people, it's only natural for her to apply for a job at a restaurant.

But just like finding a room, finding a job is also problematic. She is too old and has zero experience, and even small restaurants - that only pay minimum wage - want someone younger or someone with experience. She cried for two hours after her first rejection, but after her tears dried, she picked up her picture with Cathy, held it against her chest and then she proceeded to google the address of every restaurant in Amsterdam and make a schedule to visit them one by one. By every rejection she gets, she becomes more persistent, she wouldn't take no for an answer. After her visit to her 15th restaurant, she finally got the job.

Her job as a hamburger flipper pays enough to finance her room, and her food (consist of 3 servings of peanut butter sandwich from Lidl). When she's lucky, she is allowed to bring home some leftovers (usually chicken tenders, or hamburger patties), which she would take home, wrap it in alumunium foil, and stretch it as far as possible. Sometimes she misses cooking, but she doesn't have money to buy cooking equipment. And even if she has the money, she'd probably spend it to buy a bed first. She got tired of sleeping in a sleeping bag.

After 3 weeks of peanut butter sandwich diet, Rianna decided that she'd like more money to buy a decent meal. Warm meal that is not burger patties or chicken tender. In any case, with her income now, it would take years and years for her to save up some money. So she tried to find a second job. It turned out that her experience in the fast food restaurant helped her find her second job as a cleaning lady for office buildings. She needs to work late, but it pays her good money.

After a while she starts to have a rhythm in her life. She works at a fast food restaurant every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11 am until 7 pm, and on Tuesday and Thursday she works from 3 pm - 9 pm. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she cleans office buildings from 8 pm, and usually she will be home around 11 pm. In her free time, she would do groceries (now that she can afford it), cleaning the house (otherwise the smell will be unbearable), take a walk, or if it's raining, she would spend her time in her room watching video of Cathy doing her dance routine.

After 2 months, she has a bed to sleep on. A desk and a chair where she can have a meal or do something on her notebook, a set of cutlery, 2 plates, and a bedside table with a small lamp on it. She is starting to feel that her old life is shedding away, and now replaced by her new life, new schedule, new habits. After all, the only similarity between her old and new life is the picture of her and Cathy, still in its silver frame with swarovski on the corners. She couldn't throw the frame away, it was a Mother's day present from Cathy, given to her 2 weeks before she passed away.

Within those 2 months she gets to know a few things she would never know in her old life. Like how to clean urine stains on the toilet bowl, how to erase weed smell from a room, and there are some people who are better left stoned than sober (that makes it easier for her to accept Jasper's weed habit). She knows how to manage her money better, and to travel with public transportation. The only thing she doesn't know is her other housemate. James, or Jim, still remained closed in his room, she wonders if that guy is either dead or just a product of Jasper's weed induced hallucination. She hasn't seen him, not even once since she moved here. Though she swears she could hear some sound coming from the attic once in a while. As if he's telling her that he is real, is still alive, no need to call the police, and to leave him alone.

Anyhow, she realizes that her life is now less chaotic, and stable enough to move on to the next step. She opens her notebook, and clicks on Outlook's icon on her desktop. She types an email address she remembers very well, because it never changed since 17 years ago, and begins typing her email.

Dear Michel,

I'm sorry I haven't been in touch with you these past months. I think it's time for us to settle the matter once for all. You can send the divorce papers to my address stated below, and I will send it immediately and send it back to you. No need for a lawyer, I don't need nor want anything.

Sincerely yours,

Rianna

She presses the send button. 5 minutes later a reply comes from Michel.

K.

She almost lets a derisive laugh. Even after all these times, he still has no time for her. Even writing a simple "OK" instead of "K" is proven to be too much for him.

So she closes her notebook, and changes her clothes to her old jeans and her ugliest t-shirt. Perks of working as a cleaning lady that she loves aside from the payment is that you don't have to dress up to go to work. She grabs her key and backpack and steps out to Amsterdam Bijlmer summer night.