Ara ( ey-rae)...

We were expected to wake up very early but I never slept, my insomnia wasn't chronic but it wasn't mild either, it was somewhere in the Middle.

I only experienced it about twice a week, and on good days only once, it means I only slept five or six times a week.

Tired of laying on my bed, I sat up and looked around, the curtains were still shut, I stood up, walked lazily to the windows and I opened the curtains, there were a total of four windows in the room, for me it was too much for such a tiny living space.

My program was expected to take about thirty to sixty days, there was a big chart that hung on the wall beside my bed, on the chart was the set of programs and activities that I would be doing to recover, I hadn't touched the chart to examine it for fear of contacting some bacteria or something, so I stood far and read it.

It was Wednesday, a normal day of the week. For me Wednesdays weren't bubbly but they weren't boring either, it was somewhere in the middle.

As if the graphic designer knew that someone wouldn't touch the chart the person had drawn Wednesday boldly and in green.

I was in support of the size of the letters but what I wasn't in support of was the colour, I mean God had created the sun moon and stars on the fourth day, it should have been golden, because the sun was a star, and the sun was golden and still the sun rays touches the moon. so why not golden?

I shook my my head and still read the chart, while reading it I heard a gasp that drew my attention.

I turned to the direction of the noise and it was coming from the door, at the door stood a girl; tall, roughly my age, pretty but with dark circles around her eyes, no make up, sober looking but with bright piercing blue eyes that seemed to hold more expression than it was capable of letting out, she had blonde hair, unlike mine that was as dark as coal, and she stood there fazed, with her jaws dropping a little and her mouth had formed an o.

Her beautiful eyes roamed the room and I, too, searched the room in search for what she was so overwhelmed about.

It was the size of the room that freaked her, I knew it because beside her stood two giant size boxes, they were glittering pink, the sight of them was melting but I would have preferred any other colour but pink.

Colours were a great deal to me and I didn't know why, maybe t'was because I am artistic or just sentimental, different colours for different moods... et cetera et cetera.

I felt that you shouldn't bring glittering pink to a rehab center, you should bring colours that showed signs of hope that signifies a newly born not fashion, but I wasn't in the place to openly criticize her, I was more of an understanding person than a judge.

She wore a denim mini sized skirt that I couldn't almost see because of the black over sized top she was putting on. Her hair sat on her shoulders and went further down to touch her breast that were full, she wasn't thick neither was she thin.

"hi" I heard her say to me. I watched her closely wondering why she was in my room and then it struck me, she was going to be my room mate, now I knew I would be the one wearing a confused look.

"I'm Ara, and you are?" she asked me, and I stood properly, held my chin up and turned fully to face her, first impression were everything...I found it very hard to hold her stare because she stared right through my eyes and into my soul, but I remembered hearing something about creating dominance with solid eye contact.

"Danielle" I said boldly but it came out somewhat forced, more weird than I had anticipated.

she dragged her boxes that moved on four wheeler tires, it made a wheeling sound and surprisingly it was a long walk from the door to her bed, wait...she didn't know which one was her bed.

I sat on my bed to tell her that the other was her own and she immediately got the message, she wouldn't be hard to cope with.

Not long after Ara came in, Mrs Helen walked in too, she came in without knocking something I've noticed about her.

"girls" she said calling our attention even though we were fully aware of her entrance, at least I was.

"hope you guys are getting along" she asked keenly.

I gave a smile that was forced and I said "Ara just got here"

"ah ha!" she exclaimed, I had to turn to Ara that was already looking at me and asking questions with her eyes.

"that's what I call getting along, you used her first name already" she said before walking out the same way she came in, unannounced.

I laughed, so did Ara.

"how long have you been here?" she asked me, setting her boxes on her bed.

"uhmmm, about Three days now, I got here on Monday". I answered.

"well, that's an interesting way to start the week" she said and immediately I read the sacarsm in her voice and I laughed with all my heart.

I sat on my bed and watched her unload the items from her boxes, they were a lot, one box contained clothes, very fashionable ones and the other contained cosmetics, tampons, and toiletries, seeing her things I wondered if I packed enough.

"so...what got you in trouble" she asked me drawing my attention to her face that I was now able to examine.

"substance addiction, drugs, plenty of them" while I spoke I watched her face, took in all the details, the curve of her lips, the upward twitch of her nose, the fullness of her eye lashes and brows, and then her lips came up in a smile, I was compelled to smile, too, she was beautiful.

"what about you?" I asked her, wanting to keep the conversation going.

"it's the same" she simply said and immediately I felt odd, I saw the colour leave her face and I stood up and continued examining the chart. I was seeing the chart but I wasn't seeing it, in my mind I asked why she did what she did. I rolled my eyes and left the room, not angrily, lazily.