CHAPTER 8

Laura was typing nonstop on her computer. Her fair pencil-sized fingers punched the keyboard with speed. Just immediately, the front door opened. Looking at the time in the corner of her laptop screen, she saw 7:50 pm. Realising it was already closing hours at the bakery, she called out.

"Anna? Is that you?!" Her fingers still punching the keyboard, and her eyes were fixated on the screen. She was seated on the rug, in the living room of the apartment.

"Yeah, it's me!" Anna responded. She made her way to the living room, sighting Laura on the floor.

"Still applying for jobs?" Anna asked as she sat exhaustedly on the couch next to Laura.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll receive a positive response from this one," Anna said, her eyes still laser-focused on her computer, and her fingers still punching furiously on her keyboard.

"Isn't this your one-thousandth time applying?" Anna chuckled.

It was a few months after Laura gave birth that she started experiencing challenges with getting jobs. It was either she didn't get a response from her job applications or she would get rejected after being interviewed. During all her interviews, they always questioned her about the 10-month gap in her CV, whenever she revealed that she was pregnant, and had to cater for the child, they always bid her farewell.

As the months passed with no job, the 10-month gap increased to an 11-month, 1-year, 2-year, and finally, a whopping 3-year gap with no corporate job, which made it even harder for her to get a suitable job. Laura spent time back in part-time jobs, as she was also responsible for taking care of her son, Chance.

"I'll get it this time, I've gotten a hang of it, now." Laura's determination didn't fail. Her eyes didn't leave her screen, and her fingers didn't stop typing.

"You said this last time." Anna teased.

"Mummy," a little boy strolled from Laura's room, rubbing his eye; interrupting their conversation.

"Chance, you're awake?!" Laura hastily dropped her PC, stood and scooped the little boy up. "My little cutie pie, did you sleep well?" Chance hugged his mum selfishly.

Laura walked to the kitchen with Chance wrapped around her. "I know you're hungry, my precious." She grabbed his cereal from the cupboard. "Mummy would make food for you." She spoke in her tiniest voice as she began to pour the cereal into a tiny bowl, with some milk and warm water.

"Anna, how was work?" Laura called out from the kitchen.

"Stressful," Anna replied.

"Still no promotion?"

"I guess I'll just have to stop dreaming of that for now," Anna said as she kicked off her shoes and made herself comfortable, lying on the couch.

It's 5 years now that Anna's been working at the bakery, she's been very dedicated to her job because she loved pastries for one, and second, she wanted to be patient and diligent so that she could be promoted. She dreamed of earning more and being more recognised in the field. But since she started working there, she never got promoted.

Unlike Laura, Anna wasn't focused on her studies, she didn't have high aims and dreams. She spent less time worrying about furthering her education because she hated studying. After getting her high school diploma, she also continued working part-time jobs to get by, following the time she had to leave the orphanage.

Anna would often spend time working part-time jobs and partying with a huge chunk of her remuneration. Over time, she began to find a new love for baking. She remembered always loving cakes and breads since she was in the orphanage, she believed it was right for her to be a baker.

"Don't you ever give up!" Laura's voice echoed from the kitchen.

Anna could only reply with "hmmm." Laura wasn't in front of her, if not, she would've rolled her eyes at her; she'd been hearing that since the past year. Although she wasn't going to quit, she knew that she just had to stop having high aspirations concerning her work. She was getting by, and that was enough for her.

Laura was finished with making the cereal. On one hand, she held the cereal bowl, on the second, she held Chance, who had his tiny hands holding her firmly. She walked to the living room, where Anna lay. Her dainty fair legs, revealed by her brown shorts, walked with caution and precision, careful not to hold the bowl too close to her big white shirt.

Dropping the bowl on the table and carefully sitting Chance on the couch, she made herself comfortable on the rug— where she once sat. Facing Chance, she began to feed him from the cereal bowl she was now holding.

"Aaahhh!" Laura sounded, opening her mouth wide to encourage Chance to eat even more. With this, Chance proceeded to open his mouth even wider than before.

"Jeff hasn't contacted me in 2 weeks now," Anna revealed as she was busy looking at Laura feeding her little child. She admired the joy on her face as she interacted with Chance, she'd never seen Laura like that; it reminded her of the way she always was whenever she was with Jeff.

"Hmph…Isn't that his pattern, Anna? You'll act like you're not aware that this is what he normally does whenever he—" Laura seized from talking.

"Whenever he what?" Anna questioned. Her voice sounded more serious than before.

Noticing this, Laura paused from feeding Chance and faced her. "Why are you acting like you don't know that he could be cheating on you, right now?"

"What're you even sayi—" Anna tried to speak, sitting herself up on the couch.

"Don't even give me that, Anna." Laura faced Chance, continuing to spoon cereal into his mouth.

"Don't you think it's high time you allowed him to bring his numerous lovers home? So that he doesn't have to go through heaven and earth hiding, even if he'll still be caught since you'd never leave him no matter what he does." Anna couldn't speak; she was too shocked by Laura's words.

"I've been living with you for 3 years now, even I have already figured out his pattern, Anna, but you keep encouraging him." She was very calm with her words, but they had immense weight; striking Anna with her every word.

"You've stayed with me for 3 years…" Anna finally let out words. "Yet, you've not understood him?"