Making Friends

The next morning, Rina dressed up and left for her work. She was working in a cafe and it required early arrival so every day, she made sure to wake up early and leave. Her house wasn't far from the place so she didn't need to board any cabs.

After arriving at the cafe, she went in and so her coworker moping the floor.

"Good morning, Abigail," she greeted her.

"Rina, you are here," the girl said.

"Yeah," Rina replied tiredly.

Abigail noticed the look on Rani's face and asked. "What's up with you? You look like someone who didn't have enough sleep last night, why?"

"Enough? I didn't sleep at all," Rani replied.

"Ah, why is that so?" Abigail, seeming curious asked her.

Rani knew she couldn't tell anyone about her weird dream so she sighed inwardly and decided to tell her about what happened in her other workplace.

"You mean someone stole some money and you were being accused of it?" Abigail asked in surprise.

"Yes," Rani replied.

"That reminds me!" Abigail exclaimed and Rani was confused. "I saw Elsa giving out a bundle of money to her boyfriend last night."

"Elsa?" Rani asked her. The news came as a surprise to her.

"Yes, Elsa. Don't you find it suspicious?" Abigail asked and Rani didn't reply immediately.

"I don't know," she said after a while.

"I don't know about you, but if it were me, I'd go straight to her and ask her about it," Abigail told her.

"No, I'd rather not," Rani said and Abigail frowned. "It's in the past already."

Abigail shook her head at her friend and said. "Really Rani, you should stop being so nice, you are gonna get hurt someday if you continue like this."

"I am not trying to be nice here. How are you sure that she was the one who took the money? Do you want me to end up blaming an innocent person? I'll let it be, I believe that someday, the truth will come out by itself," Rani explained.

"What if it happened to be her?" Abigail asked her.

"The same thing, there's nothing I can do about it," Rani replied with a shrug.

"Sis, you need some beatings so that you will have sense," Abigail said in disbelief.

"I am waiting for the day someone will do that to me," Rani said and they both laughed a bit. "I need to change," she said and left to go and change into her working attire.

After changing, she came back and joined Abigail in the cleaning. After the two girls were done cleaning the floors, they began to prepare for the day's business and after a while, customers began to troop in.

-------

When the time came for Rani to leave, she quickly changed back into her clothes and left after collecting her day's pay. It was half past three and she needed to go to her second work which was a dry-cleaning store. It was just ten blocks away from the cafe so she hurried off immediately.

Getting there, she was surprised to find it closed.

"Huh? What's happening?" She asked herself while looking around. The store has never been locked before so why today of all day?!

"Rani!" Someone called from behind and she turned around to see someone she knew. The lady happened to be one of their frequent customers.

"Miss Rose," Rani called. "Good day, Mam," she greeted.

"Are you here for today's work?" Miss Rose asked her.

"Yes Miss Rose but I don't know why the store is locked," Rani replied.

"It seems you haven't heard," Miss Rose said and Rani became confused.

"Heard what, Miss Rose?" She asked the lady.

"Old madam Jane is dead," Miss Rose told Rina and she dropped her bag in shock. "She died yesterday night."

"What? How is that possible? I saw her yesterday—"

"Yes, I saw her last night as well but her daughter said she died at midnight," Miss Rose said and Rani was left devastated. "The store is going to be locked down for a long time so I think you should return home," Miss Rose added before leaving.

Rani stood in the same spot for a long time until she was able to get herself again. The news of Old Madam Jane's death really shook her because she loved the old woman a lot and the old woman loved her too like she was her own child. Many people loved the old woman as well because she didn't have any problems at all — she was just a loving granny.

Rani slowly picked her back up and turned back. Not only did the death of the granny pain her, but the thought of losing another job pained her equally. Now, she has only one job remaining.

"Another to be cursed," she muttered at her plight. Instead of returning home, she decided to go to the hospital because of her father but after arriving, she suddenly did not want to go in again. She was scared of meeting face to face with the doctor and while she was pacing back and forth in front of the hospital, her mind raced with how to deal with the doctor. Suddenly, a sleek red car pulled up, and a stunning tall girl stepped out. Her long legs seemed to go on forever, and her golden hair cascaded down her back like a river of sunlight. Rina couldn't help but stop and stare.

The girl noticed her and smiled, striding towards her with confidence. "Hi there, I'm Clara. Are you here for someone?"

Rina felt a little intimidated but managed a smile. "I'm Rina. Yeah, I am here for my father but it's alright even if I don't go in yet."

Clara's eyes sparkled with interest. "Well, I am also here for someone."

As they chatted, Rina found herself relaxing in Clara's presence. But just as things were going well, Clara mentioned a name that made Rina's heart skip a beat: "William".

"William and I have been friends since childhood," Clara said, her eyes lighting up with fondness. "He's a great guy, don't you think?"

Rina's mind raced as she tried to hide her fear. "Oh, yeah... he's... um... very kind."

Clara laughed. "Kind? That's an understatement! William is the best. But anyway, enough about him. I want to get to know you better, Rina. Would you like to grab coffee with me sometime?"

Rina hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Sure, that sounds great." She hesitated because of her father but on second thought, she felt it would be nice to make Clara her friend.

As Clara drove away in her red car, Rina couldn't help but wonder what other surprises lay in store for her in this new life. She had never imagined being friends with someone so rich and pretty.

'Today isn't cursed after all,' she thought to herself.