I pick my old clothes, the ones that I hade with from my home. I add in a few mummy dresses that my friend gifted me and the baby items. My three mysterious items are also inside my bag. I check every document that I should have, my identification card, my parents memorabilia that I had collected from my parents house including their death certificates. Now I am ready to go.


    I descend the stairs slowly, pulling my suitcase behind me. Martha looks at me with pity in her eyes, I know she is sympathizing with me but there is nothing she can do about it. I hug her as she wipes the tears off her eyes.


    “I will miss you Neera,” she says amid sobs. “I will miss you too,” I pat her on her back. “Let me help you with this,” she says, taking my suitcase and pulling it towards the door. I follow her getting past the satisfied eyes of Valen, Edward’s expressionless ones while Piper’s seems to wish that I was never here in the first ce. I also wish I was never here too.


    “Martha, I think you know that you have work to do in this house. Don’t waste your time on worthless things,” Piper says.


    We get to the gate and I know this is it, the moment I step outside I am now on my own. What to do, it is my fate anyway.


    “Thank you Martha, you have been good to me all this while but I don’t have anything to repay you.”  “Neera, you don’t have to repay me anything. I wish you would have stayed longer. I wish you well wherever you are going.”


    “I think Piper must be needing you now. Go now or she might get angry at you. I don’t want to be your misfortune on myst day here when we have been doing well all this while.” She could be fired because of me. “No, you can never be a misfortune to me. I know you are the kindest person I have ever met. Do you have somewhere in mind that you are going to?” “I might have. I have friends and I think I might go to one of them.” I say in order to make her feel at ease by my departure.


    “Have you called a taxi?” She asks. If only she knew. “I might do that outside. You should be going now and thank you.” She hugs me and leaves immediately, I think she got emotional.


    I open the gates and step out into this big world, a world I have never really explored. Where am I going? Where should I start? Which direction should I follow? I have nothing, I have no one. I only have my suitcase and my big belly with my unborn bundle of joy growing inside. I can’t call Az and go to her house because she lives with her parents and I can’t go there given my condition, I don’t want to be a burden to her or her family. Jackie on the other hand lives with her fiance and she should be due anytime so that should be a no go zone to me.


    I take a deep breath and take a step forward, one at a time to wherever my legs could carry me to. I walk God knows how many miles and I can feel my legs getting bigger and bigger with every step I take. I am tired, thirsty and even hungry with the sun burning hot in thete afternoon.


    I can see a chair a few meters from where I am and I barely manage to walk to it. The ground is better than the seat itself with green grass and the shade givesfort and breeze thates in handy under this scorching sun.


    I push my suitcase under the chair for safety and lie down. I let out a long sigh of relief and tiredness and close my eyes.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ***


    “Hey, wake up. This is not a public space,” a male voice wakes me up from my slumber. “Youngdy, I am sorry but you can’t be sleeping here. You can be charged for this,” he says pitifully. I got reallyfortable in this ce and forgot that I was on the move. How long have I been sleeping?


    “I am sorry, I should get going.” I look at the man and I can see that he is a security guy from the way he is dressed. He looks oddly familiar though I don’t know if I have ever seen him or rather where I saw him.


    “Is this someone’spound?” I ask him. “Something like that but you can see it is the backyard of a private building.” He says and I look behind me and there stands the beautiful ss building. Familiar too and yes, it is one of the tallest buildings in this city so I might have seen it.


    “Thank you sir. I will be on my way.” I pull back my suitcase from under the bench. I prepare to stand but my legs are too heavy and swollen. I can’t stand on my own two feet and when I try to I feel painful and the increased size of my legs protrudes in my sandals.


    “Miss, are you okay? Why are you all alone in this condition? Where are you going? Should I order a taxi for you?” He asks endless questions sincerely. “No, don’t do that. I will walk.”


    “Don’t tell me that you don’t have money for a taxi. Where is your husband?” He asks. If only he knew. “Husband? No husband.”  “Oh, sorry. Forgive me for this but did your husband chase you out of your house?” I don’t me him for asking me that because anyone could guess from the way I am carrying my big bag and walking around with swollen legs. “No, I don’t have a husband and I am here because I couldn’t afford my house rent.” I can’t tell him the truth.