Chapter 90: To the amusement park
Chapter 9 - to the amusement park.
Rosie
I sat on the plush living room sofa, aggressively clicking through the television channels, from one channel to another. There was nothing to watch. I tossed my phone onto the cushion beside me; even scrolling through social media, playing games, even watching some sitcoms was tiring.
It was a strange, unsettling kind of boredom that had me feeling antsy. Normally, at this time of the day, I would be sprinting to my second part-time job—with my hands inside greasy dishwater at a rundown restaurant. That was the kind of job I could get with my level of education.
Before this marriage, my life was a never-ending cycle of survival with juggling four part-time jobs plus whatever gigs I could scrape. I was a convenience store clerk, dishwasher, and a delivery girl, and on weekends, I would squeeze myself into mascot costumes, dancing on street corners to pass flyers while sometimes Mia would tag along.
Life was painfully stressful then, but it was okay. I had something to do rather than overthinking about my life. I knew I should be enjoying this new, unbothered life, but the truth was, I missed working. I felt completely useless, just sitting around with nothing to do.
I guess this was what people meant when they said it was hard to get used to being rich—poverty leaves a permanent mark on your bones. In my entire life, I had never relaxed like this. Even when I was burning up with a fever, I forced myself to push through the shifts because missing a single day meant meals for some days.
And sincerely, I still wondered why I had not lost weight or slimmed down with all the stress and poor food. Maybe my body was just built this way. I rolled my eyes at my ridiculous comeback, then pinched the bridge of my nose, letting out a heavy, dragging sigh.
Mia looked up from the floor, blinking her eyes. “Something wrong, Rosie?” she asked in a worried voice, her brow pulled together.
“Nothing, princess,” I said, shaking my head and offering her a reassuring smile.
I watched her go back to the building blocks she was stacking. Mia, unlike me, seemed entirely unbothered by our sudden change in circumstances. She adapted to the luxury penthouse like she had been born into it.
A wave of happiness washed over me just watching her. She was finally eating well. She wasn’t surviving on expired stuff from the store or leftovers I smuggled home from the restaurant. She was wearing clothes that fit her, not thrift-store rags or ill-fitting hand-me-downs that my old co-workers gave me when their own relatives outgrew them.
I would always be grateful to those people for their kindness, but seeing Mia in brand-new clothes made my chest ache with happiness.
“Okay,” Mia murmured, carefully placing another block on her tower.
I stared at her rosy, healthy cheeks. My niece deserved the world.
Our lives had changed in the blink of an eye, completely flipping upside down just like they had years ago. My eyes trailed over to the side table, catching the reflection of the light hitting the glossy plastic of Jude’s black card.
And an evil thought crept into my mind as a slow, mischievous grin spread across my lips. Jude had explicitly told me to use it. He practically begged me to spend his money. Well, he didn’t beg, but he wanted me to use it... So, if I went a little overboard, he wouldn’t be angry, right? I shrugged to myself.
Only a fool rejects free money, and right now, money was the source of all happiness.
“Mia,” I called out, my eyes gleaming with pure mischief. “Do you want to go somewhere fun?”
Mia whirled her head around, inspecting my face for a second before an identical, trouble-making expression mirrored mine. This mischievous kid. “Yes, Aunty!” she grinned.
I scrambled up, quickly changing into a comfortable outfit and getting Mia ready before we stepped out of the penthouse. A little sightseeing would be good for mental health.
“Where are we going?” Mia asked excitedly as we hailed a cab.
I let out a breath, looking out the window. And the craziest thing was that I had no idea where to go. Was this what it felt like to have an excess of wealth? To have so much money that you didn’t know what to do with it?
“I don’t know,” I mumbled absentmindedly.
“The amusement park,” Mia chirped, instantly clapping her hands together, shifting around in her seat with excitement while I smiled, reaching over to playfully ruffle her hair.
The amusement park it is then! I still remembered the day Mia had come home from school crying because her classmates had mocked her for never going. It was the first and only time Mia had ever complained or cried about our financial situation, and it had been heartbreaking and disheartening because it was the first time she told me she wanted something and I couldn’t give it to her. I had begged my manager for a cash advance at the time, but the restaurant denied it.
The moment the cab pulled up to the gates, Mia was practically vibrating. She jumped out of the car, holding my hand tightly as her eyes twinkled. I bought two VIP tickets without looking at the price because if I did, I would kind of feel bad, spending money I didn’t work for.
We rode the Ferris wheel first, Mia gripping the safety bar and screaming with unadulterated joy whenever the wheel hit the highest pinnacle. I bought a stick of pink cotton candy, laughing as she exclaimed that it literally melted inside her mouth.
We played the carnival games, and we spent money trying to hit the moving targets with the toy guns until Mia finally got the prize she wanted.
By the time the sun began to dip, Mia was still jumping from one attraction to the next, while I was completely exhausted from running after her. I finally sank onto a park bench, my heart full as I watched her cheerfully wander near the brightly lit snack stalls.
But my exhaustion didn’t stop us from eating our way through the park. We tasted everything available—fried chicken, twisted potatoes, and savory food skewers.
So this is life with money!
When was the last time I had been this relaxed? When was the last time I had smiled so much that my cheeks throbbed from the joy of it? I felt free and happy.
After a long afternoon, we finally walked out of the amusement park gates. We hopped into another cab, and I gave the driver the address of a department store downtown.
There was a pair of shoes in the window that I knew Mia had been eyeing for months, even though she had never asked for them. Now that there was money to spend, there was no reason to deny my little princess.
As the cab pulled up, a bitter memory flashed in my mind. A few months ago, the store manager had shooed Mia away from the storefront just for staring through the glass display.
We walked into it and bought the shoes with a matching outfit. As we walked out of the store, holding the shopping bag, a radiant beam was on Mia’s face.
As we strode down the bustling street, licking a pair of fruit popsicles. The day was perfect and good until it wasn’t. Through the crowded sidewalk, I caught a glimpse of bright blond hair. I squinted my eyes, and my body went rigid as my vision focused on a familiar figure.
It was Josh.
The loan shark.
He was walking directly in my direction, though his head was turned to the side as he talked to a man walking right next to him. My chest began to beat violently, my heart leaping straight into my throat as a cold sweat broke out across my neck.
What the hell was he doing here? This district shouldn’t be his territory.
Fuck.
I was not prepared to face him yet. The man was an unpredictable psycho. Panicking, I grabbed Mia’s hand, spun on my heel, and lunged toward the doorway of the closest cafe on the street corner.
As I was looking over my shoulder to check if Josh had spotted us, I didn’t see someone standing in front of the entrance, and I slammed hard into the person.
Before I could lose my balance and tumble backward onto the pavement, a slim hand wrapped securely around my waist, steadying me.
“Careful.”
***.
Who grabbed her?
Hmmm
Comments