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“I know that feeling,” Olivia agreed, taking a bite of her sandwich. “I mean, here I am, working almost all day, and I can’t shake off this feeling that something’s missing.”

Mindy arched an eyebrow, pausing in the slow back-and-forth brushing motion she’d been so intent on.

“I know what’s missing in your life. Children.” Mindy nodded.

Olivia smiled. “Well, for that I’d need a man first.”

“Yeah, I guess there’s the problem. Men these days aren’t what they used to be. You better listen to an old woman who has been around a day or two.”

“You’re notthatold, Mindy.” Olivia looked down at the glistening surface of the tiles Mindy had mopped. Dried-up brown stains were splashed out on the white squares around the tiles.

Mindy scoffed. “Maybe not, but I’m old enough to know a swine from a mustang.”

Suddenly Darryl stepped into the hallway, his hand down the back of his pants. He was scratching his butt without even bothering to see if anyone was around to witness. Mindy shook her head. “Not a mustang.”

Mindy resumed mopping, her knuckles tight as she scrubbed hard on the stains.

“You know what I dream about, Olivia?”

“No, tell me.”

Mindy stopped again and straightened her spine. “I just want to work for some rich family, who pays the big bucks, you know? Imagine working in a manor, fifty bucks an hour,” she said, staring at the stains on the floor as if the more intensely she stared, the quicker her dream would become a reality.

“Well, wouldn’t it be better to just dream of being rich?” Olivia wondered with a smile. Mindy shook her head.

“And sit on my ass all day waiting to die? Nah. I hope I’m working the day the Lord calls me.”

Olivia stared at Mindy in admiration. She was as true as they came. “I’m sure your dreams will come true.” She sounded even more certain than she had ever been about her own dreams.

That familiar beep sounded from her wristwatch. Lunch was over. Time always flew chatting with Mindy! She said bye and turned around before Mindy could ask her what her dreams were. She didn’t want to be emotionally draining. Besides, no amount of money in the world could make her dreams come true.

***

It was already getting dark when Olivia parked in her usual spot in front of her apartment building. The cream-colored building looked grey beneath the thick, dark clouds hanging overhead. The evening was cool and windy, and it looked like it would rain tonight. On her way up the stairs to the second floor, she sighed when she remembered how difficult it was now to get into her apartment. She had already put in three work orders with the manager—all unanswered.

Biting her lip, she wiggled her hand and forced the key in the lock. Her face contorted when she tried turning it, wary of breaking the key and getting stuck outside in the cold. The key finally turned with a click and she pushed the door open.

“I’m home,” she called out for Mr. Right and closed the door behind her. Mr. Right appeared from the kitchen, answering her with a little meow-purr combo. She smiled and leaned over to scratch his chin.

Olivia took off her black work shoes and coat and walked into the bedroom to change into her comfy clothes—grey sweats and matching sweater.

Followed by Mr. Right, she let herself fall onto her comfy couch. The evening was quiet as usual, so she picked up her phone and thought about texting her college friend Janice. After years of no contact, she’d encountered her at the supermarket a few months ago, and they’d exchanged numbers. Janice had never tried reaching out, and the few times Olivia tried calling, she’d always had to explain who she was.

“Could be worth a shot,” she said to Mr. Right and typed a quick text, asking if Janice wanted to hang out. “Fingers crossed.” The cat meowed and followed her as she went into the kitchen to make herself a frozen pizza.

As she was opening the freezer, Olivia’s phone buzzed.

Sorry love, I can’t. I’m a bit sick, gotta rest. Doc’s orders. Maybe next time?

Olivia stared at her phone and read the text a few more times, but she’d been expecting this sort of response. Janice had always blown her off with some kind of excuse.

Propping up on the sofa, she turned on the TV and idly scrolled through her phone. She went through the routine: She did a quick run through her Facebook profile, checking for messages, which were never there; then she read her emails, which were mostly spam or work-related. She spotted an update from Janice on her Facebook page and sat up.

“Four minutes ago,” she muttered under her breath. “Do you see that, Mr. Right?” she turned the phone to her cat, the backlight bright on his furry face. “She tells me she’s sick but here she is.” She paused and squinted to read the caption, “‘Happy hour! Out with the girls.’” The photo was of a typical bar scene—dressed-up people squeezing together for the selfie, grinning wide, hands raised with colorful cocktails in them. Knowing Janice, she would be clubbing and drinking all night. Olivia tried to picture herself in a scene like that, with the skimpy dresses and alcohol and loud music. Partying wasn’t her thing, to be honest—but then, she did enjoy watching the others dancing in a crowd. To her, the sight just screamed, “Life!”

She let out a sigh as Mr. Right dropped onto her thighs, settling down for some stroking. She tossed the phone on the sofa and picked up the remote, folding her legs in to give Mr. Right more space. She put on a comedy show and kept her eyes fixed on the flashing images. At times like this, her mind would stray to something else from her past—old memories she wished to suffocate. She thought about her last relationship—her best years wasted on a pig. She’d met Brandon at a Halloween party; they hit it off right away. Their relationship had lasted through her twenties, but, in the end, she’d had no choice but to end it. Olivia grabbed a throw pillow and squeezed it. She remembered the painful conversation as if it were yesterday.

“I was drunk. It just happened, you know. I got carried away,” Brandon had said. “It wouldn’t have happened if you’d come to the club with me.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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