The sound of the alarm woke Viona from her sleep at five in the morning. She would start her work today, so she had to wake up early because she had to catch the subway to get to her workplace, which was an hour away.
She took out cereal from the storage and got milk from the refrigerator. She chose cereal for breakfast for practicality. It wouldn't take a long time, especially when she had to tidy up her apartment before leaving for work.
After she finished getting ready, Viona went to the subway on foot along with other workers who left for the city. She should have stayed near her workplace to save time, but because she had already paid rent for one year, Viona inevitably had to wake up every morning to catch the train.
There were not so many passengers on the trains so that Viona could rest for a while before starting work. After traveling for forty-five minutes, finally, Viona got off at the station near her workplace.
"Ok Vio, you can do it!" Viona said to herself when she came out of the underground station, trying to encourage herself.
Several workers and students were seen passing by in front of the station. As the capital, of course, Ottawa was a very busy city and was the main attraction for people to try their luck here. This was also the reason why Viona chose to find a job here.
"Morning, Madame," Viona said gently to Mrs. Lauren, the owner of the laundry where she worked.
"Oh, you've come on time. Great. Come on in," said Mrs. Lauren flatly.
Mrs. Lauren unlocked her laundry shop with Viona's help. Soon, the shop was opened successfully. Viona immediately went inside to turn on the lights and air conditioning so that the air was not too stuffy.
Viona had learned what to do before customers arrive. Mrs. Lauren smiled when she saw that her new employee was quite skilled and diligent.
When it was noon, customers came one by one to wash their clothes at the laundry where Viona worked. She deftly served her customers' requests when asking for detergent or a basket for clothes.
Working in a place like this really required a strong physique. Fortunately, Viona was used to doing physical work while she was still living in the orphanage so this job wasn't too hard for her.
"This is for you, Vio," said Mrs. Lauren quietly as she handed over two sandwiches to Viona.
"Thank you, Madame," Viona replied gratefully.
Viona and Mrs. Lauren enjoyed lunch when there were not too many customers.
"Why do you want to take menial jobs like this, Vio?" asked Mrs. Lauren curiously.
"I need any work that I can do, Madame. Anything legal will do," Viona answered honestly. "I want to make honest money."
"You're still young and beautiful. I could see a lot of male customers were checking out on you," said Mrs. Lauren again.
"Who would want to hire a high school graduate like me, Madame? That's why my options are limited to menial jobs," Viona answered softly.
Mrs. Lauren was speechless when she heard Viona's words, it was indeed very difficult to find a job these days, especially when one had a low education level. Viona quickly enjoyed the sandwich that her boss gave her because she didn't want to make the customers wait.
"I will continue working, Madame," Viona said quietly when she finished finishing her meal.
"Okay."
Viona immediately helped customers who needed her help to get some new baskets. Mrs. Lauren smiled at Viona's enthusiasm. While the girl was working, several people dressed neatly escorted a man wearing a gray coat carrying a bag of clothes.
"Mrs. Lauren, I want this washed in an hour as usual," said the mysterious man dryly.
"Yes, Sir Fernando," replied Mrs. Lauren quickly.
Mrs. Lauren immediately took the bag given by a man named Fernando. It contained a black coat that looked expensive. Mrs. Lauren worked on the clothes herself carefully. Viona just stayed still in her place, at the checkout counter watching the group of people who had just arrived. It wasn't long before the mysterious man's coat was finished. Mrs. Lauren was really doing her job fast and neat.
"This is done, Sir," said Mrs. Lauren, handing him the coat.
"Thank you," replied the man. He handed her 100 dollars.
The man stepped out, leaving the laundry followed by his bodyguards. He took the time to glance at Viona, who had been watching him. Viona shuddered as she thought how the man smirked when she saw him.
"Who was that man, Madame?" Viona asked curiously when the laundry was quiet.
"Which man? The customers here are mostly male Vio," replied Mrs. Lauren quickly as she counted the money.
"The man with four bodyguards who came only to wash one coat," said Viona again.
"Oh, that's Sir Fernando. He is the nation's husband of 2020," said Mrs. Lauren coquettishly. "He is rich! However, he liked to come here in person to have his clothes washed every day. I think he would change into them for the day."
"Really? How weird."
"Yeah... rich people are sometimes weird like that. But hey, it's more money for us, right?"
Mrs. Lauren then started gossiping to Viona about who Fernando was. The man was apparently a single father to a little girl. Nobody knew who the mother of his child. His family hid the woman's identity tightly.
"I don't understand why he hid the child's mother. Are they not married?" asked Viona in response to her boss's story.
"I have no idea. I never dared to ask him," said Mrs. Lauren.
***
At 7 pm, the laundry was closed. Mrs. Lauren handed over the duplicate key to Viona.
"Be careful on the way home, Vio," said Mrs. Lauren when parting with Viona in front of the station.
"Thank you, Madame. See you tomorrow," Viona replied with a smile as she waved her hand at Mrs. Lauren.
Viona continued her journey into the station to wait for the train to arrive. Today, her job was not too tiring but she wanted to get to her apartment immediately because she wanted to rest. After waiting for almost twenty minutes, the train she was waiting for finally arrived.
The train was quite full because many students came home after playing cricket. People could see it from their big bags. Viona stood beside the pole because there were no empty seats. Shortly, there was a male student who gave his seat to Viona. They talked for a long time. He asked for Viona's cellphone number but she was reluctant to give it.
Finally, she chose to give the name of her social media account so they could communicate with each other.
"Thank you, Andrew. I get off at this station," said Viona sweetly to her new friend, Andrew.
"Tonight, we can continue our conversation, right?" Andrew asked, looking serious.
"Ok. I have to go now," said Viona with a smile.
Some of Andrew's friends were teasing him when Viona got off the train. Andrew waved his hand as the train doors closed.
"Vio!!"
A man suddenly called from behind Viona.
"Hey, Lexi," said Viona in shock when she saw the person who called her.
"You just got home? Let's go for a walk together," said Lexi. "I live in the same apartment as you."
The man smiled mysteriously.
"You live in the same apartment as me? Since when?" Viona asked in surprise.
"Starting today. I entered my new apartment this morning. Your unit is number 6002, right? My place is number 6010," replied Lexi quickly.
"That means we are neighbors," said Viona spontaneously. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable. Why would Lexi move to her building all of a sudden?
"Yes, so let's go home now. It's getting cold," said Lexi to Viona. The girl nodded and walked with Lexi to her apartment. Her head was full of questions.
Lexi stopped in front of Viona's unit. He hoped Viona would invite him in.
"It's already late. I'll rest now. You too have school tomorrow, right?" said Viona when she opened the door to her room.
"Ok, you should rest. If you need anything, just knock on my room," said Lexi, trying to touch Viona's cheek.
"Ugh.. please don't..." Viona snapped, avoiding Lexi's touch.
Lexi smiled at Viona's rejection. He then opened his flat and entered. Meanwhile, Viona, who was still standing in front of her unit, had stopped her activities when she was about to enter her passkey when she realized Lexi was watching her.
Viona quickly entered the code to her unit then entered and locked it with double security.
"I know what kind of person you are, Lexi. I don't trust you staying here," Viona said to herself. She knew Lexi was a playboy who often changed women. He would not let go of his potential victims easily.
"Mother, please, take care of me from up there," Viona prayed silently as she closed her eyes.