PROLOGUE
The job search after high school was something I was dreading, but it turns out life had other ideas. Life isn’t as kind as I thought it was; it turns out I was the one responsible for taking care of myself. Friends... well, I did have some friends, but a lot of them went off to college or got caught up in drugs. But that’s not important here.
After graduating high school, I had to start searching for a job, which I definitely did not enjoy. You know, people always say, “You’ll find something,” but that’s such a load of crap. I graduated from high school last year. My parents got divorced when I was nine because my mom didn’t get an abortion, and I was an “obstacle” to their lives. When it comes to describing my high school life, it was pretty bland. I came and went to school every day, did my best to get good grades (though I barely passed in some subjects), and tried to make friends (with moderate success). However, there was one bright spot in my otherwise mundane high school experience: Nancy.
My friend Nancy also came from a difficult upbringing and understood what I was going through. Unfortunately, we haven’t spoken to each other since she went off to college, but she still holds a special place in my heart. In short, my high school experience wasn’t particularly memorable, but it wasn’t terrible either.
Sadly, my grandma couldn’t afford to send me to art school, which was my childhood dream. My grandma had recently been diagnosed with dementia and was no longer able to remember me at this point. That’s why her sister took her to the countryside to live with her. After my “so-called parents” divorced, my grandma took custody of me, and I have lived with her since I was only nine years old. My grandma was the only member of my family who truly cared about me and my well-being. She always made sure that I had a roof over my head, food on the table, and a loving home environment.
Unfortunately, after she was diagnosed with dementia last year, everything changed. Grandma could no longer remember me, and her personality and behavior had also completely changed. She was now confused and disoriented, and she didn’t recognize me anymore.
It was a difficult and painful experience to see her like that.
So I took matters into my own hands. I started working at a bookstore as an attendant, and I rented a small apartment. I have been working as an attendant for six months now. I guess you could call it luck that I was able to find that job in New York, where it’s nearly impossible to find work. When it comes to the cost of rent, don’t even get me started; it’s downright insane in this city.
The bookstore’s popularity suddenly exploded last week after a particular romance novel started trending on social media. The bookstore I work at is called ‘Rose’s’; Suzy is the boss, the boss who has become one of my closest friends. We met in a cafe one day, and that’s when she told me she owns a bookshop. “It’s still new, and I work alone, so I gotta hire someone.” That’s how I got the job, but there’s more to the story than that.
