☉𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐒☉

After a hard day's work, all I could hear were the water droplets hitting my umbrella.  The sound of splashing water from my feet digging into the puddles and cars driving through them splashing water all over the passersby near the road.

The work week only started today, and I can't wait for a break.  I did not believe that a new beginning was such a difficult challenge, but why else do we live if we are not going to fight for something.

As soon as I entered my apartment, I was hit with that old and musty smell.  I didn't have enough time during my two days off to fix everything.  When I think about it, this place needs a solid repair, but it also needs funds, time and desire, and I only have desire without the other necessary factors.

I tossed the bags onto the barely supported table of rotting wood and turned on the stove, put a pan on and greased it, let it heat up as I took out each and every item purchased.  I think I'll be on eggs tonight.  As for a quick meal and enough nutrition, I think it's perfect.

I put the milk, remaining eggs, cheese, cheese and butter in the fridge, and left the fruits and vegetables on the table in a pan.  I took 2 eggs and fried myself, ate, washed the dishes and ran the vacuum cleaner.

Upon entering the bedroom, I was greeted by the pile of clothes I was going to put away, but I overslept and was late for work today.  I didn't have time for them either, I'll fix them when I rest.  I turned on my night light, locked the front door and my bedroom door, and went to bed, but my mind wouldn't let me close my eyes for more than a blink.

When I think about it, it is difficult to build a new life in a place where everything is unknown to you.  You had no contact with this everyday life, nor with this way of life.  People in the city are different, the streets are congested with traffic and everyone looks out for themselves, it's not like in a village where everyone knows each other, hello-hello, you wonder what the neighbors are saying to each other after hearing about our scandal with the boyfriend.

Here they don't even look you in the eye, they don't trust anyone, which is acceptable, but for me this is something unprecedented.

I've seen enough in 2 months to judge that once I've collected enough money to put Dennis in jail and know that there's no threat to me, I'll go back to the village.  He is obsessed with me, obsessed, addicted and I don't know what to call it.  We broke up 9 months ago because I caught him cheating with a friend of mine.  Friend is a strong word, but familiar anyway.  I left him and he agreed with my actions, as if that was all he was waiting for, but not to leave me, he prefers to be me.  Well, I did his job.  The problem comes 3 months after our separation.  One evening as I was walking home I heard footsteps behind me, but every time I turned around there was no one there.  My heart was beating fast, my breathing became heavy when I heard footsteps again two arms wrapped around me squeezing my arms they didn't give me a chance to turn around.

He dragged me somewhere and left me on the ground and when I looked up I saw Dennis.  I was oblivious to what was going on and what he was doing, why he wasn't with his new girlfriend.  He was like in a trance, as if it wasn't him but someone else in his body, or maybe he had been like that all his life, but I was too deluded to notice.  After this situation, even more perverted things happened.  He would come in pissed off, rape me, then talk to me like nothing ever happened and we were still living in the fairy tale world we were in, take my money, then come back and ask for more, hit me.  I had no one to go to, no one to protect me or give me advice.  I had reported to the police but they told me that the evidence was not credible, the evidence was my bruises.  They told me that I might have done them myself and they can't put a person in jail against whom there is no real evidence.

I have no family to hide with, no brothers and sisters.  They died in an accident on the way to the party I was at.  I am alone and if I give up there is no one to pick me up and give me hope and courage, so I have to be strong.

I took all the documents and hidden money I had and bought a train ticket.  I stopped at the last stop in Sofia.  I went looking for a place to live and a job.  In many places I was laughed at because of my appearance.  All bruised and pulled, I didn't care.  I found cheap accommodation and a job a few streets away as a secretary in an office.  It's not much, but I make enough to keep me from starving and I have the opportunity to collect.  If I have to I will bribe the police and the court, but he must be behind bars.