Chapter 1
The sun was already up when Chelsea woke up, exhausted from packing her remaining belongings last night. Wearing her pink teddy bear onesie, she swung her legs out of the bed and sat up. She wiped the dirt from her eyes and drool from the corner of her mouth. Chelsea looked at the clock; it was 6:00 AM, two hours before the hired movers were scheduled to arrive.
“When will life get any better?” she said to herself as she struggled to get her balance and stand up from the bed. She rubbed her eyes and put on her oversized eyeglasses.
“CHELSEA! COME DOWN HERE!” her mom yelled from downstairs.
“Ugh… Yes, I’m coming!” she yelled back.
Chelsea went downstairs, rubbing her eyes as she saw her mom frowning, looking at the boxes she had organized the night before.
“So, you decided to move out?” her mother said sarcastically.
Chelsea sighed; she had to endure another moment of nagging from her mother. The yelling felt like nails scraping against her ears.
“Chelsea, I worked for years, and you’re leaving me alone?” her mother said.
Chelsea took a deep breath as she tried to control her anger. Explaining to her mother was senseless because she always refused to understand what she was trying to say.
“This house is not for me anymore, Mom. I need to make my own life,” she said.
She couldn’t imagine that leaving her home would be this emotionally complicated. Why does leaving home feel like torture when I’m already old enough to make my own decisions?
Chelsea rolled her eyes and cringed as she watched her mother give her another round of a lecture. She had had enough. It was now time for her to start a new life and be firm with her decision to stand on her own feet. She was done with the breadwinner era, and it was now time for her to carve her own path and chase her dreams. She wanted a life independent of her parents’ influence. It may have sounded harsh, but she was worth more than being treated like their own insurance policy.
The cycle of obligation had become toxic; it affected her life, and it had to end today. As her mother stopped lecturing her, Chelsea finally exhaled.
“Mom, you may not support my decision now. But I believe this is for good,” she said.
Chelsea turned around and walked back to her room to freshen up and do her final preparations.
She had a happy family, well, it used to. Until unrealistic expectations suffocated her. Chelsea came from a middle-class, Asian household. If there’s anything she would miss from her family home, it would be her mom’s fried rice. When she was still a kid, her mother would even wake up early to prepare food for her before the school bus arrived.
Chelsea’s mother used to work as a bank teller, then she took an early retirement, knowing that Chelsea was finally working as a graphic designer. Her father worked as an engineer in an automotive company. She had never had any siblings. She was thankful she was the only child, or else, it might kill her conscience more if she left, in case she had one.
The movers finally arrived at exactly 8:00 AM, just after she finished her final preparations. As they put her boxes in a truck, she booked an Uber, giving her room and her house one last look before she left for good. She then looked at her mom.
“Mom, I will miss y–” she said, but was cut off by her mother.
“Just go! And don’t bother coming back!” Her mother slammed the door and locked it, but she still heard her sobbing behind the door.
Her heart ached as tears blurred her vision. She was leaving her childhood home with a mother who had despised her. She felt selfish; maybe she was, but her love for her parents remained, as they helped her become a strong-willed woman. She turned around and looked up at the bright sky. And for the first time, she could finally breathe.
During her car ride to the city, she couldn’t help but check her phone. She scrolled through old photos of the time she treated her parents to lunch, and even the simple movie nights at home together. She smiled; she would surely miss those moments. But behind those happy photos were years of guilt and obligation.
Chelsea closed her phone and thought deeply. For us to be at peace, I should step up and face real life. No matter what it takes, no matter what it costs. After all, change is inevitable.
An hour had passed, and she had finally arrived at the apartment complex located in the heart of a vibrant and busy city. This is where I will start making my dreams come true. After speaking with the apartment manager, Chelsea watched as the movers carried her boxes to her unit with practiced efficiency.
Chelsea signed some leasing papers and kept her own copies. Then, as she entered the elevator, she walked towards Unit 708, her new home, for the next few years. She entered the unit and locked the door. She felt overwhelmed as she stared at the boxes that needed to be unpacked and arranged in their designated places.
“Go, Chelsea, go!” she cheered for herself with a scowled face. She started unpacking a box labeled “Kitchen” written in a thick, permanent marker.
Chelsea regained her focus and grabbed a piece of cloth. She cleaned the counters while mumbling words of frustration. Focus, Chelsea. If you can’t beat the unpacking, you don’t deserve this apartment. You silly woman! Gradually, her kitchen was filled with things.
Chelsea’s guilt in leaving her childhood home still lingered. She tried to brush it off, but the harsh words from her mom still stung. She sat down on the couch to relax for a bit. She had been unpacking for a couple of hours. She took a deep sigh. This apartment is strangely quiet. If Mom were here, I could hear her loud mouth talking on her phone nonstop. I should have found a place for my turntable or speakers first, just to beat this silence. I am not used to it.
However, the silence didn’t last long.
“Ahhh. Ungh…” A guy was moaning.
What the heck was that?! She thought. She frowned, and she leaned her ear against the bedroom walls. The sounds were sensual as she heard a bed creaking as if someone was ramming on something…or someone? She gasped. But it’s only freaking 3 p.m.!
“Damn, Chelsea. Stop with your imagination,” she shook her head until the moaning grew louder and louder. It was a guy moaning. Unfortunately, it was not imagination; it was reality.
Chelsea gagged. Interestingly, she was starting a new life with a real-life porno soundtrack. She was not used to hearing such lewd sounds. As much as she wished to unhear it, her mind was now poisoned. A prude and ignorant person like her couldn’t help but cringe. She was dumbfounded. Of all the things she would hear in this apartment, it’s going to be a moaning guy next door. No wonder she was still single.
She took a deep breath. Focus, Chelsea, get your game on so you can rest early and continue what remains tomorrow. Soon, the moaning stopped. God knew what that guy was doing in there.
A while later, Chelsea finished unpacking her clothes and arranging a few decorations around the apartment. She made her bed, placed a small bear-shaped lamp on the bedside table, and finally stepped back to admire her work. By the time she was done, it was already past seven in the evening.
Exhausted from the day’s packing, she ordered Chinese takeout for dinner. After eating, she took a long shower to wash away the grime and fatigue before finally getting ready for bed.
While hugging her teddy bear, she looked at the ceiling.“Tomorrow is going to be a great day,” she affirmed to herself. If the moaning ever stopped, she might actually believe it.
