ELLIE JONES

The next day, I wake up with an extremely sore back, most likely due to my horrible sleeping posture in the café last night. After rolling around in my bed for a while, I finally find the energy to get up and get ready. I walk down after brushing my teeth only to find my mum holding a cupcake in her hand. I didn't see her the entire day yesterday. Something about emergency errands.

"Happy belated darling!" She says.

"Thanks, mum" I reply, taking the cupcake from her hand.

We had a simple breakfast before my mum informs me that she has some things to do today and needed my help to tend to the bookstore.

"Of course" I reply, using my fork to pick at whatever that is remaining on my plate.

"Thank you so much, darling! And don't worry, we are still going to have your traditional birthday dinner tonight. Don't think I've forgotten!" She says.

I hoped that she had forgotten it, but it looks like she hasn't. With that, she clears our plates and leaves to get ready for her "errands". I know that her errands are always just dates with her sad excuse of a boyfriend, Joe. He never seems to be able to keep a job longer than 3 months, constantly borrows money from my mum, or anyone who is willing to lend him money, and never seems to pay back what he owes. Yet, despite all his obviously poor qualities, my mum still claims to love him. And not just love him, but with all her heart, she claims. It makes me wonder if that's the reason she has no room in her heart to love me in the way I wish she would.

"Love knows no bounds" She always tells me whenever I question why she hasn't already dumped him for someone better. Someone financially stable, someone without debts, and someone with hair. After a few months of them dating, I gave up trying to convince her to leave him. If that is who she loves and wants to spend the rest of her life with, then I have nothing to say. Despite my mother's faults, I still want her to be happy, especially because she's been alone since dad died 19 years ago.

"Bye Ellie. Oh, and can you help me clean the books at the top of the shelves? They are getting quite dusty up there. Thanks!" Mum says as she leaves. I wave goodbye before going upstairs to clean up and get ready for work. I take a nice hot shower to relieve some of the tension in my back before changing into a comfortable pair of skinny jeans and a striped cotton shirt. I think about taking the bus or even a taxi to the store but decide to ride my bike instead as I am trying to save money for my own apartment. I hope that by the time I turn 21 in two years I can get my own apartment, away from my mother. A place where I can get a taste of true freedom, a place I can call home.

As I reach the store, I lock my bike outside before unlocking the doors. The first thing I do is turn on the lights and put my things away. I made sure to bring my books and notes along with me today since the store is usually not busy, leaving me with more than enough time to study and catch up on some assignments. After completing half of my essay due on Tuesday, I decide to clean the books at the top of the shelves like mum had instructed this morning. With the ceiling of the bookstore being extremely high, the shelves extended all the way to the top, meaning I have to use a ladder in order to reach the books way up there.

I grab the wooden ladder from the back of the store and painstakingly carry it all the way to the first shelf. "Why do we even keep books up here anyways? No one bothers to look up." I complain to myself as I dust off each book and arrange them in a more orderly manner.

Just as I am dusting the last few books and organizing them, I hear someone shout.

"Anyone here?"

I try putting the last book back onto the shelf after cleaning it, but it slips right out of my hands and drops. I expect to hear a thud from the book dropping onto the hard wooden floor, but instead, I hear someone yell out in pain.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" I quickly apologize once I look down and realise that the book had landed on someone's head instead of on the floor. "Were you trying to kill me?" He says, rubbing the back of his head. His accent was so... American. "I'm sorry! But I don't really think a book could have killed you" I say again. He was being way too dramatic. "Are you serious? I could have been really injured" He says.

I pick the book up from the floor and was about to reply until I heard a phone ring. Unsure if it is his or mine, I take my phone out from my back pocket to check. Nope, not mine. "It's mine," He says when he notices me checking my phone. Okay, that was really embarrassing.

"Hi. No, I'm at the bookstore down the street. Ok, see you in 5 minutes" He hangs up. "Again, I am really sorry, it was an accident. Did you need something?" I ask.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask if you knew where the Dark Roast café is. But it's okay now because I'm meeting someone here instead" He replies, putting his phone away. The Dark Roast café? That's the place I work at.

"Okay, if you need anything, ill be at the second shelf," I say pointing towards the shelf labelled 2.

"Be careful not to drop another book"

I roll my eyes and walk away. Why was he making such a big deal over a stupid book?

I reach the shelf where the ladder is and attempt to move it over to the second shelf. After walking not more than 10 steps with this humongous ladder, I stop to stretch my back. God is this thing heavy.

"Do you need help?" He offers, seeing how much I was struggling with this ladder that is three times my size.

"I don't know, do I? I wouldn't want to accidentally injure you again would I?" I reply, trying to move the ladder once again. He chuckles at my response and takes the ladder from my hands, carrying it like it's nothing. "Second shelf right?" He asks. I nod and instruct him exactly where to place the ladder.

"All set then," He says after helping me place the ladder down where I want it to be.

I thank him and start climbing up the ladder to the very top of this dumb and ridiculously tall shelf, repeating what I did for the previous shelf. He smiles and walks over to the corner of the bookstore where the sofas and armchairs are and sits down, making himself comfortable. I
wonder who he is waiting for.

After a good five minutes, I hear the bell above the door ring, indicating that someone else has walked in. I try looking down to see who it is, but I can't. Especially not from this angle where all I can see is the top of his head.

"Hey! You're finally here!" I hear him say. I am able to hear the both of them converse for a while before walking towards the entrance.

"Bye!" He says to me. I attempt to look down from where I am to say goodbye and also to take a better look at his friend, but my phone starts ringing. This time it was definitely my phone. I reach into my back pocket to grab my phone and before I know it, they had already left.

"Hi Mum," I say when I pick up the phone. She starts asking me if I am doing okay in the store and if I had cleaned the books already. "I am cleaning the books as we speak mum, don't worry about it" I reply, a bit annoyed that she felt the need to call and check up on me. She goes on to tell me that she won't be home for the next four days because of some cruise trip Joe had planned for the both of them. I laugh under my breath because I know for a fact that Joe wasn't the one who planned it and it was probably my mum financing the entire trip. "Okay mum, have fun. I have to get back to work" I say before hanging up.

Looks like I am going to be home alone for the next four days, and I am definitely not complaining.