When I finally signed the lease to my new inner-city apartment, I could finally smile. Finally after many weeks of sitting back and waiting for the right place to turn up, my luck had finally rewarded me.
I no longer wanted to think of him, my ex, as he was away somewhere in Europe under the hot sun with his new woman. I enjoyed the space we had shared together but he lied, broke me. My parents helped me to start redeeming myself again, I should have listened to them back then when I was still young and carefree. But my boldness had ended me up in this position. They still loved me, I loved them but moving back to my old family home was not an option.
I'm twenty-two, just like the old Taylor Swift song. Aiming to be successful and achieve my dreams. Getting a new apartment, like the ones you see in the windows of estate agents or online was a big move for me. Just a few minutes walk away from the shops, a little longer to the transport hubs. I could just about go anywhere and decorate almost however I wanted.
"Just to let you know though," a voice snapped me awake from my daydreams, "The previous renter decided that they wanted to keep the curtains that you saw at the viewing."
I chuckled, "Keep the curtains? I don't want the whole world to see me when its dark outside!"
The agent released a small smile, "Well, it will be up to you to find some new curtains from somewhere, we can't help you."
I nodded in reply, "Don't worry, I'm sure that I can figure something out."
After the agent left, I jumped onto one of the sofas by a large living room window and closed my eyes, letting the sunlight warm my face. It was a pretty feeling but still, it wasn't right having no curtains in the apartment. Then I remembered, there was an old cupboard in the bedroom that had been locked from the viewing. What secrets could be lurking behind its doors?
On arrival, I spotted that the lock felt a little rusty in the palm of my hand. With no chance of finding the key, I had to pick the lock with one of my hairclips. I yanked hard and fell backwards as the door shot open and out tumbled some sheets.
"Yuck!" I exclaimed, "These smell rank!"
The pile of sheets were stained, smelt damp and I knew for sure that there was no way that I could make them perfect again. However, among the mess, my eyes caught onto a slip of paper. Again, a little stained brown, maybe from coffee but there was writing across it.
My curiosity got the better of me, I just had to see what was written. The handwriting itself was in English and looked clear, it was an order!
One Order of Cream, Large curtains from Kwitt's Wares @ 25.99
Pick-up from store, available on 14th May 2018
14th of May 2018... That was today, the same day that I moved in. Had the previous renter ordered these by accident or on purpose? That was an answer that I really wanted to find out. But the only way to do that, was to visit this Kwitt's Wares store myself.
After grabbing my jacket and bag, I left my new apartment behind and made my way into the rows of shops, looking upwards for the sign to Kwitt's. It had to be close right? I mean, this is the city centre and most of the shops are standing nearby. I dodged past some kids trying to show off their skateboarding tricks, a yappy dog who was so curiously staring at my phone and a tall guy handing out leaflets. He was cute but that was not the point of this mission. No flirting!
Finally, after what felt like hours, I finally spotted the store sign for Kwitt's Wares. This was the moment of truth, what were these curtains? On entering, I located a customer service desk, staffed by a young girl, a simple ponytail and a young face which reminded me so much of one of my old school friends from years gone by.
"Can I help you?" she asked quietly as I walked forward.
"Yes, I have this order..." I started to say until she grabbed the paper off me and read the handwriting with a frown.
"These curtains you say? We sold the last one just seconds ago." she replied before making her way back towards a staff only door.
"But wait! I've just moved into a new apartment today and found this order note." I demanded, trying to put on my best 'don't argue back with me' face.
There was an awkward silence until we were joined by an older guy, which I could tell from his smart uniform was this girl's boss, "Anything a problem Cassie?"
Cassie, the young girl spoke, "No Simon, this customer had an order note for some large cream curtains we've just sold."
Simon for a second flashed a bright smile, until he read the note. He faltered, his hand shaking.
"Um, are you OK?" I slowly asked, "You seem to be a bit... distressed?"
He beckoned Cassie over and whispered into her ear, both of them now staring at me with icy looks.
"Errr, it seems like I'm wasting my time here." I finally spoke, "I'll go and get my curtains from elsewhere."
"Oh, that won't happen," spoke Simon with a hint of fury etched into his tone, "You still haven't paid for your previous orders."
"Previous orders? I've never ordered from Kwitt's. I'm the new renter at this address and only found this note today while cleaning." I frowned back at them both.
Cassie stroked the edge of her ponytail, "We will need to see some evidence for this, it's company policy."
"Company policy? What bollocks." I spat out, "I tell you my side of the story and you both refuse to believe me!"
As I shouted, confused customers turned to look in my direction, the echos of whispers prickled my ear as I started to think what I was going to do. I had had enough of this time-wasting.
In the split seconds that followed, I noticed Simon gesturing towards another man in uniform. A security officer. This was it, they really thought I was a nuisance and a criminal for not paying these old orders. I wasn't going down without a fight.
"You'll be hearing from a lawyer later!" I screamed before charging past aisles and dodging the flashes of phone cameras, obviously trying to record my every move. I couldn't hear very well the loud shouts of those left behind. But I needed to get out of there and fast.
Onto the city streets, I continued to run, my chest starting to feel tighter and tighter. I needed to stop, stop for one second and breathe. But somehow, I was just too scared to stop. So, when I saw the apartment waiting for me, I found that little burst of energy and crashed open the front door.
The sunlight was still where it was, across the same sofa as before. Except, there was something else lying across the sofa, just waiting to be picked up.
Hi, I think you're going to need these.
A simple note that was shielding this package. Hand trembling, I opened it up to reveal something shocking. A large cream curtain with a receipt from Kwitt's.
And that was the last thing I remembered, before my vision turned a deathly black.
ns 15.158.61.15da2
