Once Upon a Time in London

Chapter 17

PART 2:

August, 2018

"Anjali! Wake up or you'll be late!" ma's voice rings through the room.

I wake up with a start.

Drat.

I don't need to look at the clock to know I am already late.

I check anyway.

And my heart threatens to leap out of my chest.

It's 7:45am.

I'm supposed to meet Lana at 8:20.

I throw back my blanket, only to pull it over me again as a cold chill spreads over my bare legs.

I don't understand how despite being August, still a summer month in London, it's already getting so cold.

I despise this type of weather because I'm bound to get sick.

It's neither cold nor hot, get my point?

At this point, the weather is more indecisive than I am.

I groan as I shuffle out of the bed and groan again as I hit the ground, tripping over something on my bedroom floor.

I grit my teeth, ready to slam insults at whatever I'd tripped over but reconsider as soon as I realise that it's the poster paper I'd rolled up using an elastic band last night.

I shriek, straightening out the dent in the rolled up poster that I presume my foot made when I tripped over it.

This is why I don't like staying up until 3am, working on presentations I could've finished ages earlier if I'd simply been more proactive.

I set it on my bedside table, and do a quick little scan of my room. There's little bits of paper littering the whole room, with tattered fabric bits and threads sprouting about. I need to vacuum everything when I get back.

I stand there, uncertain, for a little longer, contemplating whether cleaning this mess up would really take me that long.

I almost pick up the little silver foil square sticking out from under some sharpies when my gaze lands on the large clock hanging by the balcony, I hesitate and grit my teeth as I make a dash for the bathroom, cleaning up the room would have to wait.

As soon as I'm out of the en-suite, the messy room is in front of me again, I try to focus out my vision as I make my way to the wardrobe, it's already 8:07, I pick out a simple day dress and on further consideration decide to wear the light beige overcoat on top, just in case. I pull my hair back and secure it in a ponytail using the hair claw I'd found on my bedside table. I quickly put on the diamond studs Pammi aunty gifted me on my last birthday.

It's 8:12 and I'm nowhere near leaving my house. I still didn't know how to do my makeup properly, so bb cream is the way to go. I guess old habits really do die hard. Accept I guess I am better at putting on eyeliner now. I make to put on some lip tint, only to realise that that was what I forgot yesterday. I'd run out of this tint a few days back and keep forgetting to buy a new one. I sigh in frustration as I dot my lips with red lipstick, dabbing it with my finger to make it look more like a tint than a lipstick.

I run out of my room, vaguely aware of my digital clock come alarm flashing a very angry red 8:14 at me.

Only to run back inside as I realise I forgot the poster paper, I pick it up in a dash, almost tripping over the messy carpeted floor, I knew I should've cleaned up.

This time when I run out, the clock still flashes the time at me, except now it's 8:15.

I rush towards the front door, putting on my knee high boots, both Pammi aunty and ma rush after me with plates loaded with food.