Personal Assistant: Limited Edition[MXM]✔

Chapter 4

4.

I didn't get much sleep. I felt like I had committed a crime worse than killing a man and eating his intestines or something like that. It reminded me of the time I had shoplifted a box of crayons. I'd felt so guilty I considered returning them to the shop and apologizing. It sounded like a stupid moving considering they didn't know it was me but someone had probably gotten flak for it.

The guilt had only stopped months later. Those few months had been the worst moments of my life. Being brought up in a Christian family would do that to you. Every time the pastor preached about hell I felt he was personally talking to me. When I found out Johnny's dad who worked at the store was fired two weeks after my shoplifting the guilt gnawed at me like never before. It didn't matter that Johnny's dad was a drunkard who pitched to work two hours late.

I was taught to respect other people's properties. I was also taught a lot of things, most of which I ignored. Stealing was a petty crime committed by cowards and lazy people who felt a sense of entitlement. Stealing was for failures.

Unlike when I was ten years old, this time I didn't feel guilt. I felt like a complete failure. I was reduced to a petty thief. My mother would shake her head at me if she could see me, giving me that look that always broke me.

How had my life taken such a turn?

I didn't have time to ponder my thoughts. My alarm went off, signaling it was time to leave. It was six in the morning. The room was still too dark for me to see well, but the spluttering on the windows told me it was still raining. It wasn't as heavy as the previous night and the winds seemed to have let up.

I got out bed and put on my boots and jacket. I grabbed my bags and headed downstairs. Nasir was awake, cleaning an imaginary stain on the staircase.

He looked up in surprise. "Hi. Are you leaving already?"

I nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality but I have to get going."

"It's still raining and it's quite dark outside. You can't fix your car in this weather," he remarked. "You won't make it very far on foot."

"I...can't stay. I have commitments," I said. I hadn't lied. I had committed to vanish with the loot I'd taken. Feeling like a failure was better than being unable to talk for the rest of my life on account of the pipe attached to my throat.

"Of course," he said standing upright. "Would you like some breakfast before you go? I need something to do."

I shook my head. "No thanks. Thank Ross for me. I am really grateful you let me sleep here, and the food of course."

He smiled and walked off towards the kitchen. I took a long breath of relief and immediately flexed my legs in the direction of the main door. I unlocked and opened it. I was immediately hit by a gentle breeze.

I'd only stepped out with one foot when I was brought to a halt by a firm voice.

"I give you shelter and feed you and in turn you insult me. You've got guts."

That didn't sound like Nasir. Ross was up and he'd discovered his money was missing. My heart was already beating too fast. I could deny knowledge and just run but somehow I stood rooted to the spot. I couldn't even turn.

"The least you could do is say goodbye, you know," he said, releasing a frustrated breath into the air.

I found myself wanting to collapse in relief. My body was relaxing as if I'd taken a long drag of a cigarette. Ross knew nothing about the money.

I turned. "Sorry, I thought you were asleep."

He smiled and the smile quickly descended into soundless chuckling. "I was watching a movie."