She had been born into struggle so it was part of her but right now, she just couldn't take it anymore.
Source
It was 6 am, and on any other winter morning, she would have been snuggled under the covers, snoring lightly until hunger pangs made her wake up to grab a quick breakfast. Even then, she would still have breakfast in bed and drop the dishes under the bed then go right back under the covers.
But there was no time for all of that now. She was due to pay the $15,000 for her rent else she would be kicked out the next week. To make matters worse, her only source of survival was about to be snatched from under her feet.
She threw a sweatshirt on and slipped her feet into the oversized boots her father had left her before he died. Every time she had her legs in them, his smiley face came back to her.
She had just thrown a furry jacket and a woolen scarf on her body when her cell phone rang. She knew who it was without glancing at the ID. Only Katie would call her by this hour.
“Lily, are you up yet?” The silky smooth voice called out from the other end of the phone.
“Up and dressed. You?”
“I'm ready. I'll drive over to yours okay?”
Lily grunted her response and chuckled when Katie added, “Prepare breakfast for 2 while you wait”.
Because of Katie, Lily believed in angels. She had met her 16 years ago at City Park where her dad had left to get ice cream for them.
She waited for more than 30 minutes at the stone seat where her father left her and when she couldn't find him, she began to cry.
Katie left her mother and siblings at the popsicle line and came over to put her arms around her. Katie didn't even ask why she was crying, She just sat there with her until Lily's dad came back with 2 strawberry ice creams. The girls had been inseparable since then.
Lily took one last look at the small place Katie's dad had assisted her to get the previous year and sighed at the realization of the fact that she would soon lose it along with everything she struggled to build.
She lost her mother at birth and her father singlehandedly took care of her, first homeschooling her, then enrolling her in the cheapest middle school available.
When he passed away just after her 14th birthday, Katie's parents helped her through high school but she had to stay back from college.
She had picked 2 jobs at 18, working almost round the clock to make ends meet until she was duped of her entire savings by the first man she ever loved.
Life had never been fair to her.
She had held it in throughout those periods but right now, now that the life she had struggled to build was falling apart afresh, she was going to chin up and fight life back with everything she had. Which was exactly why she was going to meet with the mayor of her city.
If Lily didn't meet with the mayor now, she would never have the courage to do so again.
“How do you feel?” Katie asked as they approached the city gates.
“I feel like I'm about to confront my destiny”
Katie's blue eyes met her brown ones and tears formed in hers.
“Thank you, Katie. For everything”
“We've been through so much together but this, you have to go through this alone so chin up and face it. Face him. Okay? Whether he has another job for you or not, don't give him the slightest inkling that you're scared”
Lily nodded. She discovered on Friday through one of her close friends at work that the mayor was planning to lay off workers and she was on the list, so she was going to meet him personally.
She gave Katie a peck on her cheek and walked out of the car with her chin up, to confront her destiny.
She already knew she was violating the procedure of going to the mayor's office without an appointment but desperate situations require desperate measures.
The same colleague at work was the one who had given her the tip to get to the mayor's office before 8 am to avoid going through hectic procedures especially because she didn't have an appointment beforehand.
“Hi, I'm here to see the mayor,” she told the blonde head at the counter. The lady adjusted her glasses and took one long look at Lily.
“You don't have an appointment” she wasn't asking. Lily nodded. “The mayor will be out for breakfast at 7:45”
She smiled thankfully at the lady. At exactly 7:44 am, the mayor and his entourage climbed down the stairs. Lily walked briskly towards him.
“Good morning mayor sir”
2 people from his entourage moved in to stop her but the mayor held his hand up.
“I know you,” he said
“I am Lily Dexter. I work at the farmhouse and I am about to be sacked despite being an uneducated orphan”
The mayor held her eyes and rubbed his beard for a while.
“So what can I do for you?”
“Just leave me on the job. My rent is due next week, if I don't get paid, I'll be homeless by then too”
The mayor turned to one of his entourage, “Take Lily Dexter off the layoff list. And young lady, the next time you challenge me like this, you'll have a home in the correctional center” he said and walked away.
Lily fell to her knees not minding that 2 security men were heading towards her. For the first time, she fought against life and won.