***
My apartment was entirely clean. Now what? There was no sense in being cooped up in the apartment all day and I still needed to figure out how to make money. I needed to rebuild my life, and getting the new apartment was just the first step.
I put my shoes on and locked up my apartment. When I got outside, the sun was shining brightly; I had to squint until my eyes adjusted. I felt the warm breeze against my face and I took a deep breath of the summer air. Like Superman, I felt like the yellow sun gave me strength. I set off down the street with no particular destination in mind. I just needed to clear my head and gather my thoughts.
I had a million thoughts racing through my mind as I walked around exploring my new neighborhood. The neighborhood was like any other, there were restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores, and of course a laundromat. I came across an internet café and sat down at a computer.
My next order of business was to get a job. Over the next couple of hours I typed out a résumé and emailed it to a dozen or so companies. I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for, but given my situation, I was willing to do pretty much anything. I applied mainly to clothing stores, hotels, and restaurants. I then emailed my résumé to myself so I wouldn’t have to retype it. I printed off another dozen résumés to take with me, and I left.
It was around 4:30 p.m. and I wanted to swing by the grocery store and buy some essentials. I picked up a package of hot dogs, some soap, toilet paper, some instant noodle soup, and a small pot.
I paid for the groceries and walked outside. I could feel my phone vibrate, but my hands were full. I put the bags down and quickly flipped open my phone.
C H A P T E R
F O U R T E E N
I didn’t know too many people in the city, so I was not used to my phone ringing. “Hey, what’s up?” the soft voice said with no introduction. A little presumptuous, but I knew exactly who it was.
“Hey, Ashley, how’s it going? I was just thinking about you.”
“You were?” she replied with a flirtatious giggle.
“That’s good because I was thinking about you too. I got your message. When did you get into town?”
“To be honest with you, I’ve been here for a few months. I would have called sooner, but I had to get my life in order.”
“So did you get your life in order?”
“I’m starting to get it on track. What are your plans tonight?”
Even though I would have loved to see her, I did not have any game at the moment. There was nothing attractive about my situation, but I could have really used a friend, someone to talk to and hang out with so I wouldn’t feel so alone. Besides, she didn’t really seem like the type to judge, and even if she was, it would be better to find that out sooner than later. It was time to find out if my lack of funds would be a problem for her.
“I’m not really sure what I’m doing tonight,” she replied.
“Do you want to hang out?” I asked.
“Sure.”
“Okay, great, what part of the city do you live in?”
“I live downtown.”
“Okay, I can come downtown and meet you if you want?” I asked. It was too soon to be showing her where I lived. My clothes were still relatively new so I wouldn’t give off the impression I was in serious financial trouble. I needed a few more dates in before I would feel confident enough to bring her back to my place.
The Art of the Hustle Page 15
