Page 42 - My Home on the Earth

the lounge and sank into an armchair to enjoy her drink. The curry was delicious and Marissa polished off two portions of cheesecake from the fridge. Afterwards, she undressed, popped her clothes in the washer-dryer, and went into the shower to test her sister’s range of Lumi ѐre beauty products. She’d never seen, let alone used such luxury items. Having sampled most of the bottles and tubes she stepped out and wrapped herself in a large fluffy white towel. Dancing and swirling through the apartment, she couldn’t resist having a peek in her sister’s bedroom.
She opened drawers and wardrobes out of curiosity and found a ginger jar full of chocolates. ‘I’ll only take two. Otherwise, she’ll know I’ve had a nose around.’
After rinsing the shower, she changed into clean clothes and dried her hair. In the lounge, she flicked through bus timetables that her sister had downloaded. Following her sister’s suggestion she decided to catch another bus into town to check out any cheap vacant flats.
Strolling through the town centre and visiting every estate agent’s office, quickly dampened her enthusiasm. She didn’t have enough money to pay for a place to live. It wasn’t looking good. Tired and troubled, she called in at a small café next to the market place, paid for a mug of tea and inquired if the owner knew anyone with rooms to rent. A shrug and a blank expression said everything.
Sitting at a table sipping her drink, she listened to the animated conversations around her. It seemed evident that the people at the other tables were either homeless, living in hostels, or sleeping rough. She shuddered at the thought
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