Strangers, strangers, strangers {Open}

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Aisha said as she rushed to help the old lady with her shopping bags. She’d just gotten out of the small dairy at the corner of the street to buy some sweets, an ice cream bar and a bottle of water when she had caught sight of the old lady struggling with her many, and by the looks of the bulging plastic bags, very heavy. The people passing by didn’t even seem to notice the elder woman. She caught a couple of them give the woman a fleeting glance but not a single one of them moved to help her. Does it kill them to lend a helping help? Geez… people these days… I wonder when they’re dead, if their sense of compassion would make an appearance. Probably not. Giving the ice cream, which she had taken one single bite out of, to the gaping mouth of a nearby rubbish bin, she rushed over to the woman and taking the bags off her frail, wrinkled hands, handed over the small bottle of water. From the looks of the plastic bags, she had shopped at a mall rather far away. It was quite a way from the mall, if she remembered correctly, to where they were and the woman looked as if she was ready to collapse in the sun soon.

Smiling and putting the old woman’s thanks to the side, she picked the bags up and followed the woman as she led her towards her house. It wasn’t a short walk as she had first thought. Along the way, the old woman told Ash about her children and grandchildren. How her grandson would be lucky to meet someone like her for his bride. The comment had made blush and hold back the fact that she was only sixteen years of age, not an age she was considering to marry. Or any time in the near future…[/i] She liked to listen to the elder woman talk about her grandchildren.

Shrugging her shoulders, Aisha just nodded and smiled. It was all fine till the lady asked her about her parents, which made Aisha stumble and almost trip on her own foot. Regaining her balance, she assured the woman that she was fine, giving a bright assuring smile. She hesitated. Truth about her life wasn’t pretty enough to share with old fragile ladies. It wasn’t a secret but it was a depressing subject for most and the people’s gazes always changed to one of pity. She hated that. She didn’t need, didn’t want, anyone’s pity. What happened was bad and she had been unfortunate to be in midst of it all… but she didn’t need, nor did she want, their sympathy. They didn’t know the true pain she felt. They didn’t have the right to act like they did. But lying to people wasn’t something she liked to do. She could lie like a pro, yes, but that didn’t mean she liked doing it. Deciding on the lie, she smiled an almost genuinely sad tilt of her lips at the story as she began to tell it to the woman.

“Well… my parents’ were in a car accident when I was little. I don’t remember much about them.[/b]

Ash looked at the woman’s face to see the grief, and pity. That was the usual reaction. The woman, who she knew now, was Elizabeth, stuttered as she tried to say something. Shaking her head sideways at the woman, Ash smiled sadly. She knew that Elizabeth didn’t know what to say to make her better and neither did she. It was better to not say anything. So much easier too. Getting the hint, the woman swallowed and gave her a light pat on her back before they continued their journey in silence. Her heart heavy, they reached Elizabeth’s flat where she lived by herself. Taking the grocery bags in and placing them onto the counter, Aisha looked around as she flexed her shoulder muscles. The place had a welcoming feel to it, making you feel at ease straight away.

Gratefully receiving and gulping down a cold glass of water, Ash excused herself and bid farewell to the old woman, promising to visit another time. It was a surprise when the woman had hugged her tightly. When Elizabeth had let go of her, she saw that the old woman’s eyes were moist with unshed tears. Giving the woman a half smile, she walked down the steps and through the big double doors that led into the apartments and flats. When the door slammed closed, Ash breathed out, her body sagging against the door and sliding down till she sat, leaning against it. Her head turned upwards, she blinked back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. Get a hold of yourself, Aisha. Get a freakin’ hold of yourself… As she scolded herself over and over, she felt herself calming down.

Taking a shaky breath in, Aisha pushed herself up and dusting her skirt of any dirt, she started down towards the unfamiliar street. The day was short at this time of the year and it had already become quite dark outside, the sun disappearing down the horizon. As she walked down the street, she felt a bad premonition creep into the back of her spine, sending chills all over her body. Looking around, she saw nothing as she walked steadily, spying her surroundings. Hearing a crash, she stopped, her head instinctively swinging towards where the sound had come from. Holding her breath, she watched as a black cat leapt out from the rubbish bin and run across her path, fading away into the night. Letting the breath she had been holding in out, she shrugged the bad feeling off. There was nothing that would frighten her right now. If there was someone that wanted a piece of her, they would get it. She had delayed her patrol long enough for the day, or so she hoped.[/div][/td][/tr]
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