Page 148 of The Last Fire

I rummage through the fridge and find nothing. Damn, Dad really doesn't live here anymore! I go to the living room and search behind some books, where Mom used to hide the bottles of alcohol because nobody in our house was much of a reader, except her, an avid consumer of romance novels and fine wine.

“Bingo,” I find a random bottle, and when I pull it out, I grimace. Morgenstern Wines, a 2015 Pinot Noir. Hell, this is from 8 years ago, from the first production line. Jackpot! I'm celebrating tonight!

I look for something to open the bottle with and pour myself a full glass. I sip eagerly while looking at the box, not even realizing I'm doing this on an empty stomach.

“You idiot, you have no idea who you're messing with!” I laugh, feeling the tempting taste of the wine on my tongue, and I pour another glass, ready to drown all my problems in that Pinot Noir and keep the flames of revenge burning, because this is just the beginning. “To a fresh start!” I raise my glass and toast to myself.

I remove the box’s lid and find a stack of photos. I roll my eyes because I can already guess what’s inside the box. The first one is face down, with a note on the back that reads: “Be patient! I’ll be back!”

“Wow,” I mutter nonchalantly. “I'm quaking in my boots, you idiot!”

I turn the photo, and it's Sami on the football field.

“Cute then,” I say casually and smirk. “And cute now too, I bet,” I bring the photo close to my lips and passionately kiss it.

I smile and admire the picture, and I bury my nose in the glass with the help of my free hand, then I place the photo down and pick up another one, this time a close-up of Samael sitting on a bench, wearing headphones and holding a book. I kiss this photo harder and continue to admire the next one.

“You're even cuter now, after being kissed by me,” I giggle and put the photo back, taking another one that also has Manasseh in it.

I grimace and tear it apart immediately, separating the snake from the apple.

“How the heck did I forget to cut you out of this picture too, fuck you!” I toss the photo to the ground right away and start stomping on it. “You're a worm under my foot, and I'm going to crush you under these ugly unicorn crocs,” I jump on the photo and lose my balance when I attempt to kick it.

I fall onto the cold floor and look at the light bulb, with the shattered wine glass next to me and my clothes stained as if I had killed someone.

“This will definitely stain,” I turn on my side, making sure not to cut myself in my dizziness. “It's all your fault, Masse, you idiot! Wherever you show up, you create problems. You're like a pain in the backside I can't seem to get rid of,” I argue with the crumpled photograph. “Begone, Devil!” I drag myself over to the picture and tear it to shreds.

The rest of the evening, I probably remain in the kitchen where I leaf through the photos that I once was willing to do anything to keep private, and I empty the wine bottle.

CHAPTER 30

Present

Rebecca

The next day, I wake up with a massive hangover and a bit of amnesia. I notice I'm wearing the same clothes as the night before, and I fell asleep with scattered photographs on my bed, so I can say, though not entirely accurately, that I slept with all sides of Samael in one night.

I lazily rub my face and drag myself to the bathroom, where I take a mostly cold shower and tidy up my “workspace,” which means cleaning up after last night's drinking. With red and swollen eyes, clear proof that I lost count of the drinks, I probably talked to myself and argued with imaginary people like Manasseh, and I hope he choked on a fit of hiccups. This was followed by a bout of sobbing, then laughter, and I hope the neighbors didn't hear my minor struggle or the embarrassing and inevitable declarations of love, veiled in the haze of alcohol.

I run my fingers through my hair and secure the front section while leaving the rest flowing freely. It had grown, almost down to my waist. I look for clean clothes, but after smelling them all, I end up wearing something from my old wardrobe, pink and lively. I choose a pair of short jeans with a tied waist pink blouse, V-neck, and I'm pleased to see that the oversized hoodies from the past still fit me, as baggy as ever, and long enough to cover my bust that stands out through the tight pink blouse, because oh well, my old bras don't fit me anymore.

I’m thinking of going to my father to ask him for the train fare, and then get my money from my former workplace, the nursing home, then try to get my mother out of the clinic and after that, I will most likely seek the help of the detective, or whatever he was, Caesar-something, determined to completely expose Manasseh. If the landlord doesn't return for the rent, I will most likely try to keep the apartment because it's right across from my mother's old friend, and I don't want to lose her. She always helps my mother when I'm too busy with work.

I feel like I have enough time to pick up my life where I left off, as long as Manasseh is far away. After I’ll tell the detective what he did to my mother and me, he probably won't ever come back, or at least I hope so.

I find my father at the church, and without too many questions, I get train money from him and head to London. From there, I decide to take the subway to the nursing home. Unfortunately, it's quite crowded in the morning, and I can't find a seat, however, it irritates me when I see a man sitting casually in front of me, wearing headphones, while a pregnant woman with a neck brace stands beside him.

“Excuse me,” I say in a loud voice because the man is wearing headphones.

With his eyes closed, he continues to be indifferent and unresponsive, so I tap the tip of my sneaker on his foot.

“I said excuse me. Would you please give up your seat for the lady, who, as you can see, is pregnant and injured?”

„Perdón, yo no hablo inglés” the awkward, La Casa Del Papel fan accent gives him away.

“Perdón, but you speak inglés very well. Now, get up!” I urge him, and the man refuses to budge, which just makes me more mad.

“Perdón,” the man keeps insisting.

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