Z E R O G R A V I T Y
↳ G r i e f

"I'm a work in progress."
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-C O R Y-

Turning on the corner of May Street, I stopped along the sidewalk and faced the first brick complex that settled on my left. It looked slightly different with more dry mud dusting on the sides and a dirtier lawn with overgrown dead grass and weeds, but nearly seemed the same.

You could hear Ms.Bumkiss yelling at her grandson to take out the garbage, Mr. teller on the rooftop watching everyone below him with a telescope because he believes the CIA is after him while Ms.Ryan's kids hang out the window as a result of an extreme game of hide and seek. Nothing's changed a bit. 

Personally, I never liked the idea of letting my little sis stay here, but the girl had a stubborn personality harder than stone. Put her up against a bull and you'd be surprised who'd win. For some odd reasons she always declined my offer to stay at my beautiful pent house that was no longer than ten minutes away. She was persistent to get herself engulfed into the classic city life.

I'm not sure what her idea of classic is but I'm not one to judge.

I took cautious steps up the eroded walkway and cringed every time an unforgiving squeak would give out from beneath the staircase.

Passing the dozens of doors on my way up, I froze at the very top. Number fifty-two was her room door. I knocked and eventually I found myself constantly shifting from leg to leg and my knees bucked into each other unintentionally. I grew weary from waiting outside for a total of what seemed to be five minutes. Considering the circumstances, I'm surprised Ellie's neighbor from across the hall, Mrs.Chesterfield, hasn't stepped outside to investigate with her nosy personality.

Groaning, I bent down and snatched the keys from under the thick welcome mat she bought at a fleece market and jiggled it into the key slot.

Once the door unlocked, I took in the sight that was her apartment. The coat hanger beside the entrance held one of Ellie's favorite jackets, the one I got her for her birthday last summer, and her famously known fedora she'd never be caught dead outside the house with.

I rubbed away the dust off the pads of my fingers after swiping the surface of the maple wood TV stand propped against the plain white wall and noticed our family photos framed in collages.

Something wasn't right here.

Ellie's a natural clean freak, she wouldn't allow dust and mites to overtake her comfort zone.

Rummaging sounded from her tiny kitchen. Whipping my head around frantically I found a tattered-and once again dusty-umbrella and held it tightly in my grasp.

"Hello?"

The subtle noises settled as I extended closer and closer towards the other side of the living room. Peeping my head through the doorway I released a wavering breath that caught in my throat.

"Merriam?" My eyebrows furrowed at the sight. "What're you doing here?"

The elderly wrinkled ginger almost broke her poor back turning to face me with a bewildered expression.

"Oh Cory, you're here."

She was somewhere in her early sixties. Her pale orange hair curled at the base of her shoulders. She always wore her maid uniform which consisted of a black dress that reached her ankles and bunched up around her waist, a white apron, and hat with white frilled ends. With her make up caked twenty-four-seven and 'chronic hip bones', it was considered a miracle to see her actually doing her job.

"Yeah I'm here and so are you...going through Ellie's fridge. Why are you stealing our food by the way?"

Merriam hid the little container of humus she had in her hands behind her back. "Now now, it's not what it seems."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm just inspecting the house for anything...you know, dear... suspicious." I folded my arms over my chest, not believing a word flying out of her mouth and took a seat at the dining table.

"Really? You've never done that before." Which is sad when you think about it because in reality she's being paid for absolutely nothing. I wish I had a life like that.

She shrugged. "Well, it's never too late to start."

I sighed, feeling my congestion beginning to act up due to the possible germs invading Ellie's home.

"Have you seen Ellie by any chance? Is she here?" Merriam looked at me with creases in her forehead deeper than all the other wrinkles that's taken over her face as the years went by.

"Dear," She started gently. "What're you talking about?"

I looked over her confused expression and couldn't help but mimic.

"Look Merriam just tell me where Ellie is and I'll be on my way."

Merriam slowly let go of the fridge's dirty handle. "You really don't know, do you?"

I sat up, feeling a cold sweat build around my hairline. "Come on, just tell me. If you stop this little game right now then I won't tell Ellie you were attempting to sneak food out her fridge. Except for the hummus. She doesn't even like those."

Merriam looked me in the eye. " She's at the Central City Cemetery.

But why? "I thought she stopped visiting mom and dad there ages ago."

"She did."

I narrowed my eyes. "Then what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying Ellie's dead."

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"Miss, I think you've had more than enough to drink." The bartender eyed me warily when I gestured for him to pour another shot of tequila.

"Do I look drunk off my ass wasted yet?" My glass pitched a sound as I picked it up, waved it around sardonically, and slammed it back down. "No? So keep it going."

I hate how I deal with certain situations, believe me. I've had my drinking problem under wraps for the past few months now but once in a while I find myself wandering back into the place where problems aren't mentioned. And I think that's what really hooked me in; the moment you step inside all of your issues in life is outta sight, outta mind.

Now don't get the wrong idea, I love my sister infinitely, but I'm just not the kind of person to grieve. Because grief leads to stress and stress leads to me being the biggest drunk at a local bar. Which sucks since that'll affect me and only me.

And I'm positive whomever died wouldn't be wanting to look down on me from the heavens or up from the depths of hell-depending on which relative we're speaking of-and see me in rehab.

"Yeah-no, If you keep this up you'll finish half my inventory. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." Next thing I know the Bartender shifted over the counter and began ushering me from my seat on a stool.

My mouth hung open in shock as I scoffed. "What! I'm a paying costumer, how could you not want my money?!"

"At the pace you're going, the tab would be the equivalent to my college tuition." The man looked me over with judgmental eyes, probably thinking I was too poor.

"You went to college? Could've fooled me..." His face grew violent as I realized he heard the comment I slipped underneath my breath. And my butt was parked on the sidewalk in less than five seconds.

In all honesty, I wasn't gonna stay there too long anyway. It usually takes two and a half beer bottles until my good conscious starts slipping out the back window. Just now I literally inhaled twelve shots and got tipsy for ten minutes. I felt no hangovers, no aftershock, nothing remotely nauseating like with my usual encounters. The fact that I can walk straight, talk right, look around, and all the normal things without a problem, is a problem all in it's self.

But deciding not to dwell on it, I stood up from the ground seeing as it wasn't worth it-that and because the bartender positioned himself in front of the window glaring me down until I did otherwise.

Instead, I offered my time in a seemingly new "hip" cafe called Jitters. I'm gonna guess it's new as I haven't seen it here when I last visited to see Ellie. I was recieving a lot of strange looks from people sitting at other tables near me. I don't blame them. From any other perspective I'd be scared of the lady with five empty coffee cups too.

Hey, what can I say, I'm a work in progress.

I sat beside the big window where all the natural lighting was filtering through and was reconsidering my choices as the glare was becoming unbearable annoying against my phone's screen. You'd never catch me outside my house with out my phone on me at anytime so of course I brought it along, but I'm regretting it considering I somehow ended up on ever social media Ellie has ever created an account on, her Facebook being the most popular. Seeing her smiling in her posts from seven weeks ago is ten times more heartbreaking than me at any bar.

I was just about to finish up my last cup, when a pretty lady appeared at my side. She had a dazziling smile, the smile that didn't secretly say 'I hate this job, kill me now' behind it, and it made her reflect as such a nice genuine person. You can't find much people like that anymore.

"Would you like another cup?" She asked and I didn't known which was better; to cringe or to laugh. So I shook my head no with a smile of some sort.

"No thanks. I'm positive if I have another my dentist will be chewing on my ass for a month."

She laughed, which sounded similar to jingle bells surprisingly, and nodded her head. "Well, would you be interested in applying here for a job?"

"Wow, was my joke really that funny?"

"No it's just that an employee, Tracy, sprained her ankle last week and won't be able to come back in for another week or two." The dark skinned waitress chuckled once more."But you are funny as well." She reassured.

I thought about the last bit of information and replied with a "Sure, why not." Although I think it's highly unlikely since being a world renowned scientist pays off the bills pretty well.

As to load off all the coffee I drank, I handed her my credit card. She came back to me with a confounding expression.

"I'm sorry. It might be our register acting up for whatever reason, but your card isn't going through. Do you have change on you instead?"

My eyebrows furrowed as wrinkles over took my forehead and the sides of my nose. I haven't had a declined card since I was a senior in high school. But nonetheless I shuffled through all of my pockets and luckily enough pulled out a crumbled twenty dollar bill. Silently sighing in reflief we traded with each other. I handed the money over as she passed me back my credit. Hopefully it's enough to pay off the cost.

She smiled and turned back to walk to the register but then titled her head to the right, like she was remembering something. Meanwhile I stood, mentally trying to get my disoriented shit together and readying myself to leave.

"I'm sorry, but have we met before?"

"Nope, not that I know of."

[ Re-edited ]

The word count is getting higher. The number of Chapters are getting shorter. The amount of things I have going on in my life is annoying.

And I'm in one of those moods where I wish I could take a permanent sleep.

If you liked this chapter then don't forget to vote, comment, and all that jazz because I really do appreciate it

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