The birds chirped at the window, a gentle breeze blew into the sparsely furnished bedroom with a small bed jammed to the wall. The room though clean was poor to look upon, furnished with a bed, a table and chair, reading lamp and a small wardrobe. Laura lay on the bed fast asleep, it was 7am in the morning and her alarm had gone off about two hours earlier but she was in a deep sleep, the peaceful sleep of the just, the sleep of the exhausted over-worked one. Laura yawned and turned on the small bed, her shiny long black hair draping across her face, just then a bird pecked at her window, she turned and quite slowly opened her eyes, seeing the light of the morning dawn streaming through her window Laura jumped from the bed, she reached for her alarm clock, the time was 7:15am, "Oh no!, I am late" she exclaimed. Laura hurried through her morning chores, washing the dished hurriedly she knew Mr Oconnor her boss at the Local grocery shop she worked will not be happy with her today, lateness to work was a habit Mr Oconnor detested. She had just finished washing the dishes when her uncle Greg came downstairs glaring at her, she knew better not to be in his way whenever he was in this grumpy state, he must have come home drunk last night being that that was the only thing he did, drink himself to stupor. "Good morning Uncle Greg" Laura greeted but her uncle ignored her, she had the better sense not to push it and so she continued with making scrambled eggs and toast with a cup of coffee for the grumpy man. This was the routine almost every morning before Laura went to work.
Laura Defrothy, beautiful to look upon was a Twenty two years old orphan who lived with her uncle and his family in Little Borough, though hardworking, modest and kind, Laura's physical appearance was of that of royalty, very gorgeous despite her plain looks, she had beautiful brown eyes, long shiny black hair which made her look like a fairy out of a storybook, she was the envy of all the ladies in Little Borough and the dream of every bachelor. Laura lost her parents in a car accident when she was just five years old, she was in the car with her parents at the back seat while her dad drove the car with her mum seating right beside him, the last thing she remembered was a bright light from a truck on high speed ramming into their vehicle her father tried to swerve off the road and drove their vehicle into a ditch killing both her parents, Laura woke up in the hospital three days after the accident to the news that her parents were gone and she had to go live with her uncle Greg and his family in a small town called Little Borough. Uncle Greg although a brute was her only surviving family and her guardian. Life took a turn for the worst for Laura who was the pride and joy of her parents when she went to live with her uncle at little Borough, uncle Greg and his wife Mendy a stocky built woman who maltreated Laura so much they literally turned her into a maid, treated Laura with so much disdain. Laura was made to do all the chores while her cousins looked on, her uncle did not make any provision for her to attend college so she had to get a job and save towards leaving his home. Laura's uncle Greg was really mean to her, although Laura was the sweetest girl anyone could ever meet, Greg loathed her and did a good job making her life miserable. Laura stayed with Uncle Greg while working for a very kind store owner Mr Oconnor who owned the only grocery shop in Little Borough.
Little Borough, a little town surrounded by mountains and streams that looked like a dreamy place to be, quiet and hidden from the hustle and bustle of the bigger cities, Little Borough housed just about one thousand five hundred indigenes, it was the kind of town where everyone knew each other and neighbors could easily go to each other for a cup of sugar or a jar of jam. The houses in Little Borough were small except for the Macstereen Manor, owned by the Macstereen family, they owned half the town, known for their generational wealth and kind nature, the Macstereen family were well known in Little Borough, and as a matter of fact they were Little Borough. Little Borough became a home to Laura after the loss of her parents, she had come to love the little town, the people of little Borough were kind and good natured, they lived peaceful amongst each other making Little Borough a safe haven for anyone to live.
Laura hurriedly finished her chores and prepared herself to go to work, this has been her routine for the past five years, and she loved her life in Little Borough, this quite simple life. Although sometimes she dreamt about having more; she dreamt about a life far from her reach, a life she may never know. Laura dreamt of a life of glamour and travel around the world, a life of diamonds and precious stones, a full life as she loved to call it, a life where she had plenty to eat and peace of mind without being called a disappointment, and of course a life with her dream man. Laura had never been in a relationship, never kissed anyone before, sexual intimacy was a strange thing to her, and although the most popular Bachelor in Little Borough called Clevy had once asked her out on a date to which she declined; he did not possess the quality she wanted in a man whom she will entrust her heart to. As she quickly brushed her shiny hair, Laura though about her life before the crash, she remembered her childhood filled with laughter and Love, her father was a surgeon and her mum a high school teacher, they both loved her so much as their only child and she never lacked anything. She remembered her dad had set up a trust fund for her college, he had always wanted her to attend college, after the death of her parents her uncle Greg managed to get a hold on her trust fund money as her legal guardian, Laura never knew what became of her trust fund, but she felt deep down the money had been spent on booze and other frivolities. Laura only asked her uncle once about the trust fund money which was meant for her college, his response to her was that she was ungrateful to him for taking her in, sheltering her, feeding her and clothing her. Uncle Greg thereafter treated her with greater dislike and so she decided to let the matter go. She resigned herself to her simple life in Little Borough and accepted the fact that she may never go to college, her father's wish for her might never come to pass, she felt pained and sometimes wept "Dad, I am so sorry I let you down, I may never own a college degree like you wanted me to" holding on to the only photo of her parents she took with her from home, she ran her hands over the photo weeping.
Laura wiped the tear that dropped from her eyes and quickly kept the hair brush on her table, she put on her favorite brand of rose red lipstick and put on her shoes and then she dashed out from her room towards the front door, just as she made for the handle of the door she heard her uncle yell out to her "don't forget you owe me fifteen dollars for your rent this month you swine", she stepped outside and closed the door without uttering a word to Uncle Greg, she was so used to this constant verbal abuse from uncle Greg, one time she confronted him about it he hit her and took all the money she saved up to get her own apartment. Laura walked past Shingle Street and took a turn for Greenwich Avenue, the Grocery shop she worked was just a short distance from her house so she walked to work every day. Her walk to work was one of the routine she delighted in every morning as it gave her time to think and allow her mind wander to more pleasant things, she allowed the cool early morning breeze blow against her face as her long black hair flapped in the wind, the walk to the grocery shop was just fifteen minutes from her home, as she passed the Bakery shop she drew in the aroma of fresh baked bread, she loved to eat fresh bread and of course she knew the baker Mr Brown, he was a very kind old man whose family had run the bakery for decades in little borough they were known for supplying the indigenes with freshly baked bread, soft and tasty. Laura wanted to say hello to Mr Brown before going to work but she gave the idea a second thought, she was already late as it is and needed to hurry as her employer Mr. Oconnor would not be happy about her lateness.
She strode into the Mr Oconnors grocery shop just as he was putting away some goods which just arrived on the shelf, "good morning Mr. OC", she called out to him as she walked straight to her work station behind the cash register. Laura was the only person who referred to Mr Oconnor as Mr OC, Mr. Oconnor was very kind to her, and he was the father figure in her life instead of her uncle Greg, morning Laura my love, he responded. "Darling you look bright-eyed and beautiful this morning he told her, hope that grumpy old uncle of yours Greg isn't giving you any worries? Mr Oconnor asked, "oh well, it can only get better Mr Oc", Laura responded. Laura you don't have to put up with that brute, I have told you to take the loan I am offering and get a modest apartment here in Little Borough for yourself, or you could come stay with me in my cottage home, there is room enough for you there Laura, come on don't say no he urged her looking at Laura with loving tenderness as if she were his own child, Laura smiled at her boss and thanked him for his kind gesture but assured him she will be fine on her own, and working hard to save money for her own apartment was something she took pride in.
A typical day at the grocery shop was slow paced work, the indigenes of Little Borough came in their ones and twos buying groceries in retail, the grocery shop was the only one in town so it catered to everyone in Little Borough. Laura worked the register and also attended to customers as they inquired about which shelf to find what they needed, she enjoyed working with Mr. Oconnor, she loved being of help to the citizens of Little Borough, she knew most of them anyway, little Borough was a small town, most indigenes were hardworking honest fellows who indulged in farming and other crafts such as welding, molding and carving. Laura had wanted to go to college and become a school teacher just like her mother, she loved to teach, to impact knowledge but it was not to be as her uncle had squandered her trust fund, the money meant for her college set up by her late father. Sometimes she really felt the weight of being an orphan in this small cozy town of Little Borough when she sees other families' together, laughing and spending time together; she then remembers how much she misses her parents. Laura was startled out of her thoughts by a familiar voice, she knew who it was even before she saw his phone. "oh no! not him", her disruptor was the famous Clevy Davidson. Clevy stared at her as if expecting an embrace or perhaps a kiss from her. How may I help you? Laura asked him, he tried to reach for her hands but she withdrew her hands quickly.
Clevy Davidson, the most eligible bachelor in all of Little Borough, rumor has it his family were very rich but were involved in some illegal activities such as drug trafficking and money laundering, but Laura did not want to have an affair with him, he had officially asked her out last year at the annual Pumpkin festival organized in Little Borough but she always declined, she had no iota of attraction for him, he was not the man she always dreamt of who held her and kissed her passionately and tenderly, he was incapable of gazing into her soul and bringing out her inner most desires and thoughts. "Hi Laura sweetie!, Clevy chided her. Laura frowned at him to discourage him from staying to have a conversation with her but she knew Clevy was as stubborn as a He-goat, and he would not leave until he wanted to. "Laura Baby girl he continued, be my girl and I will change your life, I will take you out of his hell hole and take you around the world baby, you know I've got money baby" Clevy boasted and beamed with utter arrogance. Thank you Clevy for your offer, Laura told him she liked her life in Little Borough just the way it was and was very content living in this "hell hole". Clevy starred at Laura as if he had seen a ghost, who she think she is to reject his proposal of being his girl, every lady in little Borough wanted him, she should be happy he wanted her instead. He grabbed her just as she made to walk away from him, "look here baby, you will be mine, you will love me, you will be my girl Laura because I always get whatever I want, and if I say I want you, I will have you". Laura pushed him away but he still held on to her waist, she angrily slapped him across his face as she wriggled free from him Clevy laughed out and glared shamelessly at her protruding soft breast under the thin layer of her cloths and her long black hair. I will never be your Clevy, you will never have me, I will never Love you Laura screamed at him. Mr O'connor heard the nosise and quickly came to the front of the store to see Clevy Davidson backing away from the store and shutting the door behind him. He looked at Laura to find her obviously agitated, her cheeks had turned the red colour of roses and she looked rough-handedly. He knew already what may have transpired as this was not the first time Clevy had harassed Laura, Mr O'Connor had witnessed a confrontation between the both of them and he knew how messy he got. He did not say a word to Laura, he knew better that Laura never spoke whenever she was unhappy, she was probably still dealing with the childhood trauma from the crash that killed her parents. Laura went through the remaining part of her day brooding because of what transpired between her and Clevy, she thought about how much she hated him and how much she wished to get away from Little Borough; she was afraid she might get into trouble with the Davidson family who were known to be very violent and used their wealth and power to oppress the poor. She needed saving but by who? This was no fairytale and Laura knew, she will have to save herself by working harder and saving up enough money to move to a big city because no knight in shining armor was coming to save her.