Dear Diary,
Why does always this happen to me? Why is it that whenever I want to get away from somewhere, someone... destiny always brings me closer to them? Is this written in my fate? That I'm supposed to be walking endlessly, getting even more confused at my state? Can't I ever truly be happy? Can I ever get back my happiness? Will I ever get to forget that bad time in my life?
Life is so strange. The one place that I ran away from, today five years on, I have come back. But I guess this time, it's not my own decision. It's just a coincidence that I had to go back to Birmingham for a meeting. I can't bear it. The pain, the sadness that is linked to this City. Khala had tried to prevent me from going, but for how long can she protect me? I have to do this. And besides, it's only for a day right? What can go wrong? Maybe I'll meet someone who will change my life.
But then again, these sort of things only happen in films, right?
***"Thank you for coming here, Miss Sultana. It was a great pleasure to meet you." Raina gave a meek smile as Mr Clark, the head of a High Street clothing store in Birmingham shook her hand. He was tall and slim, his hair turning grey. His eyes twinkled as he placed his hand into the pocket of his grey trousers.
"It was nice to meet you too, Mr Clark." She replied. "I'll take your leave." Mr Clark nodded before walking her out of his office.
It was a cold, October morning. The leaves from the trees were starting to fall off, creating a thick pile on the pavements. Many of the citizens had just started to wake up as the clock ticked ten in the morning, whilst the early shoppers were going in and out of the shopping centre. Raina walked outside to where her black Mercedes Lexus was parked. Unlocking it, she opened the door and sat inside, before igniting the engine.
She yawned. It had taken her three hours to travel from London to Birmingham, meaning that she had to wake up earlier than expected. Raina shivered, quickly turning up the heater in the car. She rubbed her hands furiously, trying to get warm. She remembered this place pretty well, no matter how much she tried to forget it. She shook her head, trying to keep her attention on the road.
"Oh no..." She muttured, noticing that the petrol tank was getting empty. Great, she thought. Just my luck! Raina sighed, taking a U-turn out of the motorway and back into Birmingham to the nearest area. It was quite a mixed area, full of different ethnicities. On the side, Raina noticed an elderly man sitting around talking loudly into mobile, in Bengali. She shook her head, wondering why people were so...enthusiastic this early in the morning.
There was a small supermarket with a petrol station linked to it. Raina drove into the empty station and filled her car with petrol. She groaned, inhaling the metallic smell that seemed to be a hundred times stronger than other stations. It was the type of smell that people either like or hate, and Raina was for the latter. She glanced over at the monitor, waiting for it to be full, before shaking the pump off. It was one of those stations where the payment had to be done inside the small shop, which was annoying for Raina as she was desperate to get away.
"You still need to pay fifty pence more." The shop clerk said as an elderly woman fiddled through her purse trying to find some loose change. The blonde worker chewed endlessly on a piece of chewing gum, sighing exasperatedly and rolling her eyes at the woman. The woman gave her a uneasy smile, gesturing her to wait a second. She sighed as she tried to find some money.
Behind her, Raina looked over concerned. She huffed as the worker seemed to intimidate the woman and placed her hands into her pocket, taking out a pound coin. Raina hastily threw it at the shop clerk, "Here. Keep the change." She gave her a pretentious smile. There was no need to be nice especially after how rude the worker had been. The clerk replied a meek thanks before letting the woman go and telling Raina how much she had to pay for the petrol. Raina rolled her eyes, slammed the bundle of notes at the worker and left the store.
"Thanks for that." The woman smiled, strands of her greying hair came through her loosened headscarf. Raina turned around and nodded. The woman picked up her carrier bags and straightened her back. "These days no one lets you go for a mere fifty pence."
Raina smiled, nodding. Her dark brown eyes sparkled as the soft wind blew her shoulder-length hair. "True that."
The woman nodded before starting to turn away. She stopped and turned right back. "By the way, what is your name?"
Raina pondered for a second, before replying, "Raina."
She nodded. "Thank you, Raina. Thank you." And with that, both women walked away, leaving the soft hustle of the store behind.
Glossary
Khala: Aunt. (Mainly used for mother's sister but can mean someone who is like your mother).
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