Agnes walked out of the exam hall with a smile on her face. Not only was she done with the semester, she believed that she'd aced it as well. Every question presented on the sheet, she had a descript answer to.
With a bounce in her step, she retrived her bag pack from the station of the watch guard, signing out.
Relief was only one of the myriad of emotions she experienced at that moment. Excitement, anxiousness and nervousness being the most dominant among all and with good reason.
A month ago, few days to the exams, she'd been promised by a generous stranger– who'd always come to patronize her mother's business – that he'd help her in acquiring a skill. He had told her that he'd handle all expenses and only looked forward to her progress because she'd sparked his admiration.
On getting home, Agnes decides to take a stroll to rid herself any internal baggage so she can absorb every form of positivity. Of course, she shouldn't be so excited at the promise of a practical stranger but she couldn't help it. For the first time in a while, she thought she saw a ray of hope. She'd learn and then hone this skill till she became excellent at it.
Getting to a familiar field, she sits on the prim grass, watching the sun set in the horizon. The dark orange colors making her grin wider.
"I knew you'd be here. I just left your place."
Agnes turns to Sarah, the source of her distraction. She never thrived in the company of others but for some reason, she was glad Sarah was there.
"I just came to watch the sunset. What were you looking for me for?" Agnes said just as Sarah sat beside her, watching the sky as well.
"To ask how the final paper went and I was bored."
Agnes chuckled at the obvious answer. She and Sarah weren't the best of friends but they did spend time together. Mostly because, Sarah seemed to be the only one to put up with her and wouldn't take no for an answer.
"What has you in a good mood?" Sarah asked with a pointed look. She hardly saw this female– the epitome of stoicism– smiling.
Agnes remained quiet a while, contemplating if she should spill the beans or not. For once she wanted to share her joy with someone who's not her parents. On that note, she told Sarah everything. Out of pure excitement, she retrieves her phone to show the chat. Then things went south.
"I know this guy. He's a scam." Sarah said firmly, glaring daggers at the picture of the man.
"What do you mean?" Agnes asked
"He promises but never fulfills. He's made countless promises to me as well and to numerous ladies. I happen to know a few of them. Truely, a womanizer."
Agnes could hear her heart breaking and the hope she'd flammed dwindling. She couldn't even speak, staring blankly at the picture of the man still visible in her phone.
"Don't tell me you bought his bullshit." Sarah's voice broke her reverie.
With shaky hands and a mind in turmoil, she snatched her phone and got to her feet in lightning speed.
"I'll see you later." Was all she said and headed in the direction she came from, ignoring the calls of a stunned Sarah.
Now within the confines of her home, her mind raced at an alarming rate, causing the fire of doubt and worry to rage harder. She'd known it was a risk to get her hopes up, to expect anything, to trust and yet she did anyway. What should she do now?
"Just forget it. Forget him. You always find a way." Her mind persuaded. Still, there was desire, an urge to give him the benefit of the doubt.
With steel determination, she got on WhatsApp and dared to leave a message. What a surprise that he responded immediately, as if he'd been waiting for her.
"Hey. I've been trying to reach you. Unfortunately, my line got barred by the telecom company for lack of proper verification. I am working on this. You don't always come here so it got difficult since I couldn't place but receive calls. Here's the number of the guy who'll be training you, 70*****. I've paid for everything and he should be reaching you anytime soon. But if he fails to, you have his number right there. Congratulations on completing your exams. I'm still on tour. See you when I get back."
Agnes nearly screamed for joy. A light laugh escaped her as the tears spilled.
"Sometimes," she spoke quietly, "you have to be the one to reach out first."
Image: Torsten Dettlaff on Pexels
Edited with: Canva Pro
This story has an interesting pace. It shows us the conflict between Agnes and Sarah, plus a possible conflict between Agnes' expectations and a possible scam. Agnes trusts her benefactor but as readers we do not have the clarity to take sides between the truth stated by Srah and what the benefactor says.... We hope Agnes can make progress and also keep her friend.
Thanks for keeping in communication with the other writers, @deraaa .
Thank you so much for your feedback. I'll work on clarity in the next prompt. I appreciate it. ❤️
I didn't see that coming. The expectation that the stranger would attempt to scam Agnes and her perceived response got me in the way. That was enough to worry about.
#dreemport led me here.
Thank you for stopping by ❤️. I appreciate it
That was an unexpected twist at the end. Great stuff :)
Hehe. Thank you 😁
What is Sarah was right and he is truly a scammer that knows just the right words to say at the right time? Agnes may just have to be very careful about this.
Thank you for stopping by ❤️
Uwc
I am still skeptical about that man so Agnes should be extra careful. Lovely story 😊
Sure she will. Thanks for your feedback.
Hey, fierce Deraaa!
I like how you ended the story with a nice twist :)
I popped up today via Dreemport ;) Happy weekend!
Same to you dear. I really appreciate it...
😊🤗🪴
It is a really nice story but I'm still yet to grasp how it's going to end for Agnes.
Did she call the person the stranger recommended?
I tried to reach a resolution for the story because of limited words. The fact that she got his number means she'll definitely call and getting a reply with a number definitely moves in the direction of the fact she may really be getting what she wanted. Thank you for your feedback 😁
Oh, then that is kind of a happy ending for Agnes, awesome.
Great story indeed 👍.
I enjoyed the narrator's style in this story.
The last one had me laughing. Usually, you'd want to stay away from slang phrases and colloquialisms, but in this story they work well because of the down-to-earth character of the protagonist. You have a great ear for dialogue and conversational style. Well done!
Oh thank you very much for your feedback. I appreciate it. I hope to do better tho. Got of the scene due to writer's block but I'm trying to get my game back...😅
Hmmm... quite interesting, leaves me pondering the true intentions of this stranger, and also the intentions of Sarah, if she told a lie out of jealousy.
Nice plot, enjoyed the read.
I wouldn't blame Sarah because if she didn't know the stranger's attitude towards making promises and not fulfilling it, she wouldn't say it out to Agnes, she was only being helpful to give her such hint so she can be careful. I also like how Agnes took the stuff. She didn't allow that info depressed her but she increased her hope in the stranger and reached out at that moment.
woohoo I am happy for Agnes.
Sometimes things are as they appear!