Highfall by Ani Alexander Page A

her job, she picked some announcements for rooms to let.  She wrote down the locations and prices of the ones which seemed acceptable, took her small suitcase and headed out to look at them.  As she expected, the rooms were small, dark and unpleasant.  But you get what you pay for and she chose one which had not such a bad view, as well as a low, large windowsill.  Annika thought that she’d sit on the sill and look outside.  She’d loved doing that so often when she was a child.  She remembered all the hours she’d spent sitting, hugging her knees and looking out at the street.
     
    She spent the first day in her new place cleaning.  Annika directed all her bitterness and anger towards the dirt and dust.  As a result, windows became transparent again, floors regained their original colour and the whole room looked much better.  Though it would still take a heck of a lot more time and effort before it ever became really cosy.
     
    There was neither TV nor stereo, so Annika spent the first evening in silence.  After the noisy station it was very nice to hear the silence and regain her solitude.  For the first time in her life she was going to live completely on her own.  Before that she had had her parents, or Stefan, or Vasko...or even the people in the station.  Now it was different.  No one would feed her, there would be no one to talk to and the place would have only one person's breath – hers.
     
    While she was sitting on the floor, she thought she could smell pot.  Looking out of the window, she realised that there was a coffee shop under her apartment.  So, she was even entitled to free second-hand marijuana smoke every evening.  Not bad.
     
    Although her bed was more comfortable than the bench at the railway station Annika did not sleep too well that first night.  She spent most of the night tossing and turning.  Thanks to that, she was able to enjoy the view out of her window at 6 a.m. and welcome the sunrise.  It made her day and she was full of energy and positive thoughts.
     
    Annika went out and had a coffee and croissant in the open-air cafe.  It reminded her of the very first coffee and croissant she’d enjoyed when she arrived.  This time, however, it was different. There was no fear or uncertainty.  Things were starting to settle down and she was regaining her balance.
     
    Recalling that up to now she had only had one chance to call her parents to say that she had arrived safely, Annika went to a cyber cafe.  She sat there, collected her thoughts and wrote two messages.
     
    One was to her parents, letting them know that everything was fine and she was happy with her job.  How many lies was she going to have to tell them, she wondered.
     
    The second message was to Vasko.  Strange, but she was no longer mad at him.  Had it not been for his idiotic choice, Annika would never have been able to make this drastic move and change her life to enrich it with new experiences.  So, no matter how ironic it might sound, she was even grateful.
     
    “Hi Vasko,
    Hope you are doing well.
    Amsterdam is a very nice place.  There are lots of smiling people, bicycles, coffee shops and adventurous tourists.  I think it is a perfect place for a new beginning.
    As I said, it all depends on you.  For the time being, I am quite overwhelmed with the changes and have decided not to think about our future.  If you decide you want to retrieve our relationship, then have a go!  If not, then this is the perfect way to part, I guess.
    Thanks for pushing me towards Amsterdam!
    Hugs,
    Annika”
     
    After that she went to buy some things for her place with the advance pay her employer had been generous enough to give her, knowing her situation.  She bought a few pot plants, some curtains for the windows, a shower curtain with zebras and a few cushions to put on the windowsill.  Remembering the previous evening, she dropped by a bookshop and bought a novel.  It would keep her company in bed.