Chapter five

CHAPTER 5

Heading out to get a coffee to clear his head and then to think about what came next, Berlin walked out of his Father-in-law's mansion and he couldn't help but notice the many stares that he received from the workers as he made his way out.

He was sure they already heard something about him while he was inside and whatever it was they heard, he was sure they were all certainly looking at him like he was dumb for rejecting such life-changing money.

But he knew their opinions didn't matter to him because they weren't the ones who went to jail for seven years for nothing so they could never understand him and why he did that.

Ignoring them all, he walked out of the mansion’s surroundings, then ordered for an Uber and his Uber came almost immediately.

“Where are we going, sir?” The driver let out immediately Berlin got into the car but Berlin didn't put a drop-off location while he ordered his ride because he had no idea where the nearest cafe could be to get himself the coffee he so badly wanted.

“Any nearest cafe will do, I just need to get myself a cup of coffee,” Berlin answered with a sigh and he saw the look the driver gave him through the rearview mirror.

He was sure the Uber driver would probably be wondering why anyone would like to have coffee by that time of the day since it was already dark but then again, he didn't have to explain himself to him. He was only there to do his job.

The driver gave him a friendly smile after staring for a while and for some reason, that made Berlin feel a little better. He just found the smile to be relaxing and reassuring and with that, he let his head fall back to rest in the car while he drove.

That day had so far been the longest most horrible day Berlin had ever spent. The several ill treatments he had received from his foster home all his life were better compared to what he went through for the day but he had decided to try anything that could get it off his mind hence the coffee he craved.

The driver started driving and he put on music in his car. The music felt soothing to Berlin, it was calming, and even though his chest felt like it was about to explode from the pressure of so many worries, he suddenly felt like he could breathe. So he took a deep breath and closed his eyes to calm himself down.

Suddenly, his panic attack began so randomly and he figured it must have been because of everything he had gone through since he was released from jail. It must have gotten too overwhelming for his body to take it all so it was protesting through a panic attack.

He always had episodes like this ever since he got into jail and he was advised by inmates to talk to the prison physician about it but he declined because he didn't want to go on meds since he believed it wasn't necessary.

So with time, he knew how to calm himself down faster and refused to be on a prescription for his anxiety. He convinced himself that the anxiety attack wasn't severe enough so seeing a therapist wouldn't help because it wasn't necessary.

Just like how he always practiced, he started his breathing exercise by taking deep breaths and trying to think of other things aside from what was on his mind because that was what most likely caused his attack. He soon calmed down and noticed the driver was in a parking lot.

Berlin was surprised the driver had suddenly stopped driving.

So quickly, he looked outside only to see they were in a cafe’s parking lot as he had requested to be taken to the nearest one.

He realised he wasn't paying attention to where they were heading all along since he was trying to comfort himself and hold himself back from losing his sanity due to the attack and he wondered how long they must have been in the parking lot.

“Thank you. Sorry if I took your time,” Berlin said while he checked the total of his ride bill and sent the payment to the driver. He was about to get out of the car when the driver called his attention so he stopped to listen.

“I must admit that you look troubled sir, and I couldn't help but notice it. I mostly get signs about people I find around me and I have to tell you that a life-changing incident is going to happen to you soon. I hope it meets you well,”

The driver spoke and then smiled at Berlin who was too surprised to reply as he wondered what this life-changing incident could be.

If only the driver knew that the life-changing thing he was talking about had happened already, he would understand why he looked troubled.

“You are not wrong, and I'm sure the life-changing thing you're referring to happened a while back. As for looking troubled, It will wear off, thank you,” Berlin finally told him as he looked at the driver through the passenger seat window since he had already gotten out of the car.

“More are coming sir. Just take note and take care,” the driver insisted and with that, he put his car in reverse and drove off after tipping his hat at Berlin as a farewell.

Deep down, Berlin hoped that the driver was merely saying baseless things that made no sense because he didn't believe anything more was coming his way. He knew if anything life-changing came for him, it wouldn't be good news since he had never been lucky so it was best if things remained the same.

He was not self-sabotaging himself, he was only speaking from experience and trying not to get his hopes high because the one time he had hoped to get a positive impact on his life after seven long years in jail, his hopes were once again crushed without mercy so he didn't want to do that to himself anymore.

He was already at the front of the cafe and he pulled the door open. The interior of the cafe felt warm and welcoming so it calmed his nerves a bit. The scent of coffee brewing and the low chatter of people by their tables and booths happened to be relaxing too.

Berlin gave his order which was just basic iced espresso coffee and his coffee was soon ready in only a few seconds. He wanted a booth but since he was alone, he settled for a table and sat to take his coffee while staring out the glass wall of the cafe.

“Is there anything else you would like, sir?” the waitress asked Berlin as she placed a sweet smile on her face and he shook his head.

“No thank you, the coffee will do,” he replied and returned the smile forcefully just to look polite even though he felt like he was dying on the inside and she walked away.

Berlin took a sip of his coffee and it tasted heavenly so he went for another sip, forgetting about anything that ruined his return from jail and made his heart ache.