The Last Time 12

 

Chapter 12 

It took nearly an hour of asking around before Evelyn finally found the weathered wooden door tucked deep in 

a narrow alley. 

The landlady, an elderly woman with snow-Lillian hair, squinted at her for a long time before slowly saying, “Single room upstairs. Two dollars a month.” 

“I’ll take it.” 

Evelyn counted out the cash from her cloth bag and handed it over. 

The old woman took the money and passed her a ring of rusted keys. “Stairs are steep. Watch your step.” 

The room was tiny-just a wooden cot, a chipped desk, and a few worn-out cardboard boxes stacked in the 

corner. But the window faced south, letting the sunlight stream in, and there was even a little sink by the wall. 

Evelyn wiped the dust off the desk. 

Once everything was done, she sat at the edge of the bed, gazing at this small space that belonged to her, 

and for the first time in a long while, let out a deep breath. 

That night, though the cot was hard as a plank, she slept better than she had in years—like a weight had 

finally been lifted off her shoulders. 

The next morning, Evelyn set out to look for a job. 

At the mouth of the alley, the utility pole was plastered with help-wanted ads. She scanned each one 

carefully, until her eyes caught on a faded yellow slip: 

[Sunrise Textile Mill hiring. Experience preferred. Room and board included.] 

Her heart skipped a beat. 

She’d trained for six months at a county-run textile mill years ago. If not for the marriage, she would’ve been 

a skilled textile worker by now. 

Clutching the ad, Evelyn hurried toward the factory. 

Fortunately, it wasn’t far. From a distance, she could see smoke curling out of buildings, and the hum of 

machinery rumbled steadily through the air. 

There was already a long line at the hiring office, mostly young women. 

When it was her turn, the hiring manager looked her over, asked a few technical questions, and she answered 

them all without hesitation. 

“You know how to run a flatbed sewing machine?” 

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He glanced up at her. 

“I do,” Evelyn nodded. “I worked with both flatbeds and spool winders back at the county mill.” 

He sent her to the workshop for a skills test. 

Standing in front of the familiar machine, surrounded by the rhythmic roar of looms, Evelyn felt a flash of nerves-but quickly pulled herself together. 

Her hands moved swiftly, threading and stitching with practiced ease. The fabric she produced was smooth. and tightly woven-even the seasoned workers beside her nodded in approval. 

“Not bad. You can start tomorrow.” 

The manager pointed down the hallway. “Go find Supervisor Webb and get your work badge. She’ll also 

assign you a place to stay.” 

Joy bubbled up inside Evelyn. She thanked him profusely. 

Following the crowd toward the office, she turned a corner-and bumped straight into someone. 

Her work badge nearly slipped from her hands, but the person caught it in time. 

“Careful there.” 

The voice sounded familiar. 

Evelyn looked up-and met a pair of clear, kind eyes. 

It was the man from the train station, the one who’d handed her the umbrella. 

He was wearing a fresh navy-blue uniform today, with a name tag that read “Daniel Whitaker.” 

Daniel recognized her too. A faint smile curved his lips. “It’s you.” 

Evelyn’s cheeks flushed. She hurried to thank him. “I really appreciate the umbrella yesterday. I didn’t get a 

chance to return it…” 

“No need. It was just an umbrella.” 

He waved it off and nodded toward the badge in her hand. “You work here too?” 

“Yeah. I just passed the interview.” 

She paused, then added, “I’m Evelyn Monroe.” 

“Daniel Whitaker, maintenance team.” 

He tapped his name tag, then tilted his head toward the office. “Supervisor Webb’s inside. Come on, I’ll walk you over-she’s assigning rooms to new hires.” 

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Evelyn followed him down the hall. 

Somehow, the clamor of machines felt a little softer now. 

Sunlight streamed through the high windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor. 

And for the first time… this second chance at life actually felt real. 

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