When Eliah arrived at the parking lot, she parked her car and got out. She walked inside the building and went upstairs to her apartment.

"I'm home," she called out. Of course, no one answered her.

She entered her apartment and closed the door behind her. She sat on the couch and sighed. There were dirty dishes in the sink. There was laundry on the floor. The place was messy and unkempt.

"I guess I should clean up," she thought. "Okay. Let's do some cleaning! I will do the dishes first."

She opened the cupboard above the sink and found some soap and water. She washed the plates and bowls and cups. She dried them. She stacked them neatly on top of each other. It surprised her how well she did.

"Wow," she said. "That wasn't bad. I'm really good with the housework. I think mother would be proud of me if she were here right now."

Eliah cleaned the whole house, did the laundry, cooked a meal, and even cleaned the bathroom. By the time she was done, it was late at night. She was exhausted but satisfied. She felt so accomplished. She was so proud of herself.

"I'm amazing," she said to herself. "I'm wonderful. Okay let's eat something and then I will take a bath. Baths always make me feel better. Then I'll go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow will be another busy day at work."

She ate dinner alone and took a shower. It was so nice and relaxing. She felt rejuvenated.

"It feels so good to be clean," she said. "My skin looks all glossy and feels great."

As soon as she finished taking a bath, she got dressed in her pajamas and crawled into bed. She stared at the ceiling for a while. She thought about the day ahead. She was excited to start working again. She knew it was going to be hard but she was ready to do whatever she had to do.

"I can do anything," she declared. "I am awesome!"

She closed her eyes and slept peacefully.

***

It was Friday morning. The alarm rang and startled her awake. She jumped up from the bed. She was surprised to see that it was already light outside. She hadn't realized that she fell asleep so quickly.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "What time is it?"

She turned over and looked at her phone. It was five thirty in the morning. She had less than four hours before she had to go to work. She had to hurry or she would be late. She couldn't miss any work. Not now. She didn't dare miss work. She was afraid her boss would be angry.

"Where did I put my clothes?" she asked herself. "Did I put them away properly last night? I hope I didn't throw them away. I forgot where I kept them, though. I have no idea."

She hurried through the house. She searched everywhere. She couldn't find them. All of her clothes were gone. She panicked.

"Oh right, I did a laundry yesterday," she remembered. "Well, maybe I still have some old shirts and pants."

She went back downstairs and looked under the sink. She pulled out a box of used clothing she kept for emergencies. She rummaged through the box and found an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt. They weren't very nice and they smelled awful, but at least she'd have something to wear.

"I'm going to be late," she freaked out. "I'm going to miss work. I can't afford to lose this job. What am I going to do? I can't wear these. These clothes are disgusting. I don't want to show up to work like this. This is embarrassing. Oh, no!"

She paced around frantically. She had no idea what to do. She didn't have time to wash new clothes. She didn't even know when she could come back and do the laundry. She needed more time.

"Do I have any other options?" she asked herself. "Maybe I can borrow some clothes from someone. If I ask the neighbors, they might help me. But what if they refuse? Maybe I should call Anne. She can help me."

She dialed a number. She was desperate. She knew she had to act quickly.

"Hello?" said a woman's voice.

"Hi! Is Anne there?" she asked. "Anne, please pick up."

"Hello?"

"Yes, it's me, Eliah," she explained. "Listen, I need you to help me. I lost my clothes and I need something to wear. I can't go to work without clothes. Can you help me? Can you lend me some clothes today?"

"Oh, hi Eliah," said Anne. "Good morning. What's wrong? Where are you calling from?"

"I'm at home. I've been trying to call you all morning but I couldn't get through. I was worried. I need you to pick me up and bring me to work, please. I need your help. I can't be late to work. I have no clothes. I have nothing to wear."

"Oh, my God!" cried Anne. "Are you okay? Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," she replied. "But I really need your help. I can't let anyone see me like this. Please help me, Anne. Please."

"Okay, I will be there in a minute. Did you take your pills today, Eliah? Have you taken all of your medications?"

"No," she admitted. "I haven't. I forgot. I'm so sorry."

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"All right," said Anne. "Don't worry about it. Just try to relax. Don't panic. Everything will be fine."

She put down the phone and looked at herself in the mirror. She saw the wrinkles beneath her eyes. She hated the bags under her eyes. She was exhausted and stressed out. She looked terrible and pale.

"Please hurry Anne," she pleaded.

"Okay," said the woman. "Be there in a few minutes."

The woman hung up the phone. For a moment, there was silence. Eliah didn't know what to do next. She was frozen with fear. She didn't know what to do.

"I can't go to work naked," she told herself. "What kind of sick joke is this? I'm not walking around like this. I'm going to be arrested. I'll be thrown in jail for indecent exposure. No way."

Eliah stared at her reflection in the mirror and tried to think of something else. She strated to scratch her arms with her fingernails. She scratched and rubbed her skin until it burned. Then she started scratching her scalp, pulling out clumps of hair.

"Anne, please hurry."

Then Eliah heard the door opening.

"Here I am," said a familiar voice. Anne stood in front of the door. She was wearing a blue dress with a white blouse underneath. She was holding a large bag in one hand.

"Eliah! You are bleeding so much!" Anne rushed to her friend and pulled her hands away from her body. "What happened to you? Are you okay? You look horrible."

"Sorry," Eliah apologized. "I was just scared. I didn't know what to do."

"Did you take your medicine already?" Anne asked again.

"I…I… didn't remember until just now," she confessed. "I forgot. I never forget my medication. I feel so ashamed."

"Everything's going to be okay," said Anne. "Let's just take the pills for now, okay? The doctor says it's important for you to take them every day."

"Thank you," said Eliah. "You're so kind. Thank you. Anne I love you so much."

Eliah searched for the bottle of pills in her purse. She poured the pills into her palm and took them with shaking hands.

"Have a seat," said Anne as she grabbed an empty glass and filled it with water. "Drink this. It will help you feel better."

She handed the glass to her friend. Eliah gulped down the liquid and shivered. Her stomach felt queasy and uncomfortable. She felt dizzy and sick.

But before long, she felt better.

"I'm so glad you came over, Anne," she said. "I was feeling so miserable. I needed your help. I don't know what I would do without you."

"I'm happy to help," said the woman. "I'm here for you whenever you need me, Eliah."

"Thank you, Anne. I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you."

After taking her pills, Eliah took the bag from Anne and looked inside. There were some clean clothes in there.

"Oh my God," she gasped. "These are so nice. I can't believe you lent me these."

She held up a skirt and a pair of matching stockings. She looked at them closely. She examined the fabric and the color. She recognized the material. It was rather expensive.

"They are beautiful," she breathed. "How did you ever buy these?"

"I bought them last week on sale," said Anne. "I didn't know that it would come in handy like this."

"This is perfect," said the girl excitedly. "It fits perfectly too. I can't believe how lucky I am. Thank you, Anne. I can't tell you how grateful I am."

"There's also a shirt," said Anne. "And some underwear."

"Oh, thank you, Anne," she said again. "I am so sorry I wasted your money on me. I will pay you back. I will give you this months' salary, plus extra. I will pay you back. I promise."

"That's okay," said Anne. "Sigh. Don't worry about it. I don't care about the money. I just wanted to help you. That's all."

"Thank you, Anne," she repeated. "I appreciate everything you've done for me."

Eliah dressed up and put her makeup on. She ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it down. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. "I look so stunning today," she declared. "I feel so pretty. Ah, I feel like I can do anything today."

She checked her watch. It was seven o'clock. She had plenty of time.

"Okay, I will drive you to work today," said Anne. "We'll arrive just before nine, okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," said Eliah. "My head feels a little woozy. But I'm okay. I feel great!"

"Are you sure? You seem nervous."

"I'm fine, I promise!" she insisted. "Really. I'm great. Let's go."

Anne drove her to work. As soon as they arrived, she parked the car and helped Eliah out. The girl thanked her and walked inside the building.

"See you tonight," she said to her friend. "Thank you so much for helping me. I love you so much."

"Yeah, you're welcome," said Anne. "Take care of yourself, okay? And call me if you need anything, anytime. I will come back and drive you home later. Okay?"

"Thank you," said Eliah. She stared as Anne drove away and then she walked up the stairs and entered the restaurant.

***