[b]October 1, 2015
New York, NY
6:28 PM[/b]


Abigail was sitting by the windowsill of her apartment, with a cup of chamomile tea in her hands while one of her legs dangle, with her swinging it to and fro. In the safety of her small apartment, she watched as the skies overhead progressively turn darker. She never knew why, but she always liked looking at the sky in her free time. It always gave her a sense of calm in a strange, mysterious way. She figured that she just really appreciated what nature had to offer, which was perfectly suited for her as she practiced the religion of Shintoism, though not as often as she would like. That was one of the disadvantages of living in a country where there really isn't a set religion. It was great to practice whatever you wish as your religion, but Shintoism isn't very popular, unlike Christianity or Buddhism. 

Hearing her phone go off, Abigail was taken away from her thoughts, soon checking over her phone. It was a call from her friend, who was asking if Abigail was still planning on going to the volunteer work for the next day. 

"I will, I will. Don't worry." Abigail reassured her friend Kali, pacing around  her apartment as she sipped from her cup of tea.

"Okay Abigail, I trust you. We really need help moving the boxes of clothes down at the orphanage. A lot of people brought stuff in this month!" Kali exclaimed, causing Abigail to smile at herself. Kali always seemed like a nervous wreck, but Abigail never lied when it came to her commitments. 

"Right. I will be there. And I'll see if there's more people wanting to help out too. Sounds like you really need the help." 

"Oh my gosh, that would be AMAZING. If you could do that, you would be saving me a lot of work!" Abigail nodded to herself, holding her phone in between her ear and her shoulder as she wrote down a note to herself for more recruits while Kali continued on. After a few minutes of doing more arrangements, Abigail was off the phone and the apartment was silent again. 

Sighing after drinking up the last of her tea, Abigail looked at the time and smiled. It was time for her to visit her lady friend, Mrs. Perkins. She was an elderly woman who lived a floor above her and was a good friend of Abigail for a few years now. Grabbing some shoes and her keys, Abigail got ready for the walk upstairs and headed out. Arriving at the apartment, Abigail picked up the bag of groceries that is left by the delivery man and opened the door to the cozy little apartment that smelled like soap and peppermint. 

"Ah, time for dinner already, dearie?" Mrs. Perkins called out, hobbling over with the aid of her cane out of her room. "Seems so, Mrs. Perkins. What do you feel like eating today?" Abigail asked, setting down the groceries as she rolled up her sleeves. 

"How about something warm? I can feel a storm coming on, my bones are beginning to ache and I feel a bit chilly." The salt-and-pepper haired lady requested, going over to the kitchen to help Abigail. Abigail hummed slightly, deep in thought as she went through her head anything that could fit the criteria. "We could always make lasagna, and have warm sandwiches while we wait for it to cook?" The old woman nodded in approval, and Abigail got to work.

The girl began to take out the ingredients needed for the lasagna and soon started to lay out the pasta, then the sauce and cheese and meat, all in that order a few times until the pan was filled to the top. Having cooked this recipe for Mrs. Perkins countless times in the past, she was used to all the motions of it. Mrs. Perkins spoke to her about her daily routine and the local gossip while Abigail cooked, with the girl listening attentively as she cooked.

"You know, my grandson wanted to thank you, Abigail." Mrs. Perkins commented at one point, as Abigail was putting the pan into the oven. 

"Oh? What for? I haven't done anything." Abigail replied, closing the oven door carefully.

Mrs. Perkins chuckled softly, shaking her head slowly. The woman had her hair up in a tight bun, her glasses pushed up on the bridge of her nose, with the woman being seated in her rocking chair located in between the living room area and the kitchen area. Her wrinkled hands were in her lap, relaxed and resting. "He wanted to thank you for your kindness towards me. Of course, you know how busy he is with his business now, and he is very grateful that you have been helping me while he is away. I am very thankful too."

With a blush, Abigail laughed shyly as she took off the oven mitts, placing them on the counter. "It's no big deal. I have known you since forever, and you have helped me so much. I can only think of doing this as a way to return the favor." Sitting next to Mrs. Perkins now, Abigail smiled brightly. "Now, tell me more about Tyler! Is he doing okay?"

The evening went on with the two ladies conversing about random topics, while they ate dinner together and listened to classical music. Once it was beginning to turn dark, Mrs. Perkins yawned slightly. Abigail took this as a sign that it was time for her to go home. Walking Mrs. Perkins to her room and fetching her a glass of water for her medications, Abigail started to walk back to her apartment, when she heard thunder outside. Excitedly, she went down the stairs and out to the street, where she was greeted with a shower of rain. She smiled and spun around as she enjoyed the feeling of the rain droplets on her skin. It was refreshing to be in the rain again, and as much as she had enjoyed it, Abigail quickly went back into the building before she got too wet. Giggling to herself, she went up to her apartment once more, changing into comfier clothes before getting to her laptop to check in on her emails. She was hoping to find an email from a friend who was going to help her go on a trip to Europe, but nothing came up in her inbox. 

Sighing a little, Abigail stretched out in her bed and watched the rain come down on the city. With the soft noise of the rain, she was soon lulled to sleep.