Carla was sitting behind the cashier machine for a moment. She felt a bit dizzy that day, perhaps because it was a very busy day at her small restaurant that day. She didn´t have any time to sit for almost five hours. While she was taking her time to rest and trying to manage her dizziness, she heard Miranda screamed.

“What happen?” Carla asked. She felt dizzier and she held the edge of the table tightly so that she wouldn´t fall down.

“Everything is shaking!!” answered Miranda.

Carla looked around and Miranda was right, she saw the water in the glass was trembling. In only a moment of silence, the vibration became stronger. All tables and chairs in her 4×4 meter square restaurant were moving from one side to the other side.

“Miranda, come here! Quickly!!” Carla shouted. She realized that she wasn´t dizzy. It was because of earthquake that sometimes happened in her town.

Miranda ran as fast as she could to Carla and they were hiding under the counter table. Their bodies were also shaking, especially Miranda. She looked so scared till her face became so pale like a zombie. Carla tried to hug her, to comfort her, even though that she was also afraid.

They heard the sound of broken plates and another glass. The earthquake that happened that night was one of the strongest than occurred in the last ten years. Carla predicted that it reached more than 7 Richter Scale. As the electricity went out, Miranda screamed again and cried louder.

“Calm down! It won´t last forever, it will be just fine in a few minutes.” Carla said gently while she held Miranda´s hands tightly.

After a moment of forever, finally the earthquake stopped, everything calmed down. Carla and Miranda stood up after they didn´t feel any more vibration. Miranda gasped when she saw the view in front of her. It was like a huge mess of garbage in front of them because the earthquake broke almost everything. Carla held his breath. She thought that finally she had a perfect comfort and peace life now, but this earthquake ruined everything that she thought about.

Carla almost lost her power to stand. With all the damage that had been caused, she had to start from the beginning again. She could hear Miranda was crying again, it also broke her heart and soul. She tried to grab her breath back, when she saw the moonlight that broke through the crack on the roof. Suddenly a memory flashed back in her mind. A memory that she would never forget, a memory which had become a turning point in her life, a memory that made her who she was. She just closed her eyes and let the memory played back in her mind.

                                                                                      ****

Carla woke up that day because of the sunlight entered her room from her bedroom window. She tried to wake her boyfriend up, but she didn´t feel anything beside her. She opened her eyes and saw that she was alone in her bed. There was no sign of her boyfriend´s presence anymore in her small flat.

“Ah, why did he leave so early!” Carla was so disappointed. After what they had been through the night before, his boyfriend just left her without any messages. She was hoping that that morning would be a romantic morning after what they did. Carla was 18 years old that day and she had given herself last night to Brad, her first boyfriend. She loved Brad so much, so she didn´t hesitate to give her virginity as a proof that had been asked by Brad, but she expected more gentle acts from Brad this morning. Unfortunately, she got nothing since Brad left so early.

She was totally awake when the clock was ringing loudly. It was already 7 o´clock and she had to be prepared to work. Carla worked at a supermarket nearby her flat. It was a low paid job, but at least she could live with her wages. She thought that she already had a perfect life now because she had a handsome boyfriend, a job, a small flat even though her flat was just like a bird cage. She didn´t thought how pity she was again after her parents died when she was a little girl. What important for her was she didn´t had to live in that horrible orphanage anymore.

Carla went out with a positive feeling that day, she was a mature woman now. Brad should love her more after they had made love. Her body could still remember every single touch and kiss. Some sensitives parts reacted because of the memory. Brad was so good in bed. She knew that she wanted to do it again and it should be as soon as possible. Carla would surely call Brad after worked and she wanted to feel that climax again and again.

The sun shone so bright that day, but unfortunately, it didn´t make Carla´s life shining. After she arrived at the supermarket, she found that there was a strange moment there. Her chief was standing in the front of her colleagues with a such expression that couldn´t be interpreted, but her instinct told her something bad would happen. The chief just gave her a piece of letter and left all of them just like that.

Carla opened the letter with shaking hands. She couldn´t believe what she had read, she was fired. Not only her, but all the employees, because the supermarket would be closed for bankruptcy. Carla was so shocked, just like the other, but she couldn´t do anything to fix it. Her colleagues left the supermarket hopelessly one by one, so did Carla.

She tried to call Brad, to share the news, to get some comfort, but Brad´s phone was not active. Carla didn´t know where to go. Her chief had robbed her perfect life with only a piece of letter. She just walked around that block without any destination, trying to figure out what would she do next. She found a bench in a park and decided to sit for a while. Her legs wouldn´t cooperate if she didn´t take any rest.

Some of her tears came down with an anxiety of her future. She felt lonely and she missed Brad so bad until she could hear his voice nearby her. She thought that she had a auditory hallucination, but it comforted her. When she saw to the place where the Brad´s voice came, she saw a pair of lover who were laying on the green grass behind her, kissing with such a lust that could arouse others. She wished that Brad was there to kiss her like that, so she could forget anything.

Suddenly, Carla realized something. The more she looked at the couple, the more she recognized the man. She tried to call Brad again, it was ringing this time, and she heard the familiar ringtone was ringing at her back. Carla could hear someone cursing behind her, and when she turned back, she saw the last things that she wanted to see before the world ended. It was Brad laying on a hot chick who wore a very sexy V Neck blouse which almost showed her breasts. Brad reluctantly woke up to see who was calling him and then he turned off his phone.

“Who was it, dear?” the hot chick asked.

“Nobody, just a jerk called.” Brad said.

Carla hoped that she was deaf that time, so she couldn´t her Brad´s words, but she did. With all of the strength that she still had, she walked to Brad and stood in the front of them.

“Is this the jerk that you mean?” Carla asked. Her eyes were full of fire that were ready to burn everything that she saw. Brad was so surprised to see Carla.

“Who is she?” the hot chick asked again.

“Nobody, I don´t recognize her.” Brad said like an innocent virgin boy.

“Excuse me? It´s okay! But let me make it clear. You are the one who jerk is!” Carla said it out loud. She kicked Brad right at his dick and went away. She could hear Brad screaming painfully, and the hot chick was so panic, but she didn´t care anymore. She just hoped that her kick was able to make him impotent permanently. She ran as fast as she could, she just wanted to disappear from this world.

                                                                         ****

The next morning Carla was awakened by the knock on her door. She forgot what time she slept last night, she just remembered that she cried till she felt asleep. With a lazy movement, she opened the door, but it was just opening a door of hell. There was her flat owner standing in the front of her and gave another miserable news. She had to move from that flat immediately because the state government had decided to build another new building at that area. She just had 2 weeks to find a new one. After the owner left her alone, Carla hardly thought when she had opened the gate of hell so she had to receive the bad luck continuously in just two days!

She just stood at her door and thought what she would do now. No more time for crying, she said to herself. One things for sure, she had to find a job first, then she would search for a new flat. She dressed up and tried to find job vacancy all over the town. Unluckily her luck didn´t come so fast. She already walked around till night but she didn´t find any job. It was so hard to find a new job during the economy collapse in her country.

Carla was so hopeless and so tired. She sat down on the street and saw so many young girls tried to seduce some men in the front of her. It was the moment when she considered to sell her soul to the demon. When she almost decided to sell it, luckily, there was a hand of angel who tapped her shoulder. Carla was so surprised when she saw an old lady who she had helped standing in the front of her and blocked her sight from any other things.

“I know you. You were that old lady that I saw a week ago.” Carla said. She remembered that she ever gave some of her food to the old lady last week because she felt sorry for her condition.

“What are you doing here?” The lady asked her.

“I don´t know.” Carla answered. By looking on her face, the old lady knew that something hard was happened in Carla´s life. She just asked Carla to follow her.

Since Carla didn´t have any destination that night, Carla decided to follow the old lady. She took Carla to an alley and then they arrived at an old small abandoned warehouse which didn´t have any windows. The old lady stopped and opened the door for Carla. The old warehouse was the old lady´s home. She burnt some woods to make a hot drink for Carla.

Something that made Carla amazed was the moonlight that broke through the crack on the roof. Even though the old lady didn´t have any electricity, but the darkness didn´t dominate that warehouse. There was a light that bright enough. The old lady just sat beside Carla and followed Carla´s sight. It was just like a sacral moment for both of them. The old lady didn´t ask anything, she just accompanied Carla. Something felt down from Carla´s eyes, and she told her everything that had happened lately in her life.

“As you see, my child. There is always a crack in everything. That´s how the light gets in.” said the old lady finally. Carla realized that her heart was pumping so fast, just like she was injected by a new adrenaline. She felt relieved and at peace now, like there was a new hope in her life. Something that was invisible convinced her that she would be just fine. Carla looked at the old lady´s eyes and showed how grateful she was by meeting her. She knew that she would never ever forget that magical night.

                                                                                  ****

Miranda was still crying, and whispered, “Everything was broken!”. Carla saw her self in Miranda, who was 10 years younger than her, who also had the same fate of life like Carla before. That´s why she hired her and treated Miranda like her young sister.

Carla came closer to Miranda and hugged her. “Everything will be just fine. We just have to start from the beginning and it´s okay. You see up there. There is always a light in the darkness, so hope is everywhere if we believe.” Carla said while she pointed her finger to the moonlight. That moonlight, the same moonlight like she saw 10 years ago, the moonlight that gave her hope and strength to keep walking. The memory of the old lady also came in her mind. Carla closed her eyes to pray for the old lady where ever she was. That night, that moonlight, that darkness, that crack, would always be a reminder for Carla about hope. There was no perfect life, but no matter how dark the life would be, there would always be a crack so the light could get in.