5. A New Life

It had already been three days since I arrived in the big city, Manila, and as you'd guess, it had not been easy for me.

Upon arriving in Manila, the bustling city presented unexpected challenges and tested my resilience. I almost got raped by some drunkards, but narrowly managed to escape.

I also didn't have money to buy food, nor could I afford a cheap hotel room to stay in. Desperation led me to seek refuge beneath a bridge, among a community of individuals facing similar struggles. It was a terrible experience.

For two consecutive days, I had nothing to eat and it started taking its toll on me. I became weak; my vision was blurry and I constantly felt like passing out. I tried looking for part-time jobs, but no luck. I was desperate. I needed a job to be able to survive. If I don't survive, how will I ever get justice for dad? Luckily for me, I walked by a cafeteria currently hiring waitresses. The ads were neatly placed by the entry. That was my cue to go in and apply. Gently, I pushed open the screen door and went in.

Perceiving the aroma of food at the cafeteria, my stomach growled. All I wanted at that time, was a plate of any type of dish. I would clean the whole place, the kitchen and even the restrooms if it was what they wanted.

"Hi, ma'am. How may I help you?" A waiter walked up to me and asked.

"I want to speak to the manager. Is he or she here?" I inquired, trying my best to maintain my composure and not dash into the kitchen like a mad dog.

"This way, please." He led me towards a counter, where a middle aged man was seated, and left afterwards.

"Hi." The man sounded friendly. He instantly made me feel less apprehensive. "How may I help you?"

Here goes nothing... I hoped I get accepted, otherwise, I would definitely die of starvation.

Taking a deep breath, I spoke; "I read the ads outside and was wondering if you still needed a waitress around. I would like for you to hire me."

Staring intently at me, the manager hummed. My gut feeling instantly told me I wasn't getting the job, but I still held onto positivity, as I awaited his response.

"Unfortunately..."

Oh no!

"The last slot has already been taken." He replied, apologetically.

Instantly, my heart fell. Was I really going to die of hunger? "I really need this job, Sir. Please hire me." I impelled.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." He stood his ground.

"Is there nothing else I can do, sir? Don't you need a cook? I'm a very good cook. Many people have testified to that."

Now that is a lie — my conscience fired.

Whatever. If that little, harmless lie is.going to get me a plate of food, then I'm in. — my mind replied.

Biting my lower lip between my teeth — a habit I exhibited whenever I lied — I continued; "I can cook all sort of dishes. Mexican, Indian, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian, African, you name it." I rambled on.

"That's good to know, but we have enough competent chefs. With these skills of yours, I'm sure you're going to find a job at some other cafeteria soon enough." He remarked.

I instantly took back my words. The man wasn't friendly anymore. He was SUPER annoying.

My poor stomach!

"ERM..." I stammered and trailed off, not being able to come up with another convincing lie. "How about cleaners?" I smiled sheepishly. "I'm sure you need one. I will clean the floors, windows, tables and even the toilets. By the time I'm done, your cafeteria will be sparkling — this, I assure you. Please give me a chance. I really really need this job, otherwise I'm going to die. I haven't real—"

"Alright." He remarked, cutting me off.

Alright?

"Alright?" I asked with uncertainty.

"I can tell you badly need this job and you're so persistent, I can't even say no to you." He heaved a sigh. "You can work here as a cleaner. Come to my office so we can discuss the pay."

Yay! I'm not going to die of starvation after all.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, kind sir. Before that..." I aimlessly fidgeted with my fingers. "Could you be so nice to give me a plate of food?"

•

A day into the job, the manager found out I was homeless, and out of the goodness of his heart, he allowed me to sleep inside the cafeteria. My coworkers were also friendly towards me. My pay was okay. So far, I had nothing to complain about. I was just waiting to gather more cash before proceeding to search for my targets. Fortunately for me, I had some clues. The plate number of the car they drove and the name of the mastermind — Mr. Eduardo Fernandez.

I was busy in the kitchen, doing the dishes, when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder from behind. I turned around and my gaze met with that of Rosa's, my coworker. She was dressed in a knee length gown — too tight if you would ask me. Nonetheless, she looked beautiful. It looked as if she was attending a gathering.

"Hey, Nicole, aren't you done yet?" She inquired, putting on some makeup on her face.

Nicole — a new name I had given myself. I wanted a new identity but I still hadn't gotten used to the name yet. It sounded strange whenever my coworkers or boss called me by it. If I wanted to live a new life, I gathered it was important for me hide my real identity. It would be safer that way. I wouldn't want to take chances in my new life.

in order to be successful, I promised myself to keep my past buried in memories and not in my emotions — that was me starting anew.

"Nicole," she called again, making me push aside the thought.

I snorted. "Obviously. What's up?"

"My sister's best friend's friend just invited her to her twentieth birthday party, but because she has a seminar to attend this week and wouldn't be able to attend, I decided to go on her behalf. Do you want to tag along?" She offered, pressing her lips together to blend the mixture of her lip gloss.

I cringed a little. "No thanks." It would be extremely awkward to be there, when I know absolutely no one. I hated to be an uninvited guest.

She shrugged. "Alright then. How do I look?" She struck a pose and pouted her lips as if I was about to take her photo.

I rolled my eyes. "You should know if you're looking into the mirror." It irked me whenever she got that way. Not to be mistaken, I liked her — she was a good colleague, but most of the time, she gets too self-conscious — it wasn't cool to me. She was beautiful and that was what really mattered. At times, the makeup she put on, made her look like a scary masquerade. Really horrible.

"Drop the attitude, will you?" Rosa snarled. "I was just asking." She muttered and started walking towards the exit of the kitchen, but abruptly stopped in her tracks and spun around. "Are you really really sure you don't wanna come with me?"

I puffed out air from between my lips and nodded my head slowly. "Positive."

"Your loss." She swung her long ponytail behind and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I heard many affluent people are gonna to be there! This might be my chance of finally getting hitched with a politician's son or a rich politician himself. Sugar daddy things." She squealed.

"Oh really?" Out of her ramblings, what readily caught my attention was what she said about many affluent people being present at the party. If that was true, then it was definitely my cue to get closer to the rich and eventually maneuver my way into Mr. Eduardo Fernandez's family.

"Of course." She responded with an attitude. "Are you coming along or no?"

"Wait." I yelled before she could turn back around. "I'm coming with you."