Emily was running late to work. Just as she approached the restaurant where she worked, it became evident that she was at the verge of losing her job.
“Hello Miss Emily, where are you heading to?” She heard a voice that made her shudder in fright.It was that of her manager; someone she dreaded so much.Emily took in a deep breath and slowly lifted her face to meet that of her manager.She was out of words to utter, and all she could do was gape at him as though she had seen a ghost.A massive scowl made its way to his face as he took a careful look at her. From all indications, he was displeased and tired of her presence.“I'm so sorry sir, I, I was quite ill this morning”, Emily apologized as her voice trailed off.A loud laughter emanated from the manager, making Emily jerk up in surprise. She stared at him in disbelief while he laughed in mockery.“You really expect me to turn so soft and feel compassionate after your fabricated excuse, isn't it?” He asked in a stern voice, staring at her with a dead glare until she recoiled in fear.She looked miserable and she knew it. Her life was the opposite of what she wished and desired. She had no family or friends, neither did she mingle with people.The money she earned from the restaurant was nothing to merge up with her daily needs and wants.She had nothing and no one cared about that.Each day, she reminded herself of how lonely and miserable she was in the world.Her parents died in a car accident on her eighteenth birthday and once the funeral was done with, each of her relatives retreated to their various activities. None of them cared about her welfare and existence.“Are you dumb?” The manager screamed out of his lungs, causing Emily to jolt off her thoughts.“I'm deeply sorry sir”, she said in a low voice as tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.“This is the last chance. The very last one Emily. One more offense, and I'm done with you!" He yelled and gestured for Emily to leave hurriedly.She swallowed hard and ran into the restaurant, panting so hard and trying to catch her breath.“Let's say you're lucky Emily”, she muttered under her breath, with a small smile on her face.She had thought that was the end for her. She was yet to figure out what her life would look like if she loses her present job, it was a great relief to see that she didn't get fired.Emily quickly dropped her bag and changed into her work dress, after which she started serving the different people present in the restaurant.She was a waiter, and so far, she enjoyed the job.It was relaxing for her because for a moment, she gets engrossed in serving other people and forgetting her sad situation.Just then, she got a glimpse of him strolling into the restaurant.Emily gulped hard as she stared at Richard who walked into the restaurant and headed straight to the table at the back.That was his usual spot, and it seemed to have become a norm for him.The restaurant wasn't as fancy as one would expect for someone of his status. It was one of the ways he used to relax whenever he felt so sad and emotionally drained. At those points, he resolved to going to the restaurant to watch people of low class and status who were seemingly happy and fulfilled with their lives.“Would you go and take the order of our customer?” The manager said to Emily with a cold voice.Emily swallowed hard as she tried to maintain stability while walking. She couldn't decipher why she felt so uneasy and nervous whenever he showed up at the restaurant. There was something about him, something hidden and difficult to clarify. Unknowingly, she became troubled and hoped to know what disturbed him.Richard always smiled whenever he came to the restaurant, and it wasn't ou
Emily knew his usual meal, because she had been the employee in charge of serving him whenever he came around.A silent smile curved on her lips as she bowed and left the table. “A plate of Cobb salad and banana split”, Emily said to the employees who stood at the counter to dish out the various meals.Inwardly, she felt extremely excited that she had the privilege to know what his favorite meal was. Giggling silently, she collected the tray of the meal and headed back to Richard, who was clearly lost in thoughts.His attention was glued to a particular direction, which Emily trailed with her eyes.Opposite where Richard was, two beautiful couples sat together, with their hands entwined and their faces carrying extreme excitement and love.It was lovely!Emily gulped down hard as she took slow and unsteady steps towards Richard, who couldn't get his gaze off the couple.Emily was 20, but still naive and unclear about matters of love and relationship. She only caught a glimpse of cou
“Clearly, I'm not okay!” Richard yelled angrily as he stood up from where he sat.The contents of the tray had spilled on him, soiling his clothes in a manner that was beyond repair.“I'm sorry sir, I would quickly find a remedy”, the female employee said as she hurriedly ran off the scene.Emily finally stood up with a trembling knee. Her head got lowered to the floor as she couldn't curtail the fierce and furious gaze that emanated from Richard and her manager.“I'm sorry”, she muttered calmly, with her heart beating out of her chest.She felt terrible, especially because of the current state of RichardHis blue tuxedo suit was totally ruined. Her heart sank in total despair when she realized that the suit he wore was probably more expensive than her salary.Richard stood still, taking in the pitiful and sorry gazes of the people around while deciding on what next to do.He had never been this embarrassed in his life and for a moment, he regretted coming to the restaurant to relax.
Richard sat on the dining table, sipping from his herbal brew and thinking of the day’s event. He had always visited the restaurant, but today’s episode seemed to be quite different because he observed something that sent chills down his spine.“How could I have observed her just today?” He mumbled to himself as images of Emily kept flashing in his memory.The moment their eyes met, he felt a connection that he never had with any other woman. It seemed as though they communicated with each other through their stares and it amused him more to think that he had really felt that way.After a while of reminiscing over the day’s event, he finally decided to have some rest.Earlier, his wife had told him that she might not return and so, he resolved to staying alone all night.It wasn’t a new thing to him. Even, whenever she stayed in the house, they usually ended up with arguments on things that didn’t actually matter.He dropped the mug on the kitchen counter and took careful ambles towa
“Where’s he?” He heard her cold voice booming into his bedroom, causing him to jolt off his thoughts.The next that followed was the loud sound that emanated from her heels which made a clicking noise.As usual, she was not quiet…“Richard, I kept calling you all through the day but you failed to take my calls!” She barked angrily and barged into the room.Richard ignored her and picked up his phone which he got busy with. Most times, he resolved to doing that in order the suppress the urge of yelling back at her, or even, hitting her.He knew he could never hit a woman, but most times, he wished he could.“I’m talking to you! You aren’t dumb, are you?” She yelled, making Richard look up to peer into her furious eyes.It was one of the normal days where she would start up an unnecessary argument. Richard was ready for that, as always…“I was so busy and couldn’t take your calls. Perhaps, you’re here now and you can tell me whatever you wanted to”, Richard replied nonchalantly after w
Emily tossed on her bed as she struggled to get some sleep. It was past midnight and all she could think of was how to get a job and pay her bills that would be due soon. She ruffled her blanket and threw it over her face in a bid to get some sleep. It was pointless, because the moment she closed her eyes, the different disturbing thoughts swung in.Finally, she sat up and picked up a bracelet that laid on her bedside stool. It was gold, with glitters that shined so bright even in the dark.That was the last present she had gotten from her parents before the accident that claimed their lives on her birthday. Her mother had entered her room by 6:am in the morning, with a little heart shaped cake and a candle on top of it.“It’s your big day my love, make a wish”, her mother had said to her with a bright smile that made her heart elated.She blew off the candle a minute later after which she was pulled into a warm hug. Her father who had been watching them from the door trudged forwa
“A maid?” Richard screamed as he stared at Barbara, who appeared to be uninterested in the conversation they were currently having.“Yea, a maid!” Barbara replied nonchalantly as she picked up her lip gloss and rubbed it evenly around her lips.Richard stood up and grabbed her by the wrist, causing her to yelp slightly in pain.“I’m talking to you and when I talk to you, I need you to listen to me!” Richard barked angrily as he glared at Barbara, who rolled her eyes at him and pushed him away.“The next time you lay your hands on me, I would do well to go to the media and tell them how abusive you are!” Barbara threatened as Richard took a few steps away from her.He dug his hands into his head, sinking in great despair and wondering how his marriage turned out to be so bad.“How would you make plans to bring in a maid without informing me?” Richard asked in shock as he shot her a dead glare.“You have no idea if that’s what I want, and you shouldn’t take a decision without telling me
Emily woke up to the light rays of sunshine that pierced into her room through the opening of her window. She made to retire back to sleep when she remembered that she had a job she could get if she tried.Her friend had told her that the job description came from a billionaire and as such, there was every tendency that she would be paid well.She felt quite reluctant when she thought of how stressful the job of being a maid would be at a billionaire’s house.However, she was certain that if she wanted to be able to provide her very dire needs, she needed to get the job.Standing up and rubbing her eyes grumpily, she strolled to the bathroom, where she took a quick shower.For a moment, she stayed still and glared at the mirror, looking at her reflection and watching how silent tears travelled down her eyes and cheeks.She sniffed hard and walked back to her bedroom where a black long gown laid on the bed.While she searched through the internet last night, trying to get some informa