Chapter 3

I have always seen this coffee shop from the outside, but I have not really entered it before.

It is quite beautiful and homey.

It is evening hours and the sun will soon be setting. Customers are scattered around tables in the place, but it is not full.

Coffee shops are usually full in the morning hours or noon. At least that is what Selena has told me.

“Do you think she would be here?” I ask Selena and she scoffs lightly.

I am referring to her aunt that owns the place.

“Kendall is always here, where else would she be?” She replies to me.

She leads me to the counter and then asks a thin blonde guy that works as the cashier.

“Hey, Steve. Where’s Kendall?” She asks him and the boy stares at me.

“Wow, who is she?” He avoid Selena’s question and asks.

“I have not seen her around here, is she new in town?” He continues to ask and Selena rolls her eyes.

“Steve, you creep, leave my friend alone.” She says to him and I chuckle.

I keep looking back at the entrance of the coffee shop, expecting guards to come storming in to get me back in the house; but luckily for me, I don’t see any.

“Kendall is in her office at the back, you’re happy now?” He says to Selena and she smirks.

“Thank you.” I say to him and he nods as he stares at me with adoring eyes.

“Gosh, she’s beautiful.” I hear him say under his breath as I follow my best friend behind the counter towards a door.

My cheeks heat up, but I’m glad my back is now turned to him so he does not see them.

Selena opens the door and we both walk in. We are met with a small hallway that has about three doors.

She walks confidently to one of the doors and knocks lightly.

“Kendall, are you there?” She asks.

It feels so weird to me to hear Selena calling her aunt just by her name. I call all my aunts and uncles by using uncle or Aunty as the title before I add their names.

To me, it is just more respectful, but I won’t judge Selena. Everyone grows up differently I guess.

Calling her aunt without a title might be something that they do in their family and it is totally fine.

“Selena, is that you?” I hear a lady’s voice from which the door.

“Yeah.” She replies.

“Come in, come in. You know you are not a guest here.” The lady says and Selena opens the door and we both walk in.

“Hi, Kendall.” She greets her aunt and I smile politely.

“Hi.” I say shyly and the lady smiles and greets me back.

“This is Ellie, she has an interview tomorrow.” Selena informs her aunt.

“Oh.” Kendall replies.

“You two can sit, you’re not bodyguards.” She jokes and I smile.

Her joke about bodyguards put me on edge and I am so worried that my dad could find out that I disobeyed him and came to the coffee shop.

“Your interview should be tomorrow, why are you here then?” She asks me.

Her voice is soft and comforting.

“I, um..I wanted to see whether I can do the interview now instead of tomorrow. I might not get the chance tomorrow.” I say the truth.

I might not ever get the chance again as a matter of fact.

“Oh.” Kendall says.

She looks to her niece and Selena gives her a small nod.

“Okay, so let’s start then.” She says cheerily and I smile.

“Do you have your high school diploma?” She inquires and I gulp.

“I was homeschooled.” I reply and she nods slowly while maintaining a polite smile.

“We are on a really tight schedule, can’t you just give her the job?” Selena begs her aunt and I fight the urge to laugh.

She is so bold.

Kendall seems amused also and runs her hand through her brown hair.

“We normally have a procedure, but because of Selena, I’m going to make an exception. You can start tomorrow, Ellie.” She tells me and I smile widely.

“Thank you, miss.” I reply.

“Oh, you can call me Kendall.” She says with a small wink.

“Okay.” I say happily.

“Now, we have to go.” Selena reminds me, and she is right.

Today, luck is on my side and I was able to be free from my dad’s strict hold for a while, even if it is just thirty minutes.

I thank Kendall once again and Selena nods her aunt goodbye as we leave.

Soon we are back outside the coffee shop and I feel so happy. This is my first job and the first time I made an independent decision.

I feel euphoric.

“You should get going.” Selena tells me and I give her a hug.

“Thank you for helping me.” I say to her once we break the hug.

“No biggie.” She waves it off and smiles.

I then bid her goodbye as I cross the street and walk right back towards the huge compound.

The automated gate opens and I enter.

“You sure took your sweet time.” George points out and I smile nervously.

“Your father is waiting for you, he wants to see you.” He adds and I close my eyes in frustration.

Damn it.

Instead of responding to him, I simply walk towards the huge house and I enter it.

As soon as I enter, I can already hear my father nagging.

“She never listens to anyone. I should always be the one talking but yet she never listens.” His words echoes slightly in the huge house.

He must still be in the living room.

I follow his voice and I enter the living room. I see that he is pacing around and talking to himself.

He seems annoyed.

I clear my throat to alert him of my presence and he looks at me.

“You really thought I would let you go out of the compound without me watching you?” He asks.

I want to reply, but I have a feeling that it is a rhetorical question and I should just keep my mouth shut.

He chuckles dryly.

“You defied me and still went to the coffee shop and did the interview anyway, right?” He asks and I don’t respond.

“I asked you a question, Ellie.” He says calmly.

I have a feeling that it is just the calm before the storm.

“Yes, dad, I did. So what?” I finally respond and he laughs without humor.

“Go to your room, you’re grounded.” He tells me, and it is my time to laugh.

I look around as if I am checking if he is talking to another person.

“Is it me you’re talking to? Because I don’t think it is. Dad, I am 19 years old, I’m not 9 anymore!” I yell and my chest heaves up and down as anger takes over me.

Why does he keep doing this? I’m sick of it? This is suffocating.

“Ellie, I told you to not disrespect me.” My dad says as he walks closer to me.

“Jacob, I told you to stop treating me like a child.” I call him by his name and he snaps.

“You ungrateful child, after all I have done for you, this is what I get?!” His voice booms loudly and I can feel my eyes get teary.

“Because you think you are growing boobs so you think you are a grown woman now?!” He yells.

“Stop freaking yelling at me!” I yell back and tears fall freely from my eyes.

“You stop yelling at me!!” He takes a step closer and yells in my face.

“I wish you were the one that died and not mom!” I yell so loud that my throat hurts.

My dad looks taken aback by what I just said and he slaps me hard against my face with the back of his hand.