A New Job

“You're fired,” it kept on ringing in her head.

Charlotte walked out of the eatery with her head still held high, even though her boss had just fired her. She had seen it coming, but she hadn't expected it to happen so abruptly.

The crisp autumn air hit her face, and she pulled her coat tighter around her, clutching her bag that was slung over her shoulder to her side.

As she stepped out onto the busy street, her mind was racing with thoughts.

What was she going to do now?

She had bills to pay and needed a steady income. She had been counting on this job to help her make ends meet for at least a few more days, and now it was gone…sooner than planned.

She took a deep breath and looked around at the bustling city streets. People were rushing by, some in a hurry, others taking their time. The sound of car horns and chatter filled the air, and the bright lights of the city illuminated the streets.

Charlotte walked aimlessly for a few minutes, lost in thought. She had always been a hard worker, and the thought of losing one stream of income made her feel uneasy.

The next plan would be to go job-hunting.

Intentionally clicking her heels against the floor in a saunter, she passed by a coffee shop and decided to stop in for a warm drink. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled her nostrils, and she let out a contented sigh.

"Good evening, what can I get for you today?" the barista asked.

Lyra glanced up at the menu board behind the counter, trying to decide what to order. She wasn't in the mood for anything too complicated, so she settled on a simple latte.

"I'll have a medium latte, please," she said, pulling out her wallet to pay.

"Sure thing," the barista replied, typing the order into the register.

"Would you like any flavoring in your latte? We have vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut."

Lyra shook her head. "No, just plain is fine."

"Alright," the barista said, smiling. "That'll be $4.50, please."

Charlotte felt a twinge of guilt as she looked at the total price of the coffee on the register. It was slightly more than what she had budgeted for the day, but she brushed off.

She was already exhausted as is.

She pulled out her wallet, extracted a five-dollar bill, and handed it over to the barista with a smile.

After a few minutes, the barista handed her the latte with a smile.

"Here you go, enjoy!" she said.

Lyra thanked her and added a little sugar to the latte before taking a sip.

As she sipped her latte, her mind began to clear. She thought about her skills and what other jobs she could apply for.

Charlotte finished her latte and stood up, feeling more determined than ever. She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the coffee shop.

Her phone buzzed in her bag, interrupting her thoughts. She looked down at the caller ID and saw that it was her co-worker, Kaire.

"Hey Kaire, what's up?" she answered.

"Good good. I was just wondering if you'd be up for a gym-assistant job. I was talking to my friend who owns a gym and he's looking for an extra hand. I remembered you talking about needing an extra job, so….”

"It's a gig you can do in the mornings before you head to the office. And it's right by your place, so you won't have any trouble getting there," Kaire added.

Lyra's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, Kaire, it's almost as if you knew I just got fired from my evening job," she said with a chuckle.

"What? Oh my God, I'm so sorry to hear that," Kaire replied.

"It's okay. And yeah, I'd love to take the job," Lyra said.

"Great, will you be able to start tomorrow?" Kaire asked.

"Sure, no problem," Lyra said, feeling a sense of relief wash over her.

“The Fitted, know it?”

"Yeah, I know it. I'll head over there tomorrow morning," she said.

"Awesome. I hope you have a little knowledge about gym equipment. Although you don't need any special skills to get the job, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least know one or two things. And if you don't, just g****e some up..." Kaire said.

"Okay, got it. Thanks for letting me know, Kaire. I really appreciate it," Lyra said, feeling grateful.

"No problem. Just let me know how it goes, okay? And good luck!" Kaire said before hanging up.

Lyra smiled to herself as she ended the call. It was like a stroke of luck had come her way just when she needed it most.

As Lyra walked further down the street, she started to calculate in her head how much money she could make if she worked at the gym in the mornings and her office job in the afternoon.

"Okay, so if I work at the gym for, say, four hours a day at $10 an hour, that's $40 a day. If I work there five days a week, that's $200 a week. And if I work there for a month, that's $800," she thought to herself.

She knew that her salary wasn't enough to cover all her bills and student loans, but it was still better than nothing.

"If I work at the office for another four hours a day at $15 an hour, that's $60 a day. If I work there five days a week, that's $300 a week. And if I work there for a month, that's $1200," she thought, feeling a sense of relief.

But then, she started to subtract all her expenses. Rent, utilities, groceries, and most importantly, her student loans. As she did the calculations, she realized that she would still be short a few hundred dollars.

"Ugh, this is going to be tight," she muttered to herself, feeling overwhelmed.

Just then, her phone beeped, indicating that she had a new email. She opened it and saw that it was a reminder about her upcoming student loan payment.

"Great, just what I needed," she said sarcastically, feeling even more stressed out.

Lyra took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She knew that worrying wasn't going to solve anything. She decided to focus on the positives - she had a new job and she was going to do her best to make it work.

"Okay, I can do this. It's going to be a bit of a struggle, but I can make it work. I'll just have to be extra careful with my expenses," she said, trying to pep herself up.

As she walked down the street, she started to make mental notes of all the things she could cut back on. No more extra eating out, no more shopping sprees, and definitely no more splurging on expensive coffees.

"I can do this. I'll make it work," she repeated to herself, feeling determined.

****

Trent's car pulled into the driveway of his grand mansion, and he hopped out of the vehicle with an air of authority. As he threw his keys to one of the men rushing to greet him. As Trent entered the house, he was immediately greeted by the incessant crying of a baby. The cry was loud and shrill, filling the entire house with its piercing sound. It was clear that the baby had been crying for a while, and the sound was enough to make anyone's heart ache.

Trent felt a sense of urgency wash over him as he rushed up the stairs towards the baby's room. The crying seemed to get louder with each step he took, and it was evident that the baby was in a lot of distress.

Finally, as he burst into the room, he saw the baby lying in the crib, her tiny hands and feet flailing as she wailed at the top of her lungs. Trent quickly picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and began to rock her gently back and forth. Gradually, the crying subsided, and the baby's sobs turned into soft whimpers as she finally calmed down.

Trent was still cradling the baby in his arms, a five-year-old girl rushed into the room, her curly hair bouncing with each step.

She hugged Trent around his legs and said,

"Daddy!"

Trent crouched down to her level, still holding the baby in his arms. He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead, asking,

"My darling. How was school today?"

The girl beamed up at him and said,

"It was good! We did finger painting and I made a picture of a flower!"

Trent smiled and said,

"That sounds like fun, sweetie. Did you eat your lunch?"

The girl nodded vigorously and said,

"Yes! I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some grapes!"

Trent chuckled,

"Good job, you're such a big girl now."

He then stood up, still holding the baby, and walked out of the room with the little girl following closely behind.

Meanwhile, Sam, the man who had parked Trent's car, approached him with a slight bow.

Trent face turned grim,

"Sam, where's the nanny? Why isn't she here?"

Sam hesitated for a moment before responding.

"I'm sorry, sir. She never showed up today. She sent me a text message saying she was quitting."

Trent's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Why didn't you inform me immediately?" he demanded.

Sam looked down, ashamed.

"I apologize, sir. We were trying to find a replacement and didn't want to worry you unnecessarily."

Trent shook his head, clearly frustrated.

"The kids have been alone since this afternoon?"

Sam quickly reassured him.

"No, sir. The cook and I have been taking turns looking after them throughout the day. I only stepped out to park your car when you arrived. We've also put up job applications for a new nanny."

Trent's expression softened slightly, but he was still angry.

"We have to get a nanny tomorrow, no matter what. This is unacceptable," he declared firmly.

Sam nodded. "Yes, sir. I will make sure it happens."

Trent turned around and walked down the stairs, still cradling the baby in his arms. The little girl trailed after him, holding onto his hand tightly.