A Favor

The following morning, I woke up at exactly 7:00 am. I'm supposed to be at the restaurant by 8:00 am. I don't want to be late on my first day at work.

After taking my bath, I wore a black denim jeans, a white shirt and then a white shoe. I packed my blonde hair up in a ponytail. I got my hair colour from my mom and then my hazel eyes from my dad. I've always thought I looked like my mom but Ava always tells me that I am a carbon copy of my dad which I don't really believe. I became emotional again at the thought of my parents, losing them the way I did would always be traumatic for me.

"Hmmm... I don't look bad", I said while staring at my reflection in the mirror.

Hastily, I reached for a pancake and gently applied a small amount to my face, aiming to enhance its radiance. Adding a touch of lip gloss for a subtle glow, I acknowledged that I wasn't accustomed to wearing makeup. However, Ava, a firm believer in it, always insisted on its presence on my face.

'It makes you look more attractive and confident', so she says...like you can't look confident without make-up on your face?

I made my way out of my room towards Ava's room to see if she's awake when I heard her voice from the kitchen.

"I'm in here, baby".

"When did you wake up?", I queried sitting down on a chair.

"Thirty minutes ago", she answered while dropping a plate of noodles garnished with fried eggs in front of me and my mouth immediately watered.

"You know I should start calling you Chef Ava", I blurted out and she giggled. Without wasting anymore time I digged into the food. She gave me a glass of water and I took it from her taking a sip from it and she gave me a light peck on the cheek.

"You know I love you, Ivory", she said and I groaned knowing what was coming. She wants a favor from me and trust me, her favors aren't always the easy ones.

"What do you want me to do for you, Ava?", she smiled at me and clasped her hands together.

"My mother will call you today, to ask you if I'm truly sick...", she started but I cut her off.

"And why would you tell your mother you are sick, when in fact you're very healthy or are you really sick?", I touched her forehead to check if she has any fever or if she was running a temperature but it was pretty normal and she doesn't look sick. She shoved my hand away from her forehead.

"I'm fine, Ivory. Do I look sick to you?" she asked turning off the gas.

"Then why do you want me to lie to your mom", she looked at me and pouted her lips.

"She wants me to go to my grandma's place with her and I told her I was very sick. She said she'll call you to confirm if it's true or not". I looked at her and bursts out laughing. Ava has never liked her grandma, she once lived with her when she was fifteen years old and according to her, her grandmother made her pass through hell.

"Okay, okay I get it...but that doesn't mean I would lie to your mother, Ava". She suddenly grabbed my hand and looked at me sulkingly.

"You wouldn't do that to me Ava, right baby", she asked me as though she wanted to cry.

"I wouldn't", I told her while laughing at her and she let out a deep breathe. I got up from the chair to take my plate to the sink.

"I'm off, Ava", I told her picking up my bag that I kept on the floor earlier.

"When will you be off from work?", she asked me enthusiastically.

"I don't know yet, maybe five..." I said not sure either because Tory didn't tell me about that neither did she write it down on the paper she gave me.

"There's this new eatery downtown, when you're done for the day, let's have dinner together, okay?". She said while pretending to dust off something from my shoulders.

"Okay, I need to get going now, Ava. I don't want to be late on my first day at work." She dragged me towards the door and opened it for me to step out.

"You don't have to give me the princess treatment just because you want me to cover up for you". I said while smirking at her.

"Okay, bye", she immediately closed the door and I left the apartment to get a taxi that'll take me to work.

..................

AT THE RESTAURANT

...................

As I entered the restaurant just a minute past 8 o'clock, I was greeted by the displeased expression on the secretary's face. It made me ponder if she ever experiences moments of joy. She was dressed modestly, wearing plain trousers and a black shirt with dotted patterns. Her hair was tightly tied up in a bun, giving her a poised and sophisticated appearance. Observing her closely, I estimated that she appeared slightly older than me, perhaps around three or four years my senior. She was a beautiful lady but if she atleast added a smile, she'd be more beautiful.

"You're one minute late, Miss Addams", she said giving me her usual pointed look.

"I'm sorry about that." She didn't reply me but handed me a pair of clothes that I'll change into.

"You'll change into that, Miss Addams. You can use the restroom". As I glanced downward, my eyes fell upon the neatly folded clothing on my hands. The first item that caught my attention was a black short-sleeved shirt with a handprint design, followed by a simple yet elegant pair of black trousers. Lastly, a vibrant yellow scarf rested on top, providing a pop of color to the ensemble.

"But where's....". I raised my gaze to inquire about the location of the restroom, only to find that she had vanished. Scanning the area, desperately hoping to catch sight of her, I was met with disappointment - she had seemingly evaporated, as if she had never been there at all. Glancing back at the clothes in my hand, a heavy sigh escaped my lips; guess I'd have to find it myself then.

"Miss Ivory Addams." I quickly spun around when I heard my sound of my name being called, only to find the manager standing some feet away from me, with a warm and friendly smile spread across his face.

"G... good morning, sir", I greeted him, stuttering a bit when he approached me.

"It's Mr Sebastian for you", he corrected still smiling at me. He looked down at the clothes in my hand.

"I believe you're wondering where the restroom is." I nodded, not sure if it was a question or a statement.

"Anne...", he called and a petite girl I saw a while ago serving some customers appeared before us. "Can you show miss Addams where the staff restroom is? She's new here so she doesn't know her way around". The girl nodded taking a quick glance at me.

"She'll take you to the restroom, Miss Addams", he smiled at me and left.

"Please follow me", I heard the girl's voice as she turned around and started walking towards the restroom and I followed suit.