Chapter 3
1118 Words
"Please, Mrs. Charlotte don't get me fired. I don't want to be fired" Ava pleaded to her boss with tears in her eyes
"There's nothing I can do, Ava you need to go. Emma reported you about your misconduct with a customer yesterday and I don't joke with my clients" Mrs. Charlotte said coldly without looking at Ava.
She continues
"How can you be so disorganized to slap and insult a client, not just an ordinary client but Mr. Andreas, one of the VIP clients? I'm highly disappointed in you, Ava" She concluded
With teary eyes, Ava replied
"Emma is telling a lie ma'am, that's not what happened. I can explain" her voice breaking
"I don't want any explanation from you, Ava. Now get out of my restaurant" Mrs. Charlotte ordered
Ava got down to her knees pleading with her boss but all her pleas fell on deaf ears as Mrs. Charlotte signaled her two bouncers to take Ava out of the restaurant.
Amidst cries and wails, Ava was being dragged by Mrs. Charlotte's bouncers and thrown in the streets.
Ava not wanting to create a scene outside the restaurant, gently stood up, dusted her dress, and headed home.
"Nora, what are you doing at home?" Ava was surprised to see her younger sister who was supposed to be at college sitting idly at home.
"Sis, have you forgotten that I haven't paid my academic fees, practical fees, and even my resident fees? If I want to continue schooling, I need to pay about $5000 in three weeks." Nora replied.
"Oh s**t, I've forgotten. How do I get to pay $5000 in three weeks, I've been fired from my workplace." Ava sits on the floor exhausted and tears fall freely from her eyes.
"You were fired? How? Why? What did you do?" Nora bombarded Ava with questions all at once.
"Something happened yesterday and Emma reported me wrongly." Ava doesn't want to tell her the full details of things because knows her sister is troublesome and she can pick up a fight with Emma.
"Emma? Your coworker, why are people so wicked? How can she accuse you wrongly? It doesn't make any sense Sis, someone needs to deal with her" Nora fired angrily
"Let her be, Nora. How I'll pay off all your bills is my present concern" Ava said calmly
"Yeah, sis. We need to do something" Nora mumbled.
"Where's mom? Why isn't she home?" Ava asked as she stood up and went to the kitchen to get a cup of water.
"I don't know, I didn't meet her home" Nora replied
"Have you called her?" Ava was beginning to get worried. Her mother doesn't usually go somewhere without calling Ava.
"Nope." Nora replied hesitatingly
"Get me my phone from my bag now. You came back from college, you didn't find Mom and you can't call her instead you occupied yourself with something irrelevant" Ava said angrily.
"Don't try to sound bossy, this is my phone and I can do whatever I like with it. It's none of your business what I use it for and what I don't." Nora replied rudely.
"Just get me my phone I don't have time to drag words with you. Spoilt brat" She said in a voice barely a whisper
"Here" Nora hands the phone over to Ava and heads inside the room.
Ava tried her mom's phone multiple times but it was to no avail. This made Ava worried and she wasn't at rest as she kept pacing the room and peeped out the window every single minute.
Nora came out of the room with a frown on her face.
"Ava, are you still here? You need to go search for a job. You sitting here is of no benefit to any of us" Nora said frowning
"What about mom?" Ava queried
"Come on, Mom isn't a toddler. Why are you always worried? Well I'm going out to my friend's place and I'll be back late in the night" Nora said as she went out of the room not waiting for a reply
"All she knows how to do best is to party. I think I should also go job hunting too" Ava says to herself, dressed up properly, and exits the house.
7:00 pm
A cab pulled over in front of Ava's apartment and Ava alighted extremely tired. She noticed the house door was still locked which meant her Mom was not yet home. She tried her number again and it wasn't going through but before she could try it the second time, her landlord appeared - a fierce-looking man of an average height, always looking angry every time which made him unapproachable.
"Oh, there you are, I've been expecting you" Her landlord said in his usual coarse tone
Ava turned back to see who is it and she panicked when she realised it was her landlord
"Go… good evening Mr. Nathan"
"Are you surprised to see me? Well, I don't have much to say. I'm here to collect my money" Mr. Nathan said without entertaining Ava's greetings
"Sir…"
"Everyone knows you forget things easily, so, let me remind you, your money is $15000. For two outstanding months!" He cuts Ava shouting at the top of his voice.
"Please sir don't shout, I haven't forgotten I owe you rent sir. I promise to pay all this month sir" Ava said gently trying to make Mr. Nathan calm down.
Mr. Nathan laughed mockingly and shouted again
"You aren't able to pay for two months, this month included and you are promising the same month! I can't allow that"
"Miss Foster! You have three weeks to pay my money or I eject you out of my apartment" Mr. Nathan said angrily hardening his face.
"Please sir, don't do that…"
"I shouldn't do that? Tell me what to do then, Lawyer" Mr. Nathan said sarcastically
"I'm sorry Mr. Nathan, I didn't mean it that way but please just give me some time I'll pay all" Ava pleaded
"I know you'll say I should give you time. Well, I've given you time already, three weeks to pay my money or I send you and your family out" Mr. Nathan said and walked out on Ava not wanting to hear anything from her again.
Ava, not frustrated spoke angrily
"Can today get any worse? First I was fired, Nora is on the brink of being a dropout, my mom is missing, and now Mr. Landlord is threatening me. Argh. I'm tired"
As she heads toward her apartment, an unknown number calls her phone
"Hello?"
"
Hello, Is this Ava Foster?" The voice over the phone asked
"Yes"
"Your mom Mrs. Foster had an accident"
- Writer
