Leila

Chapter 8 : Saviour

Leila went out to her tiny balcony and looked down. She saw the white Lexus parked out front. Mr Therr, her upstairs neighbour, is back. The young lady finds it strange that someone who obviously has money would live in this area. Caressing her cup of coffee and trying to catch the morning sun. The untrimmed branches of the trees lining her street don't allow much sun in. She watched Jonathan talking through the window of the black SUV parked across the street. It's not uncommon to see high-end vehicles in the area. Most of them come looking for drugs or girls. She couldn't see who was inside the SUV, but Jonathan seemed pleased with whatever was happening. Just then, he looked up and waved; Leila offered a weak smile and went back inside her apartment. She still has her paper to write, but her most significant problem is how to approach Mr Gran. She desperately needed her job at the pharmacy back. Her other option is to ask for more hours at the high-end restaurant where she works a few weekends per month. The owner was not too thrilled to hire Leila, but it is hard to find someone flexible and willing to cover for his servers when they call in sick or have personal problems. The restaurant caters to high-end clients, primarily groups of men that like to flirt and admire the servers in their all-black attire that shows off their legs and clings to their curves. On the other hand, Leila shows up in black office pants and a long-sleeved polo that doesn't do her body justice despite her striking figure.

Leila threw her books in her backpack and ran towards the bus stop. She had worked up enough courage to go and talk to Mr Gran. When she walked in, he was behind the counter, weighing out antibiotics and preparing prescriptions. Marla, the cashier, jumped up when she saw Leila.

'Gosh! look what the cat dragged in!' she smirked, arching her over-drawn eyebrows. Sometimes Leila wondered if Marla would be recognizable without her 2-inch layer of foundation and colouring pens.

Leila ignored Marla and stared nervously at Mr Gran. ' You look terrible, Marla taunted. She never had anything friendly or kind to say to Leila.

Mr Gran stopped what he was doing and walked towards the counter. He didn't seem mad at all. In fact, he was beaming from ear to ear. That made Leila nervous; this was new, she thought to herself.

' Mr Gran, I am so sorry I can explain everything', Leila started rumbling. Her hands were shaking, but she had to continue before she lost courage.

'It was...'

' Stop, stop', Mr Gran exaggeratedly waved his hand around.

'It's OK. Alpha Tancred explained what happened. Go home, get some rest and come to work tomorrow after your classes'

'Alpha Tancred??'