Leila

Chapter 7: Leila

' Where have you been? I was worried sick when you didn't show up last night.

I had to explain what happened to Mr Nielsen. He was listening intently with a worried expression. After a while, he pulled me into a long hug and made me promise that I should call him if I ever needed assistance. I am lucky to have Mr Nielsen in my life. He gave me a job as a favour to Nonna. Apparently, they knew each other, but I never asked him about Nonna because he always stared straight ahead and waved off my questions. Just like he is doing now when I asked him about the Alpha. I just let it go because he has been nothing but kind to me. I worked the night shifts at his diner. I earn minimum wage plus tips, and I can eat for free, which saves me a lot of money on groceries. Once or twice he would drive me up to see Nonna, but he refused to come into the nursing home. The workers on the graveyard shift start piling in, and so does Tanya, the other waitress who often works the night shift with me.

I keep thinking about Alpha Tancred. He is a strange man, the way he marched in here and then left abruptly when Mr Nielsen offered him a drink was weird. He is very handsome. I am sure his girlfriend or wife is gorgeous and elegant. I wonder what it would be like to date someone like him.

Tanya nudged me out of my thoughts; ' Table three is ready to order

I ended my shift a little over 2 in the morning when the crowd thinned out. I decided to stay here the night. The diner has a little bedroom upstairs that Mr Nielsen lets Tanya and I use whenever we like. Tanya likes being two blocks down, so she rarely has the need except when her sister comes to town with her four kids. I walked into the bathroom and checked my bruises; I looked like a raccoon. The swelling went down, and I could open my eyes but its turning black. I made a mental note to wear makeup tomorrow for the exam. I don't feel like answering any what-happened-to-you questions. I threw my books on the bed and undressed, hoping to read a bit before bed. I woke up when I thought I heard the door click shut; it must have been Mr Nielsen checking in on me. I looked at the nightstand, and it was 5 am. I quickly got up and went into the diner. I called out for Mr Nielsen, but nobody was there. I went out the back and headed towards the bus stop. When I got off my stop and headed towards my street, I saw Jonathan and his men standing at the corner. I live in a shabby neighbourhood on the poor side of town filled with drug dealers and working girls. Jonathan is one of the known drug dealers in our area. Funny enough, he always looks out for me and warns his crew to do the same.

'Hey! Lels' he called out.

'WTF! what happened to you? Who did that?' referring to my black eye.

'Just a misunderstanding. I was thrown in jail, and a fight broke out. Nothing to worry about

' Jail?'

' Yeah, someone thought I stole something.

'Give us this person's name, and we will beat his ass!

' No need for that. I laughed

'I'll send mama Jan over to look at it

'It's ok. It doesn't hurt anymore. Besides, I need to go to school.'

' We will drop you off then.'

' Thanks but don't worry, I will catch the bus and start walking towards my building.

'Hey, Lels! be careful!'

Jonathan means well, but he doesn't ride alone. Wherever he goes, it is a convoy of exaggeratedly spray-painted Mustangs of all rainbow colours. Everything about their vehicles screams gang. Jonathan's mum, Jan, lives in the apartment adjacent to mine, and she is my landlord. My renovated one-bedroom apartment is a bit too big enough for me. A large hallway leads to a kitchen that opens toward the salon. Across the living room is my bedroom with a private toilet and shower. I do not own a lot of furniture, so it is kind of bare. Just one table between the kitchen and salon where I usually eat and study. I do not own a sofa or a TV. I am rarely home anyway. The bedroom resembles the salon, just a bed awkwardly placed in the middle of the room. I got this apartment hoping Nonna would live with me, but her condition deteriorated so drastically that she was moved directly into a nursing home. She needed full-time professional care. Because of the low rent, I decided to keep it anyway; I could not afford to move out of this neighbourhood. Nonna is constantly worried that I live in a rough area, but there are a lot of good people here who look out for one another.