The Heir of His Ways

Chapter 1 - Late

Josie’s POV

Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, this cannot be happening. I cannot be late again I need this job. Stupid power had to go off when I needed my alarm to wake my tired ass up. How am I supposed to pay the electric bill without a job. Thank God, I took a shower last night.

I run around my room throwing my work uniform on and praying it isn’t too wrinkled to wear. I had no time to iron it after taking my clothes from the dryer last night. Hey, at least it is clean, it’s ugly as f*ck anyway. Whoever thought to make a pale pink diner uniform with a white apron, I’ll never understand. First of all, pale pink is bad on many skin tones. My pale skin included. When you add running around picking up hot plates, you tend to match your uniforms color, at least with my fair skin you do. And then there is the fact that grease clings to it and makes it look dingy and gross by the end of your shift, no matter how careful you are. I chuckle to myself thinking about how starting off with a dirty uniform would be super appetizing for the customers at the diner Sh*t, it is bad enough at the end of the day.

I quickly got dressed, my uniform is not too wrinkled, not pressed either, but presentable for work. I slip on my white tennis shoes and then I peak in my mother’s darkened room and see she is still sleeping. Curled up on her side hugging her pillow as always, breaks my heart every time I see it. I sigh wishing I could do more for her, but at least she is sleeping and likely will still be in bed when I get home. Hopefully she won’t even notice the electricity got shut off, again. That definitely won’t help her depression. Sigh. I don’t want her feeling like she failed me when that award goes solely to my father.

I use the title ‘father’ loosely, more like sperm donor. Even before he left my mom and I high and dry for a barely eighteen year old girl. She should have been a babysitter not a new wife, ugh. But as I was saying, he was always awful to me even when I still lived with him. Heaven forbid I was female rather than male. Like my mom or I had anything to due with that. I think he needs to go back to school for a much needed human biology class and learn a bit about where that Y chromosome comes from. Because it sure as h*ll cannot come from mom, sheesh.

I still don’t see why a male heir is so important anyway? Global Trade Inc, one of the biggest businesses around is run by a female CEO, Margaret Turnsdale, my idol. Everything I have read about her has said she is intelligent beyond her years and is a ruthless businesswoman. Just what I plan on becoming..

The funny thing is, ‘father’ left us high and dry for a young bride in the hope of a male heir, and here it is ten years later and I heard she is finally pregnant. Serves him right. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was taking birth control behind his back just to keep her figure, she seems to be superficial like that. I mean her name is Winifred but she chose to go by Wendi, and yes she will make sure you know it is Wendi with an i not y. Fake nails, fake t**s, fake friends and fake personality. The full package, no?!?

She reminds me of all the other socialites I used to have to go to school with before we got the boot from daddy dearest. Even at ten it was all about making yourself look better by keeping others down, how you dress, what you own and what family you came from was of the utmost importance. And heaven forbid someone be new money. How at ten was any of that important, honestly at any age it shouldn’t be important but at ten it was ridiculous. At ten, I just wanted to play and have fun. Another reason why I was a disappointment to my father. I never wanted to conform to these standards.

At least there was one positive from getting the boot from dear old dad, I didn’t have to see any of them again. The only one I have stayed in touch with is Elaine, she was the only real person at school as far as I could tell. .

Elaine’s family was new money and everyone else shunned her. She was also the only one that wanted to ride bikes, climb trees and wasn’t worried about how she looked at every moment of the day. She is the only one I kept in touch with. We both had to hide it from our parents and at times it was hard when mom couldn’t afford a phone line. School computers did the job though and that helped kept us in touch all these years later.

Elaine is also the one keeping me informed on what has been happening in the elite social circles. That is how I found out Wendi was finally pregnant. With Elaine’s help I will know the right time to make my move and my father won’t see it coming, I smile to myself at that thought.

I shake my head of these thoughts and get back to reality. I will have to bring some food home for mom from the diner so she has a hot meal today I know she won’t eat much of anything while I am gone anyway, but knowing the stove won’t work with the power out makes me feel bad.

I write a quick good morning and goodbye note and leave it on the pillow next to her. I don’t like her waking up alone. I sigh as I close the door quietly and dash to the front door grabbing my purse and keys. I lock the door on the way out.

I don’t have time to eat so hopefully there will be a lull in between the morning regulars so I can eat. Waiting until my break will not work for me today, I barely ate dinner last night in my rush to my night classes after work. Sometimes I wish I could press pause on life so I could get a bit of rest.

I am taking classes at the Roxbury Community College in business management and accounting. I have always excelled in school even with the limited time allotted for studying, things always just clicked for me.

Unfortunately, this combined with our lack of money and my moms depression, really put a target on my back for bullies. It seems that no one likes that the poor daughter to the depressed mother was more successful scholastically than they were.

I just kept my head down and stuck to myself. Maeve was my one and only friend that I met after my father kicked us out. Maeve didn’t care that we were poor or that I was always top of the class. She was also the one that encouraged me to go to college, well her and Elaine. Maeve suggested finding scholarships so that I could afford to go in the first place. If it wasn’t for her optimistic outlook on life I probably would have just went through the motions of life. I’d live much like my mom has been doing since my father kicked us out.

My professors have all given me compliments and have been impressed with my high test scores and comprehension and insight of the materials.

I smile to myself thinking about all the recommendations letters I have received that I included with my application to Harvard. Now I am just waiting to hear back and see if I get the scholarship that I desperately need to attend. They don’t accept many transfer students. My nerves have been shot, but it has also given me a hope I haven’t had for years.

I run the five blocks to work, glad that it is down hill on the way there. I make it there just in time and I sigh in relief. Frank smiles at me when I dash in the back door into the kitchen, “There’s my favorite girl!”

“You say that to all the girls that work here,” I point out.

“But I only mean it with you, can’t make the others jealous,” he says with a wink and a boisterous laugh. I come over raise to my tippy-toes and give him a kiss on the cheek.

Frank is the cook at the diner and has been for the past twenty plus years. He likes to look after all of us waitresses, but I know he has a soft spot for me. He has been the closest thing to a father figure I have ever experienced and I am like the daughter he never had. He never remarried after his wife died and they didn’t have kids before that happened.

Since my own father said he didn’t have a use for mom and I, I figure I don’t have one for him either. Frank has always treated me with unconditional love, a far cry from my own father. I didn’t understand at the time and I still don’t understand how my father can be so callous, disowning us the way he did.

I did have the misfortune of overhearing that horrible new wife of his convince him to make sure we had nothing. She argued that if he didn’t we would come back to cause trouble later. So she was the reasons we were penniless and struggled so much when we were first kicked out.

At the time my mom was so overcome with loss and shock, that she accepted everything as it came. This allowed my father to leave us penniless even though he is a billionaire himself. All because of that new b*tch of a wife of his.

That is part of the reason for my decision to study business management and accounting, I plan on making it big like Margaret Turnsdale and taking down my father. He isn’t getting away with destroying mom when she only wanted his love. She gave up everything to stand by him and he tossed her and me out like we were trash.

That day broke my mom and no matter what I did nothing could put her back together. It’s been almost ten years and her depression has only gotten worse. At first she went through the motions of life because she needed to look after me, but even then I could see the dullness in her eyes when she smiled. As time went by, and I could care for myself, the mother I once knew faded away more and more everyday.

Mom has been a shell of her former self ever since that day. She had loved my father with all her heart, put aside her aspirations of becoming a doctor to help him achieve his goals. And what did he do? He just traded her in for a younger model, like she was nothing to him. I hate him with all my being, and I vow to one day make him pay for what he has done to mom and I.

I had to start working after school when I was just fourteen to help pay the bills. I even had to lie and say I was sixteen, we needed the money so I did what had to be done even though I hate lying.

Mom already worked two jobs but when you devote yourself to your husband and his needs all your life you don’t have the skills necessary to get a job that pays a living wage. If we wanted a roof over our heads and food on our wobbly ass table we had to take the jobs that were offered to us.

My first job I got was clearing tables at a little restaurant near our home. They paid me under the table, I’m pretty sure they knew I wasn’t old enough to work and felt sorry for me. They didn’t have much to pay me as it was a family run restaurant. Before me, they did everything themselves. That is how I know it was done out of kindness. I’m also pretty sure they knew I wouldn’t take hand outs, so they hired me and gave me tasks that they usually did themselves. That way they could pay me the money that they knew I wouldn’t just take.

I shake my head trying to rid my head of these memories when I realize Frank must have said something to me, he is looking at me waiting for an answer. “Sorry Frank, what did you say?” Man, I need to get out of my head today.

Frank shoves a warm biscuit filled with ham and melted cheese in my hand, “Nothing, just eat. I know if you come in panting and all out of breath you didn’t eat breakfast. You’ll need something to get through the morning rush.”

I smile and give a small nod, “Thanks Frank,” I say quietly, I am warmed and embarrassed in equal measures by his gesture.

Biscuit in hand, I shove my belongings into my work locker and eat my biscuit as fast as possible. I brush the crumbs from my face as I head to the front of the diner and set the coffee pot to start so it is ready. I do a quick wipe down of all the tables and check to make sure all the condiments are full and ready to go.

I finish just in time for me to open the diner on time, I head to unlock the doors already seeing some regulars waiting. I give them a wave and then open the doors as I flip the sign to open, greeting the morning arrivals.

“How you doing this morning Clancy?” I say with as much cheer as I can muster.

“Good darling, looking lovely as always,” he responds.

“You trying to flatter me to get your food faster?” I tease him.

He chuckles, “When are you going to let that grandson of mine take you out?”

“Clancy, you know he has a girlfriend,” I raise an eyebrow and turn to give Frank Clancy’s regular order.

He huffs, “That silly girl is not worth the air she breathes. My grandson needs someone with more substance than that.”

I smile as I move on to my next table, “Perhaps, but maybe he should decide that. Plus you know I don’t have time for boys, I have plans Clancy and no one is stopping me.”

“See that is what I am talking about, you have a drive that not many have these days,” he replies.

“Well thank you Clancy, I’ll bring your order when it’s up,” I smile and pat him on the shoulder as I move to table three.

This is the best part of my day, our regulars make this big city feel like a small town community. “You want your usual Sarah or do you want to spice it up again?”

Sarah smiles at me pondering the menu as if she doesn’t have it memorized, “You know me so well. I’m feeling like I need to do something different today, but I don’t know what.”

Sarah isn’t much older than I am, maybe late twenties, she has been getting her breakfast here before work for the last five years. She just got a promotion and suddenly has decided that she needs to change her eating habits to fit this new position. I find it amusing, but I hold my tongue letting her navigate her own life how she sees fit.

“How about I have Frank surprise you with one of his off menu surprises. He knows your tastes and preferences, I’m sure you’ll love it,” I suggest.

She beams back at me, “That sounds perfect, thanks Josie”

I nod and pour her coffee before going to relay the order to Frank. I know I just made both of their days, as Frank loves to be creative with his food, it’s why he loves making me lunch. I always just tell him to surprise me and he does. The typical diner greasy food is always elevated to fine dining that I’m not quite sure how he does it with the limited ingredients available in the diner. All I know is that it is delicious and I don’t have the heavy feeling I would usually get from eating a greasy diner meal.

“A Frank special for Sarah today,” I yell back through the open pass through window to the kitchen and pick up Clancy’s food order before rushing back. I catch the sparkle in Frank’s eye as he starts to grab some new ingredients for Sarah meal.

“Here you are Clancy, enjoy,” I say as I place his food down and freshen his cup of coffee.

“You know I will darling,” he winks at me.

I hear the bell over the front door and welcome our new guest, “Welcome to Allston Diner, seat yourself anywhere and I will be right with you.” I say not turning around, as I finish with Clancy.

“You need anything else Clancy?” I inquire.

“Only that date with my grandson,” he tries again.

I just smile at him while shaking my head and he laughs. I make my way to our newest arrival and almost miss a step at the sight of the handsome man at table five. What was I just saying about not having time to date?