A Chance At A Time

Chance V: Fix Your Smile

Kristofer switched off his bike and got off, placing the helmet on the handle. He tucked his hands deep in his leather jacket pockets and turned to the apartment building where his mother and sister were living. It was not the best of places but at least it had security and they controlled the people who went in and out. It was not the right place to raise a teenager but it was what Kristofer could afford for that time. In the dark, it stood like a large sentinel with the clear sky above it, twinkling with thousands of stars. 

Every time he went to see his family, he always reminded himself why he was spending sleepless nights working and why sometimes his body ached with exhaustion. His mother and his sister were all he had and for his mother's sacrifices, Kristofer wanted to make sure she lived the kind of life she had only dreamed of. Kristofer removed a packet of cigarettes from one of his pockets and placed one between his lips before lighting it and leaning on his bike. He inhaled the aromatic smoke and trapped it deep in his lungs for a few seconds before releasing it into the air in a puff. 

He was already counting down the days until he finally started the internship that would secure a bright future for him and his family. He wasn't always like that. He wasn't always the one to take the lead and let the others follow him but his father's absence made him step into the shoes he left behind at a young age. He recalled all that his mother went through just to get food on the table. Sometimes he found her collapsed on her bed in exhaustion in her work clothes. 

Kristofer remembered the annoying ring of her phone alarm clock that reminded her of her next shift somewhere. Kristofer made sure that the first salary that he earned, he bought her a new phone that didn't have that annoying sound. He recalled how grateful his mother was and how happy she was to have him to support her. Kristofer started making plans to reduce his mother's workload by taking on small jobs since he was in middle school. By the time he was in Highschool, he had already built a habit of working and earning money but at the same exhale in school.

Education was one thing that his mother always insisted on and at first she had loathed the thought of Kristofer working because she felt that he would not make it at school but he always surprised her again and again by being a top student. Kristofer was just good at understanding how things worked and it gained him an advantage even at work because he was a quick learner and always came up with different solutions for problems at his workplaces that made the work easier. 

Kristofer pulled in the smoke again and turned to the chatting people coming out of the apartment complex. They were neighbors and their daughter was in the same school as Philippa, his young sister. They were walking towards where he was and judging by the way they were dressed, Kristopher could tell that they were having a date night. A small smile appeared on his face as he watched them muttering softly to themselves. When they saw him, the wife's eyes brightened. 

"Kristofer? What are you doing out here in the middle of the night." She asked him.

Kristofer dropped his cigarette and snuffed it with his boot then smiled at her. "I just arrived and I was getting a little air, Mrs. Harding." He turned to Mr. Harding who had a frown on his face. "Good evening Mr. Harding."

Mr. Harding hummed softly and pointed to the boot above the cigarette. "That stuff is going to kill you. I know your mother would flip if she found out about it--"

"And we are not going to tell her." Mrs. Harding lightly elbowed her husband with a scowl on her face then turned back to Kristofer. "He will stop at his own time--just like you did." 

Mr. Harding cleared his throat noisily and turned away from Kristofer which made Kristofer chuckle. 

"Anyway, you better hurry up there, Kristofer. Your mother had a nasty accident a few days ago trying to change a lightbulb and she injured her wrist in doing so. Kelvin here had to go and help her with the light." Mrs. Harding said and Kristofer felt his blood run cold in his veins. 

Neither his mother nor Philippa mentioned anything to him though he spoke to them just last night. Kristofer quickly said his goodbyes to the and rushed up to the apartment. 

"Mom! Kris is here!" Philippa called out when Kristofer opened the door using his key and found her and the neighbor's daughter, Cecil, watching television. 

"Where is she?" Kristofer asked his sister and saw the way her smile fell. 

"Uhm--she was in her room. What happened?" Philippa jumped from the couch and followed him through the corridor to their mother's room.

Before Kristofer got the opportunity to knock, his mother opened the door, surprised to see her two children standing outside her door. 

"Kristofer, you didn't tell me you were coming today. Did something happened at school?" She asked him.

Kristofer's eyes strayed to the bandage around her wrist then asked. "Why didn't you tell me that you injured your hand?"

His mother sighed and came out of her room. "And have you worry about a very minor injury? I know how busy you are at school, I didn't want to bother you--"

"It's not bothering me when you are injured, Mom. You should have called me to come and fix the light." Kristofer bit out and followed his mother to the kitchen. She had already prepared dinner. 

"It's not as bad as it looks, Kris." She moved her wrist around and smiled up at him in reassurance and patted him on his shoulder. "You don't have to worry all the time, Kris. I have been doing this since before you were born--Philippa, get Cecil to come and help you set the table." She started removing the plates and cutlery from the cupboards. 

Philippa nodded and went away, giving time for Kristofer to speak to his mother. "I don't want you to continue doing what you were doing since before I was born. Mom, you wouldn't lose anything to just call me to come and help you. I am your son! And I want to take care of you."

His mother stopped what she was doing and turned to her son then placed her good hand against his cheek. "You are not your father, Kristofer--"

"Don't speak about him," Kristofer growled and moved away from his mother. He stared at her for a minute and sighed and in a more controlled voice, he said. "I don't want you to worry about small things if I am around. It doesn't matter even if you call me in the middle of the night. I will be here and you should know that you can rely on me."

His mother finally nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the injury. I told Philippa not to say anything because I knew how busy you were with school and I wanted you to concentrate on your work without worrying about such a small thing. It is not broken or anything so stop scowling at me like that, Kris."

Kristofer schooled his expression just as Philippa and Cecil returned to the kitchen. The two girls took the plates and cutlery to the dining room while Kristofer helped his mother serve the food on its platters. 

"Hey Kris, mom made your favorite today. It is as if she knew you were coming." Philippa grinned up at him.

Kristofer forced a smile because he didn't want his sister to worry about the little argument that he had with their mother. "A mother's instinct is always on point." Then turned to his mother touched her hand lightly. "I just don't know why it doesn't work when she needs help."

"It's not surprising really because my mom is the same. She always wants to do everything on her own, until she breaks something." Cecil assured Kristofer. 

Kristofer grunted in agreement as he dug in his chicken curry. "Hopefully we won't get to the point where they break their necks."

"Kris!" His mother gasped in shock and Kristofer gave her a grim look. "That's not a nice thing to say."

Kristofer frowned at his mother. "Have you ever seen me being nice when you are hurt, mom?" 

His mother pursed her lips and turned back to her food making the two girls laugh. 

"Oh, by the way, Cecil and I have a research paper that we need your input on. We were planning to come to your campus this weekend if you are not busy." Philippa said then added. "This paper has to be the best."

Kristofer's eyebrow snapped up in surprise. "You want to come to my college?" He could find at least one thousand reasons not to allow them to come to his college. "Why can't help you with it after dinner?"

Kristofer could already see Melody's excitement if he knew that his sister was somewhere in the college with him. She was going to hunt them down and try to get their favor. Not to mention Cash would not let it pass. 

Philippa was a sweet girl and very naïve. When others went out after school, she went straight home and would rather play video games. It was Kristofer's fault because when they were young and their mother left them at home while she went to work, Kristofer used to switch on the television to distract Philippa while he helped his mother with the chores. Soon the shows turned into video games and now Philippa was obsessed with them. Philippa and Cecil were the exact opposite which made Kristofer wonder how the two became good friends. 

"Of course! Are you sleeping over tonight?" Philippa jumped up in excitement.

Kristofer gave her nod. "It's late and I want to make sure mom doesn't break anything else tonight."

"Super!" Philippa chuckled happily and turned to Cecil who just grinned at her friend and continued eating her food. 

"I didn't break my wrist, it is just sprained!" Their mother protested which earned chuckles around the table.

                                                    ***************

Harper entered Max's coffee shop that next morning and went to sit at a corner with the laptop Kristofer lent her so that she could do her work. It was the first time she took the bus to her destination. She had to swallow her pride and ask Clair for some instructions. One thing she loved about Clair was that she never asked questions about her situation. She was very accepting and eager even, to teach her new things. Clair got her a bus card and instructed her on the bus which bus stop to get off.

She had to give it to Max that the coffee shop was located in one of the good places of the city and it was blistering with corporate workers getting their morning dozes. Harper didn't have a class that morning so she decided to go to the coffee shop to do some research before she went for the interview. The workers dressed casually in black polo t-shirts and blue jeans with caps on their heads and brown leather aprons over their chests. 

She watched as one of the cashiers took an order, how brightly she smiled at the customer and how she made idle conversation as she attended him. Harper cringed as she opened her notebook and took out her pen. She wasn't good at making idle conversation with total strangers. Heck, she didn't even know how to smile nicely at a stranger! 

What made her think she was good enough to go for an interview for such a job. Max saw it himself when he found her in the dormitory and couldn't even greet him properly. She was awkward that way because she had been taught all her life that the b***h-face communicated better than anything else. In her click, no one dared to talk to her unless she gave them permission to do so. That was a lot different on campus because if she needed something, she needed to smile and talk to people even without permission. 

Harper sighed and wrote down a few notes. This was a little harder than she expected but she was going to learn all there was to learn.

Suddenly someone slipped in the seat opposite her and when Harper looked up, it was Max. He had a large grin on his face. "Never expected to see you here. I was very sure you were not going to come for the interview."

Harper tucked a lock at the back of her ear and leaned forward before she nervously said. "I need to learn about this job because I need the money. Clair has been more than generous with her food and stuff but I can't depend on her forever."

Max nodded and smiled fondly. "Clair has a big heart." Then narrowed his eyes at her and asked. "But what is your story, Harper? What happened to you?"

Harper looked down at her nails. She didn't want anyone to know about her past and her background especially with someone she was not used to. She could tell that Max was older which meant he was wiser and nonetheless, he was still a stranger.

When Max saw that Harper wasn't going to answer his question, he sighed and turned to the counter where people were still filling up in long queues to get their coffees. "Do you actually believe that you will learn by sitting here in this corner?"

Harper looked up at him, grateful that he didn't push her to share her story with him, and pointed to her notebook and pen. "I will write everything you tell me."

Max chuckled and got up before he removed his apron and handed it to her then took the laptop, her notebook, and pen. "That is not how we do things here. Come on." He started for the counter. 

Harper's eyes widened. She hoped he didn't think she would stand behind the counter and start selling coffee, did he? 

Crap!

Harper followed him behind the counter where he went and placed her stuff in the backroom then returned and frowned at her. "Put on the apron."

Excuse me! Harper screamed in her head. Who did he think he was commanding her like that? With a retort itching to tumble out of her mouth, Harper put on the apron. She couldn't insult her future boss. It would also look bad for Clair who was the one who asked that Max give her a chance. She needed to swallow her pride and get the job done. 

"This Nicho and he will be in charge of your training. Nicho, this is Harper, Clair's roommate and she will be here with us for a while--depending on how she performs today." Max gave her a smile and went on his way, leaving Harper shell-shocked, standing like a confused child in front of Nicho. This was her chance to prove herself to Max and she was going to do a good job. Her determination propelled her to new heights as she tied the apron behind her securely and turned to Nicho.

"We will start with the basics." He took her to the computer at the counter and showed her all the basics of making an order as more people piled inside. Harper wondered if this was the only coffee shop there and that was why it was famous or it was because it was new and everyone wanted in on this new experience. She listened carefully to what was being said to her and tried her best to keep up with the demands. She was struggling but so were the other two experienced girls taking the orders.

This was what normal people did every day to earn an income. The sheer devotion of their time to serve others and at the end of the day successfully execute their missions was what paid the bills every month. This was the side of the coin that Harper did not know about because money was being deposited in her account and she had ample to use throughout the month without giving thought of how that money was earned.

Her father worked tirelessly. He traveled, met up with people from across the globe, closed deals, and held charity funds. Most of the time, her father was not available for her and she didn't really complain because she replaced his fatherly love with material and money. 

"Brighten that smile, would you?" Nicho suddenly came to her, bringing her back to reality. 

Harper turned to Nicho with a scowl on her face and he did something that left her baffled. He reached forward and placed his thumbs on either side of her mouth then gently nudged her lips to smile. 

"There, much better," Nicho said in satisfaction as he went away.

Harper plastered the smile on her face and turned to her next customer. "Welcome to Bean There Coffee shop. How may I help you this morning."

The lady smiled brightly at her as she made her order. 

                                                                ******************

Kristofer eased his bike at the parking area on campus that afternoon and was surprised to see Harper making her way through campus looking exhausted. She had the computer bag on one shoulder and what looked like an apron and cap on the other. One side of Kristofer's mouth quirked up. He received her revisions last night and they were way better than he expected. It showed that she took the time to actually read the articles in the links he had sent her. She was a fast learner because she actually wanted to learn. It was not easy for her to be there, Kristofer could sense but she was making the best of it, not accepting defeat. 

Kristofer knew that Harper must have had a certain life where things were probably being done for her. He didn't want to judge her because this might as well be the first time that she is doing things for herself. She was very different from Melody who wanted people to do things for her and refused to put any effort into what she did because she had her parents' money to back her.

"Harper!" Kristofer approached her placing his hands in his jean pockets.

She stopped and turned to him, the surprise on her face evident because she was walking so obliviously across campus that she didn't notice anyone around her. Kristofer saw the way she ran her eyes over his bare hands that had tattoos from his shoulders all the way to his wrists. 

Kristofer wasn't apologetic about his appearance. He went through a phase in his life and those tattoos saved him in one way or the other. She just had to deal with them the same way she was dealing with him.

"Kris." She said breathlessly and tucked her hair behind her ear. 

"I was wondering if you have time to help me compile the assignment for Friday--"

"Oh hell no!" She waved her hands to dismiss him as she took a deep breath. "I went through hell today. I believe I just survived the end of the world today and you want me to help you do more work? Do you want me to die?"

"Woah, what happened?" Kristofer asked her.

Harper placed her hands on her waist sighed. "It was supposed to be a normal interview! Max, that little s**t!" She gritted her teeth as she imagined of him.

"You went for a job interview?" Kristofer frowned. Interviews were sometimes ugly but they were necessary if one wanted a job.

"It wasn't an interview, Kris! It was sheer torture!" She protested throwing her hands up in exaggeration. "And I got the job!"

"But you got the job. Why are you not happy about it?" 

"Because!" She exclaimed and swallowed hard. "Standing at that counter, smiling and saying 'Welcome to Bean There Coffee shop, how many I help you?' is sheer torture."

"But you are getting paid for that, right." He asked her.

She gave a begrudged shrug and nod. "Well, yeah."

"Then you are one of the lucky students to even get the opportunity of being hired. The competition is tight, almost ninety percent of the students here are looking for opportunities like that but they don't come easily." He assured her.

"Really?" Harper looked surprised as she received this information.

He nodded and started walking. She followed him behind. "But if you don't like it, you can always quit and someone else will get hire--"

"No, no, no." Kristofer saw the determination she always had when she wanted to put all her effort into something. "I think I will give it another chance."

Kristofer hid his smile as he turned away and asked again, "So, are you going to help me with the compilation?"

"Nah, you can do that all by your little self since you always have so much to say about my work, Mr. I'm-too-good-even-if-I'm-drunk. Bye!" She gave him a wave and went on her way, leaving Kristofer frowning at her.