the weight of...
944 Words
“What is wrong with you, Stella?” Jennifer finally snapped, her voice sharp with frustration. Her hands trembled as she clutched the rag she had been using, and her face was flushed from both exhaustion and anger.
Stella, unfazed, raised her brows and replied in a calm, almost detached tone. “What’s the problem?”
“The problem?” Jennifer’s voice cracked as her patience frayed. “We could have lost this job! Do you realize that?”
The room they were in was cramped and dusty, a storeroom where they had been ordered to sort through piles of discarded supplies. Sweat clung to their foreheads, and the dim light bulb above flickered, making the shadows in the corners seem larger than life. For Jennifer, every task felt like survival—like the fragile thread that kept food on their table.
But Stella… Stella never seemed to bend.
“The fact that we are poor,” Stella said, rolling her eyes with an expression that was more weary than rebellious, “doesn’t give them the right to treat us like trash. How many times have I told you that?” She folded her arms across her chest, her chin slightly lifted as if daring anyone—even Jennifer—to challenge her view.
Jennifer pressed her lips together, inhaling slowly, as though trying to push the frustration down deep inside where it wouldn’t burst out again. “I know,” she admitted softly. “I know, but please… not now, Stella. We don’t have a choice. Let’s just work, earn the money… maybe one day, we’ll be rich enough that no one will look down on us again.”
The vulnerability in Jennifer’s voice pierced the silence. For a moment, even Stella’s unshaken confidence faltered.
“Okay,” Stella said at last, her voice gentler this time. She drew in a deep breath, as if surrendering for the sake of peace.
Jennifer’s eyes lit up with relief. She grabbed Stella’s hand with childlike desperation. “Okay? Promise me then. Promise me you won’t get us into trouble, or worse—sacked.” Her big brown eyes softened into a pleading puppy-like stare.
Stella let out a long sigh, rolling her eyes dramatically though her lips curved into a faint smile. “Fine. I promise.”
“Good!” Jennifer squealed, her relief overflowing as she suddenly threw her arms around Stella. “You’re the best!”
Caught off guard, Stella stiffened at first—affection wasn’t something she was used to—but she allowed the hug, her eyes darting to the side with an awkward sigh.
---
On the other side of the street, a familiar figure was approaching, her silhouette instantly recognizable. Elena.
Elena was about their age, maybe older, though the hardships of the street made it hard to tell. Her sharp features carried a smugness that never seemed to leave, and her smirk was a permanent curve on her lips. She strolled toward them, her hips swaying with arrogance, the clinking of the cheap jewelry around her neck making her presence even more pronounced.
“Well, well,” Elena drawled, folding her arms as she stopped in front of them. “What’s up?”
Jennifer tensed, instinctively retreating behind Stella.
Stella’s protective side flared. Her stance shifted, her shoulders squaring like a shield. “Are you here to bully Jennifer again? Because if you are, don’t even think about it.” Her tone was low but commanding, the kind of voice that carried both warning and promise.
Elena tilted her head back and let out a mocking laugh. “Relax, mama bear. I’m not here to pick a fight today.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she leaned in slightly. “I just came to see if you two managed to get the job.”
“Not yet,” Stella replied curtly, her voice cold.
“But we will,” Jennifer piped up from behind, her voice shaking but determined. “And when we do, we’ll kick your butt.”
Elena laughed again, the sound shrill and cruel. “Fools. Do you honestly think they’re going to hire you? You’re nothing but entertainment to them. They don’t want workers—they just want to humiliate you.”
Her words cut like knives, but she delivered them with the sweetness of venom. Then, with one last sneer, she turned on her heel and walked away, her laughter echoing down the narrow street.
Jennifer’s fists clenched. “I hate her,” she muttered, her voice small but filled with fire.
Stella’s gaze followed Elena until she disappeared around the corner. Her jaw tightened, but her voice was calm, almost a whisper, as she said, “We’ll see about that.”
---
For a moment, silence settled between them. The distant hum of traffic and the occasional shout from vendors at the end of the street filled the void.
Jennifer sank down on the curb, her body suddenly heavy with the weight of exhaustion. “Why does it always feel like the world is laughing at us?” she whispered.
Stella crouched down beside her, resting her elbows on her knees. Her face softened in a rare moment of vulnerability. “Because they think we’re weak,” she said quietly. “But we’re not. And one day, they’ll see that.”
Jennifer glanced up, her eyes glistening with both fear and hope. “Do you really believe that?”
Stella’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles, her voice steady and unyielding. “I don’t just believe it. I know it.”
And in that small, fragile moment, Jennifer believed too.
- Writer
