CHAPTER 2
1487 Words
Mr Delgado's building was full of people, men and women who did not know what it was like to be really tired.They walked around like they owned the place , I mean they walked with confidence like they were better than everyone . They talked loudly like what they had to say was more important than what Mr. Delgado's building people like me had to say.. They never even looked at me at people like me. That was the kind of being invisible that I had gotten used to that Mr. Delgado building people, like me had to live with.
I started by cleaning the conference room. The conference room was the thing I cleaned.
The room was really big, with a table and chairs that seemed like they came from a very old place.I cleaned the surfaces put the chairs in order and made the glass shine until I could see my face in it. It was a little fuzzy . I kept polishing the glass until the room looked nice and the glass was very clear and chairs and the long table looked nice too like the room was ready for people to use the table and chairs.
A few minutes. Then the meeting started. Some men wearing expensive suits came into the room and took their seats. I was standing by the door holding a bunch of towels trying to act like I was not there just standing there with the towels.
People were talking about deals and profits and numbers. Their voices were really sharp and confident and loud. I found myself listening to what they had to say about deals and profits and numbers. Sometimes I would think to myself what if I had been born into a family would my life be all, about deals and profits and numbers too?
My fathers face would come to mind. I would see how tired his eyes always looked. He worked hard on the farm just to make sure my family had something to eat. My father would give me his bit of money and he would do it without even thinking about it. I would remember my father doing these things for me. It would make me think about my father and all that he did for us. My father was a kind man and I would remember the way my father took care of me.
I will stop dreaming. My dreams will have to wait. I have to let go of all my dreams. The time has come for me to stop dreaming about things that I want. I will stop dreaming.
When the meeting was over the men got up and left in a hurry they were still talking to each other as they walked away. I cleaned up the room then I went to the hallway. Cleaned the rest of the building. My work was the same every single day but I made sure I never got used to it. I always stayed focused on the cleaning work, the daily cleaning work.
I was still me.
I still felt every ache. I felt every pain that I had. I also felt every hope that I had inside of me. Every hope was still there.
By midday I had already been working for hours. The day was still going on. The work was not finished yet. I knew the day was not over. The day never really was over, for me.
I went outside to take a break and I bought a snack from a guy selling food on the street. The snack was really cheap. It was so good. I closed my eyes. Took a bite of the snack and, for a second everything was calm. The snack was amazing it really was, the snack tasted like heaven.
The calm did not last for a long time.
I had another job. That is why I was not able to do this. The other job took up a lot of my time. I was busy, with the job.
I had a job in the evening at a small restaurant , near the train station, where I worked as a cleaner. The money I got from this job was not a lot. It was enough to keep my family and me alive. It was enough to keep my father from having a harder time to keep my father from struggling even more with the restaurant job and the cleaner job being my main source of income the restaurant cleaner job.
I got to the restaurant at 4:00 p.m.. I was already really tired. The lights inside the restaurant were super bright and of hurt my eyes. The restaurant smelled like food. Also like the cleaning stuff they use to wipe down the tables. The people who work at the restaurant know me. They know that I do not talk much. The workers, at the restaurant know that I am a worker.
Some people smiled at me. A few of them had a smile, on their face when they looked at me.
“Hey, Ellie!” one of the waitresses called.
I smiled back.
“Hi,” I said.
The owner, Mr. Baines was a guy but he was fair. He did not make me feel like I was nothing. The owner, Mr. Baines respected the work I did. He thought my effort was good.
Eleanor he said to her you need to make sure the back tables are clean. The place is going to be really busy tonight, with a lot of people coming. He wanted Eleanor to get the back tables ready.
I said yes to the man.
I moved fast I wiped down all the tables I swept the whole floor and I washed a lot of dishes. My hands a lot.I did not doing what I was doing.I kept going and going with the tables and the floor and the dishes I never stopped worked on the tables and the floor and the dishes
The customers. Went. They were. Talking. The customers really enjoyed their meals. The customers ate like the customers had not eaten in a time.
I stood back. Looked at them and I had a really weird feeling inside. It was like I wanted to be with them. At the same time I was also mad at them. I felt this strong longing to be close to them. I also felt resentment, towards them.
I have this feeling of longing because I really want a life like that. A life, like that is what I have always wanted.
I felt resentment because I knew I would never get thing that I wanted. The thing that I wanted was something that I really desired. I felt resentment because I knew it was not going to happen. I think about the thing that I wanted. It makes me feel resentment.
The night went on and on. The restaurant started to get really crowded. I had to work harder. I was moving around all the time like a ghost. People were always around me. I was always, in the background so nobody really saw me. The restaurant was full of people. I was just trying to do my job like the restaurant staff always do.
The clock finally struck 10:00pm.. I felt relieved. I was so glad the clock had struck 10:00pm. Because I was waiting for that moment. I let out a big sigh.
“Goodnight Eleanor,” Mr Baines said
‘Good, sir,’I replied.
I walked out of the restaurant and into the night air. The restaurant was behind me now. I was standing outside in the night air. It felt really nice to be out of the restaurant and, into the night air.
The streets were really dark now. It is quieter. It feels more dangerous. There are not streetlights around. They are far apart. The sidewalk is empty.
I started my walk home. I was going home. It felt nice. My walk home was very quiet. I just kept walking.
My body was really tired. My mind was still thinking about things. I thought about my father. What he would be doing. My father would probably eat a dinner tonight. I thought about my father and the little smile my father would give me when I got home.
I pictured him standing by the window waiting for me just like he did every time.
I felt the weight of my bag on my shoulder. This bag had everything in it. My clothes were in the bag. My dreams were in the bag. My life was in the bag. The bag was really important, to me. I was carrying my life in the bag.
I kept walking and I did not stop I just kept on walking.
The road was long.
The night was silent.
And I didn’t know that life was about to change forever.
- Writer
