FEAR OF A TYCOON

I woke up checking my alarm clock and noticed it didn't beep when I pulled the clock from the side of my bed. The time was 30 minutes earlier than my usual wake-up time. I let out a big sigh. I thought of how I would have fixed it when I was still struggling with my rent. I knew it would be about time the old lady would start banging on my flat door for my rent. I stood up lazily from my bed with my hair still packed in a messy bun, wearing a white oversize T-shirt and walked slowly to my matchbox-sized bathroom. I turned to the sink, picking my toothbrush from the side of the sink with my right hand, then my left hand with toothpaste in it. I applied a little on my brush, so I couldn’t empty the little amount left in the tube. I looked at myself in the mirror, staring at my hazel eyes and my almond white skin while I brushed my teeth. I thought of how boring and hard my life was, but I couldn’t think of a way out of it. The thought of living like this for the rest of my life made me spit the paste I had in my mouth. When I was done brushing, I pulled off my T-shirt and then turned on the shower. I turned on my water heater, which relaxed my stressed nerves. In a split second, I picked up a little tablet soap and rubbed it gently against my skin while I stayed in the shower for some time, not ready to start the day. The thought of my bills kept on replaying in my head then I turned off the shower and wrapped myself with my towel. my stomach growled, and I thought of what to eat while I was dressed in my uniform as a waitress, which was a black pair of jeans with a green medium-sized T-shirt that had Greenhill written in gold in the top left corner of the shirt in an exclusive restaurant. Then I remembered I ate my last portion of bread last night, which was the only food I had in my kitchen, and I always forgot to buy food stocks whenever I came back from work. I knew I wasn’t living a life and wondered why my salary was so small when I worked in such an elite restaurant. I put on my tiny pair of shoes and walked to the door with the thought of how I would survive the day in my hunger. I checked my watch. It was 7:30, with the hope that my day would go differently. Today, I opened my door. As soon as I locked it behind me, I walked hastily down the stairs of my apartment building. I couldn’t use the elevator because it had been out of order for two weeks. I wondered why there was poor maintenance of the building when the rent was upscale. Reaching the exit door, which was still the entrance door with a write-up that said “EXIT” from inside the building, while outside the building at the top of the door, it read “ENTRANCE”. I used the little savings I had kept in a box under my bed, so I could stop in a cab that would take me to Greenhill restaurant, which was where I worked. When they arrived at the restaurant, I played the cab driver and walked to the entrance. The doors were open as usual already by a middle-aged guy who worked as a waiter too and always came in earlier than me. I didn’t even know his name and wondered if he lived close by to get the restaurant open before 8:00. I walked to the back of the counter where my apron was hung by the side of the wall and strapped it around my slim waist. I took out a small notebook and a pen and stood by the corner of the counter waiting for customers to come buzzing through that door. It didn’t take long for them to have their first customer come in and was, then I went to the table. “ Good morning and welcome to Greenhill, please may I have your order ?” I took the lady’s order and sent it to the back when the chefs were already done with pastries, juice, teas, and morning breakfast ready. When the order was ready, I walked down to the lady and delivered my order to me. This was a routine. When it was afternoon, the menus would change with me taking orders and serving customers as they kept on coming till the day was over and the workers that worked on the night shift came in. I hung my apron on the wall behind the counter and then turned to see my only friend Amy, who worked as a cocktail mixer. She was short with dark skin and nice curves with big glasses. She was the only part of my life I found my happy place with. She cares for me and always checks up on me, but I wasn’t happy that I couldn’t call her all day. “Ruby, why did you turn off your cell phone? "I tried calling you to come over because it was my mum’s birthday,” Amy asked me with a confused expression. “Oh my, I’m so sorry I forgot your mum’s birthday was yesterday and I didn’t check my phone. "I’m so sorry about that but how did it go?” I wrapped my hands around me. “It went fine, and you should start being social, starting with using your phone. "You barely even use it to make calls,” Amy said in a worried tone. “I’ll try”. I tried to close the matter because I knew where this was going to. “I’m serious Amy, you have to talk about things happening outside this restaurant and your room”, Amy tried to convince me. “I will, I promise, wish your mum a happy birthday” I said while walking towards the door. “Take care of yourself !” Amy said in a loud tone, although I was halfway out the door.