When I Met You

“Cassie! There's a table left unattended,” Ms Miller said. “I'm on my way”. I quickly went to the table at the corner occupied by two people, a man and a woman. They seemed to be together, given their closeness. “Good morning,” I bowed my head, “What can I get you?” The man looked at the woman and nodded. She pointed to the fifth item on the menu. “French croissants and Café au lait,” Her voice was buttery with a hint of a French accent. I turned to the man. “And you?” “I'll get whatever she's having.” I bowed again before leaving, passing another couple. There were so many couples today. I submitted the order and returned soon after with a tray, but my mind kept wandering. A young girl just came in, all bright and bubbly. She looked so beautiful and free. I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. A painful nudge on my shoulders brought me back, the tray slipping out of my hands. I caught it before it could fall and turned to see a tall, feminine figure I would recognize anywhere. Merideth, the assistant head waitress. “Here is your order,” I said, arriving at the table and carefully arranging the contents. They gave a brief thank you before facing themselves. It was time for my break. I left the dining area and went to the break room. I looked around, and a few other workers were there, paired and occupied with their own thoughts. A girl, Jasmine, caught me staring and waved, but that was all she did. I gave her a small smile and waved back. I sighed and sat down on a chair bringing out my phone, there were no messages. “Hey!” someone said, making me look up. Merideth stood In front of me. “You were distracted again today. You almost caused a scene.” I flinched; she had seen that. “How many times will I have to warn you? The mistress decided to give you a chance, I don't even know why, yet you keep f*****g up. A few days ago, you broke two plates that you couldn't even pay for,” she scoffed,” Of course, you couldn't. You are just lucky the mistress is kind.” The room was silent, they knew better than to interrupt her. All eyes were on us. I felt so small. Merideth noticed. “Everyone, back to work!” she said, and in a few seconds, the room was empty. She turned back to me. “What do you have to say for yourself?” I lowered my head. “I'm sorry.” She scoffed. “If you make another slip-up, I will make sure you get fired. Get to work. Now!” Soon, the last customer left, and it was time to retire. I rested on the counter, tired from the countless orders I'd taken throughout. Muffled voices caught my attention, and I locked eyes with two female staff- from the kitchen. My cheeks turned red, word had spread fast. They gave me a small sympathetic smile before hurrying out. I sighed. I know I didn't have it bad, no one hated me, but I had expected more. A friend at least. But I was good at pretending, I had pretended all my life and now was no different. I just had to focus on what I came for; money. A cold breeze hit my face as I stepped out. I was going back to that cold, lonely house. Is this what my life would always look like? On busy days, I took extra shifts, but for some reason, the day wrapped up quickly. It was as though all those couples had places to be. Young love. I smiled. Maybe one day, life would be better, and I could just - I let the thought fade. Being wistful would do me no good. The road was empty, just a few cars around, and two teenagers walking further down. It was almost dark. I loved it. I loved evenings. The clouds that would warp into different shapes while I tried to identify them, and the cool breeze. Sometimes I took photos, but they were never clear. I couldn't even dream of owning a camera. I removed my earphones from my bag and placed them in my ears. I allowed myself to drown into the music, it made me forget. I looked around, and there was no one nor vehicle in sight. I was alone. I started swaying to the music, moving my arms around, swaying my hips, and twirling. I laughed a little and twirled again, but froze when I saw a car coming towards me. Move! Move! Move! My mind screamed, and I tried to, but my legs refused to. Suddenly, everything became clearer; my senses became sharper. I could hear everything from the tires scraping the ground to the slight whistling of the breeze. I locked eyes with the driver, his eyes wide, mouth agape and hands gripping the steering wheel tight. The bumper smashed into my knees, the sound of my bones crushing filling my ears. My body was flung backwards, knocking the air out of my lungs. I collided into the hood of the car, my head smashing into the windscreen. There was a mixture of glass and blood flying around, accompanied by a loud ringing in my ears. I started falling and was met with the hard, jagged edges of asphalt digging into my skin. The air left my lungs. This was it.