Chapter 3: Crushed Hope
1524 Words
"So what did you do about it? Did you find someone to help out?" Lily asked Anna as they changed into their waitress uniforms.
"Yes, I did. A neighbor came in and helped me kill the snake. I'm telling you, I was so scared. I didn't know what to do or who to call, but thank God someone came to help me," Anna answered as she adjusted her clothes properly.
"I really don't think that place is good enough for you, Anna. It's a dangerous area, you know," Lily said worriedly.
Anna considered what Lily said and knew that she was right. If Anna had a choice, she wouldn't live in a place like that.
"I know, Lily. I will move out as soon as I can afford it," Anna replied.
"Okay, let's go now. Be careful tonight, Anna. The customers today have been drinking a lot; they tend to get touchy when they're too drunk," Lily said.
Anna and Lily walked into the bustling club with vibrant colors. The air thrummed with the pulse of deep bass music. Glittering chandeliers hung overhead, and the lively crowd swayed and danced to the rhythm.
Anna expertly navigated the throng with practiced ease. It had been difficult the first few weeks, but she had finally gotten the hang of it.
She was now balancing a tray of colorful cocktails and serving the customers, keeping a smile on her face. The music was affecting her mood; she was excited by the atmosphere and hoped that soon she could also come to a club to have fun and not work.
Anna continued serving the guests. She felt today was going well despite what had happened earlier in the day. She shook the memory away.
This wasn't the time to think about Adrian.
Suddenly, Anna felt someone grab her waist and pull her down. She realized she was sitting on someone's lap.
"Come on, girl, drink with me," the man who had forced her to sit said drunkenly. Anna jumped off his lap, startled by the sudden harassment.
She tried to calm down and speak reasonably to the man.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't join you. I'm just here to do my job, which is to serve you your drinks. I would appreciate it if you didn't do that again," Anna said politely.
The man suddenly got up, looking insulted, and grabbed Anna's hair, pulling her face dangerously close to his mouth.
"Hey, b***h, if I tell you to drink with me, you drink with me. How dare you try to educate me about what your job is? Are you calling me dumb?" he shouted angrily over the loud music.
"Please let me go," Anna pleaded as she struggled to push the man away.
He didn't listen and yanked her head closer. Anna panicked and started hitting him with all her strength, but she couldn't overpower him.
Everyone was busy dancing and serving, and it seemed no one noticed what was happening. In desperation, Anna picked up a bottle on the table with her free hand and smashed it on the man's head.
He pushed her away in shock, and Anna noticed the man was bleeding, but she couldn't care less, as long as she was free from the abusive man.
Her heart beat rapidly as she tried to run away, but fortunately, the manager seemed to have noticed something was happening and rushed over.
"What's going on here?" the manager said angrily to Anna. "Why is our customer bleeding?"
"That b***h hit me with a bottle!" he shouted angrily, pointing to Anna as he held his bleeding head.
"I'm so sorry, sir," the manager said, trying to calm the man. "I will take my employee away and question her about this. Please let us attend to you; the cut looks bad," he said.
Two other waiters rushed forward with a first aid kit and helped the man sit. The scene had finally drawn attention, and everyone was looking at Anna and the bleeding customer.
The manager dragged Anna into his office.
"What the hell happened out there? Are you trying to ruin my business?" he shouted angrily.
Anna, finally realizing how bad the situation was, tried to explain herself.
"No, sir, I'm really sorry for what happened. The customer startled me and forced me to sit on his lap, asking me to drink with him. When I explained that I was only there to serve drinks, he suddenly grabbed my hair and wouldn't let go. I hit him with the bottle in panic. I really apologize; please don't fire me," Anna pleaded with unshed tears in her eyes.
Tears of shock at what the man had done and the job she was about to lose.
"So what if he asked you to drink with him? It's just a drink. What was all the fuss about?" the manager shouted angrily.
"Look, I'm sorry, but I can't keep you here. Everyone saw what happened. Do you want a rumor to spread that the waiters abuse and harm the customers? I'm gonna need to let you go. Please drop your uniform in the changing room and leave," the manager said.
Anna's eyes widened, and the tears fell.
"Can't you please reconsider? I have been very good at my job. I have never caused any trouble before. Please help me out," Anna said desperately to the manager.
But it seemed his mind was made up as he walked to his drawer and pulled out some cash. He counted an amount and returned the rest to his drawer.
He pointed the money at Anna.
"Here's your pay. I removed the compensation for damages that you caused. Leave and don't come back," he said angrily, his eyes blazing.
"What do you mean you removed money for damages? He harassed me, and I only broke one bottle to defend myself," Anna said angrily.
"The customer is bleeding. You think he won't ask for compensation? Do you want to take this to the police station? There's no CCTV in that area; it'll be your word against his," the manager concluded.
Anna's shoulders slumped with devastation. Everything seemed to be working against her. She had thought the day would end well, then this happened.
Anna walked out of the office and to the changing room to change her clothes.
"Anna, I heard what happened. Are you alright?" Lily asked, rushing towards Anna and holding her arms.
"I'm alright," Anna said, smiling sadly. "But I was fired. I'm leaving now."
"What? Why are you the one fired? The man obviously started it," Lily exclaimed angrily.
Anna just shook her head, not wanting to talk about it anymore. She was too tired to go over the details.
"Well, I will miss you, Lily, but I have to leave now," Anna said.
"Alright, Anna. Take care of yourself," Lily replied.
Anna walked back home, the weight of her situation crushing her. She counted the money she had been paid, but it would only be enough for her to survive for a few days.
She needed to get a job. A real job. After all, she had a business degree, but she hadn't been able to get a job yet because of the two-year gap on her resume.
She had not been able to do a proper job while taking care of her grandmother. She had done part-time jobs and odd jobs in order to provide for herself and her grandma after her aunt and uncle had claimed they were financially struggling and couldn't send any more money for grandma's treatment.
Anna arrived home and slumped back on her makeshift chair. She really needed to find a good job.
She opened up her phone and checked if she had gotten any replies to the job applications she had made.
There was nothing there. Anna sighed again.
How would she survive now? she thought.
Her mind wandered back to Adrian and Felicia's engagement party earlier in the day.
Her mood was just dark. It seemed the universe really despised her. She just wanted a break.
Suddenly her phone rang. She saw it was Vera, her best friend, calling and she picked up.
"Hello, Vera. What's going on?" Anna asked dejectedly.
"Hello there, Anna. Guess what happened?" Vera said excitedly over the phone. Anna wasn't really in the mood for that.
"What is it, Vera? I have no idea," Anna said.
"I got you a slot for an interview as a personal secretary at the company where I work!" Vera shouted happily.
Anna jumped up, suddenly full of energy.
"Really? Seriously, Vera? Oh my God, thank you, thank you so much. What's the name of the company?"
"West International Corporation! Just be there tomorrow by 9 am for the interview. Don't be late, okay?" she said.
"Of course, I understand. Oh my God, thank you, Vera," Anna said, ending the call and sitting back on the chair.
Gladness filled her heart as she suddenly had hope again.
Suddenly something flashed into her memory.
West International Corporation? Wait, wasn't that Adrian's family company?
And just like that, all her hope crashed down again.
- Writer
