TWO

Adrianna Sterling’s POV

12:00 pm Tuesday, 5th of July.

I wave of dizziness washed over my head, but I had to shake it off. I was tired but couldn’t afford to rest, not with my current responsibilities.

I was cleaning the dishes being used in the White Rose restaurant and I widened my eyes to prevent myself from falling dizzy again.

“Adrianna, the customers aren’t gonna eat with bare hands. You gotta hurry up.” I heard a voice call from the kitchen door, urging me to step up. I didn’t dawdle either and I hurried with my job. It wasn’t until six o’clock in the evening before I finally had my rest.

Once the time was up, I left the restaurant and went straight to the city hospital. Dusk was setting and the night was a bit cold, but it didn’t matter to me. I have always lived my life in fear of losing the only person I have left in this world, my mother. That fear has been my driving force to keep me moving, even if my mother can no longer move. Because I know that if I lose her, my will to live might be no more.

I walked into the hospital and arranged with the receptionist, who allowed me entry and a nurse led me to the ward. At the same time, she used the opportunity to check on my mother. Seeing my mother in that pitiful state made my heart ache so much. She was lying on the bed almost lifeless with an oxygen breather on her mouth and a life support machine by her side. I couldn’t help but feel the urge to shed tears.

“How is she?” I asked with a tone filled with fatigue and worry. The nurse gave me a solemn look and sighed.

“She’s currently stabilized but still needs surgery. We can’t conduct the surgery for her unless you’ve cleared the bill, but we can only keep her stabilized like this for about a month. I’m sorry about this.” The nurse sympathized and I nodded before looking at my mother.

I held her hand and massaged it gently, tears welling up from my eyes. “Hey, mum. Just wanted to let you know that I’m doing fine, and I want you to recover as fast as you can. You don’t need to worry about me, I will pay for your surgery even if it costs me my life. I just want to see you awake and well.” I said before sobbing. The nurse had already left the ward, so it was just my mother and me.

“I miss you, mum. I miss you.”

************

“Good morning, Miss.” I greeted with a smile on my face as I gave a lady her food order. She returned the gesture, and she took the food off my hands. Today, I wasn’t just an ordinary dishwasher, but a waitress. Big change, right? I get it.

It wasn’t a promotion, but this is just another place I'm working. Yes, I'm the waitress in this restaurant while I am a dishwasher in another. I work shifts after all, and I sometimes do midnight shifts in a few places. Anything that can get money on my table.

Despite my situation, I’m forced to keep a smile every day so that I don’t make it so obvious what I’m going through. Well, a few people do try to take advantage of my smile, but it never ends well for them... well, most of them.

“Adrianna, we’ve got a new customer on table seven, go get his order.” My partner, a red-haired girl, informed me.

“Sure.” I blurted before taking the notepad from the table and going towards table seven to take the new customer’s order. Before getting there, I took out my pen and wore my regular smile.

“Good morning, Mister. What can I get for you this...” I said but I got speechless the moment I set my eyes on him. I already saw a brief outline of his body which made me know he was a man, but when I saw his face, I couldn’t believe my own eyes.

Given my occupation, I had to naturally see a lot of people, especially men. But none of them looked special or particularly handsome to the point of having an interest in them. However, I didn’t understand how it was with this man. He just seemed... different.

He had smooth and smooth brown hair, with silver-coloured eyes. His figure seemed to be a bit moderate, even under the suit. His eyes, however, were cold and exhausted. To me, those eyes had so much depth in them and for someone as sensitive as me, I could tell that he was having a tough time. To me, he was like any other man, except that I felt... a bit curious about him.

“Hello? Are you going to take my order or are you going to keep staring at me?” His deep cold voice brought me back to reality and I found myself getting tense.

“I am so sorry. Please don’t be offended. What should I get you, sir?” I asked while my cheeks were slightly red due to embarrassment.

“A latte and two burgers. Extra sugar in the latte please.” He mentioned and I noted it down. Although it was short, my memory could be sometimes out of place. I nodded and smiled at him while clutching my notepad.

“Your order will be ready in a minute,” I said before rushing away to get his food ready. I gave it to those in the kitchen and they began to prepare it. As for the latte, I did that one. While I was preparing his coffee, I couldn’t help but think about his expression. His eyes were... they revealed some sort of hidden pain. The dark lines around them showed that he had been lacking sleep and although he seemed quite well off, rich even, as the car keys on his table portrayed it, he didn’t look happy.

I suddenly realized that I was overthinking things, and I shook my head vigorously. ‘Get it together, Adrianna. Everyone had their problems. It’s not your business to interfere in other people’s business. You’ve got your problems too.’ I convinced myself and I finished making his latte. At the same time, I got his order from the kitchen in less than a minute and I placed it all on a tray before serving him.

“Here you go, sir,” I uttered as I dropped the food and left his front. I took a glance at his face before shaking my head dejectedly inside.