024 Improvising

Kitty was starving when she woke up the next day. She waited in the bed, and then on the floor, in front of the French window and in the end, she was pacing back and forth in her room, for that breakfast, the one meal that was promised in her day now.

The knock on the door came through. Kitty jumped towards the door but she didn't open it. She was listening and waiting for the owner of the footstep to leave. Everything was the same except the fruit. It was pineapple today.

She took the plate back to her room and sit by the window, eating every bit of food on there. But she didn't leave right away after her satisfying breakfast.

She was thinking about the apprentice position of the hotel.

"Okay, let's do pros and cons." This was what her father always says when he tries to make any decision. He would teach her to analyze with reason and logic, and to see the essence of a thing, instead of following her intuition.

But in front of decisions, her mom would always make a fast choice and follow through. "You need to trust your heart, sweetie. Unlike logic, heart is warm."

She was always like a bright fire, warm and dazzling, while he was the ice, cold with logic and thoughts, deep like abyss.

Kitty started to talk to the fork she held in hand, as if talking to her parents about a simple question in life, like how they used to be talking on dinner table:

"So the good thing is, if I can work here, it would be closer to home and safe. Besides, bartending does sound like fun. Also the salary is great. The bad thing is, it's highly likely that it would require identification, which I don't really have. And if I get rejected, I'll be even more upset. So maybe I should check it out last instead."

"And the good things about working in the restaurant, is that it doesn't require identification, and I can start working right away; the bad things are that, it's heavy work load; the pay is bad; and I have to work far away from home."

The hotel was now already "home" for Kitty. She did love it here.

"Guess I should check out the restaurant first and secure one job at least." Kitty mumbled to herself and got dressed, thinking in silence. She liked to talk to herself when she was alone, but she falls into silence when she really got caught up in her thoughts.

Stood in the elevator, Kitty waited for a long time before she noticed that she didn't hit the button of the 1st floor. "What the..." Kitty knocked on her forehead and held out her hand, but she paused for a second and hit the 19th floor instead.

"What the hell. I have to know before I leave. I cannot think about this all day." Said to herself, Kitty totally abandoned her plan she made on the invisible dinner table on the 61th floor and improvised. Just like always, she'd listen to her father but do what her mother would do.

At least this time, she was properly dressed.

Kitty took a deep breath and went to knock on the floor at the end of the hallway.

"Yes, come in." A man answered.

Kitty stuck her head in and saw a man with a polite smile on his face, looking at her. She stepped inside and sat on the chair across him: "Hello, I'm here for the position of the apprentice."

"I see. What makes you think you are suitable for the job?" The man nodded and folded the file in front of him, which struck Kitty as weird. Wouldn't the interviewer open a file when an interview starts? Why was he closing one instead?

"Well, I'm interested in learning bartending, I'm a quick leaner, and I live here in the hotel." Kitty added that last reason in the last second. It would be more convenient for them, right?

She looked at the man nervously, but to her surprise, he rose an eye brow at that last sentence, stared at her for a while, and said: "You are hired."

Really?! Did that really happen? She's hired for the position when an experienced bartender was rejected?!

"Hmm, thanks, but why?" Kitty couldn't stop herself before she asked the stupid question.

"Well, you said you want to learn, right? That's the most important part. Being a blank paper is sometimes better for a painter than one that already have a bad drawing on it."

Fair point.

Kitty stood up in excitement and bowed at him: "Thanks so much for giving me this opportunity!"

He nodded and give her a paper set aside on the table: "Take this to the front desk and they'll instruct you from there."

"Okay!" Kitty turned to leave, and suddenly she gasped and turned back, staring at the man: "You!-- you... are you making me this offer because you are Erebus's friend?"

The man looked up at her with subtle smile, but it was not an expression of friendlyness, more like he was listening to something funny in his head.

"Ohh, nooo. I'm not his 'friend'."

"Oh... Really? He said he was friend with the owner." Kitty frowned at his reaction, but it didn't seem like he was lying.

"Well, I'm not the owner either. I just work for him." He crossed his fingers, looking at her with a calm face, as if waiting for more questions from her. But his gesture was saying that he could provide perfect explanation for any question she might have.

Kitty nodded and took a deep breath: "Well, is an identification needed then?"

That was her biggest worry. Guess even Erebus wouldn't do something like asking his friend to give her a fake job.

The man opened the file in front of him hearing her question: "You said you live here right? Just your room key will do."

He waved his hand as if saying identification was no big deal, or that she could go. Either one, Kitty was ready and ran on his signal.

She's got a job! A great one at that, too!

She held the paper tight in her hand and head for the elevator. She had been really lucky recently, and it all started from the moment she met Erebus. He saved her life, gave her a home, a real home -- this hotel room, AND he DID make her feel safe and cared about, no matter what happened later.

Now that she thought about it, he made her the same offer though. He was teaching her himself about bartending, and there was no catch. Kitty slowed down her steps, thinking hard on this.

Why didn't she feel as grateful and excited when he gave her a job as bartender? His care for her came so naturally that she didn't even notice it. She was happy and safe with him, even though she didn't know. But with the job the hotel offered her, she felt more grateful because she didn't expect them to treat her good, or better than other people at least.

Does this mean, she expected him to treat her good?

She trusted him THAT much, THAT early?! Even before she knew that herself?!

She thought she was saving herself from heartbreaking by staying away from Erebus before she falls for him deeper, but turned out it was too late already, and now...

Now, she suddenly felt like she lost something beautiful and priceless, without even knowing she had had it.