Serenade of Secrets

Hera gazed towards the door of her mother's hospital room. Ah, she had been staring at it for the past 10 minutes. Hoping for a miracle.

"Alright, I'll think about everything while working today," Hera said eventually. She decided to get up and hurriedly make her way to a restaurant. Of course, to work.

Hera quickened her pace. Ah, she was almost late for today. But thankfully, her boss was aware of her situation so far. So, she felt relieved about that.

"Almost there," Hera muttered. She then rushed to change her clothes and started working.

Today, Hera had the afternoon shift. That meant she would work until nightfall. No problem, she preferred working at that time because if it were in the morning, she would have to go back to the hospital to take care of her critically ill mother.

"Hera, I thought you wouldn't come today," said Jessy - one of her understanding colleagues, just like her boss, of course.

Hera looked at Jessy and smiled, "Of course I'll come, besides, I've already had 2 consecutive days off this week."

"It's okay if you get another day off, Hera. Besides, David knows about it. He's so good to all of us," Jessy said.

Hera sighed deeply upon hearing that, "David is a very kind boss, I feel bad-"

"Cappuccino and chocolate milkshake."

Upon hearing the shout from the cashier, Hera and Jessy immediately rushed to do their respective tasks.

And as time passed, more and more customers came to the restaurant. They didn't come alone, some of them even came with colleagues or family members.

Dv Resto was a restaurant owned by David, which he had managed for the past two years. Unlike a five-star restaurant, Dv Resto still looked luxurious in its interior. However, it offered a more relaxed and informal atmosphere compared to most five-star restaurants.

"I heard David will be arriving in a few days," Jessy said while serving some dishes there.

Hera fell silent for a moment and then turned to Jessy, "Really? Where did David go?"

"He's taking care of something in California, I don't know what exactly," Jessy replied.

Hera nodded understandingly. Maybe David left early this morning, he hadn't even arrived at the restaurant yet, so it was understandable that Hera didn't know.

Before they knew it, it was already 8 PM, but the restaurant was still bustling. Perhaps because it was Friday, some of them chose to visit the restaurant before returning home.

"Are you okay being alone in the kitchen? Aren't you scared?" Jessy asked while taking off the apron she had been wearing.

Hera chuckled as she was about to carry some dishes, "Oh, relax. Besides, I'm used to all of this. Go home, you've spent over an hour here already. You should have left the kitchen at 7."

"I can even stay here until you really close the restaurant. Besides, it's so busy outside. Not like usual. Or is it because it's Friday?" Jessy muttered.

Hera smiled as she looked at the woman, "Alright, Jessy, you can go home now. Have you forgotten about the TV series you have to watch tonight?"

Suddenly, Jessy widened her eyes, "Oh, right. Why did I forget about it?"

Immediately, Jessy bid farewell to the kitchen. But before leaving the kitchen completely, Jessy turned to Hera once again, "Don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything, okay?"

Hera smiled at her once again, "Okay, Jessy. You're so caring."

Jessy laughed, and then left the place.

Hera took a deep breath. She immediately grabbed a tissue next to her and wiped her face before going to serve some dishes for the customers outside.

"Hera, can you handle it?" David suddenly asked in front of her.

Hera widened her eyes as she carried a tray containing two glasses of drinks, "Oh, hi, David. I thought you would come back in a few days."

"It should have been like that. But apparently, everything has been settled, even faster than I thought," replied David, who was about to take over the large black tray, but Hera stopped him.

"No, you must be tired from your journey. Sit down, I'll be right back," Hera said.

"But you're not alone for tonight, right?" David asked, seeming quite concerned.

"Some staff are in the kitchen preparing the food. I'm just helping them carry some dishes," Hera replied.

David nodded, "Okay, I'll wait for you at table number 9."

Hera smiled and then hurried towards table number 6, where the drinks would be served.

However, suddenly, Hera felt uneasy. Somehow it made her worried. As much as possible, Hera tried to stay focused on her work, especially since she was carrying two large glasses of drinks at the moment.

"Why is my mind on Mom? What's happening at the hospital?" Hera muttered to herself.

Brak!

"Oh, fantastic. You even bathed his body with that drink."

Hera was startled. She tried to refocus and was shocked to see that one of the glasses she was carrying on the tray had fallen and managed to wet the table and a man there.

Hera widened her eyes. What had actually happened?

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Why did you spill the drink on my friend? Are you sleepy?" asked a man sitting in front of Hera this time.

Hera immediately put down the drink and took out a special napkin she used to clean up things like this.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hera said, trembling. She even immediately knelt down to clean the white shirt which had changed color due to the spilled drink.

"You have to replace it. My friend really doesn't like it when someone messes up his stuff, especially his clothes," said a man, whom Hera believed was the friend of the silent man who was staring at Hera while she was trying to clean it up. But, it seemed futile.

"We're sorry. I'll take full responsibility for everything," David said instantly, appearing among them all.

"Oh, are you the manager of this restaurant? Or perhaps the owner of this restaurant?" the man asked, he had been talking a lot since earlier.

"I'm the owner. Alright, how much do I owe you?" David asked.

The victim didn't speak at all since earlier. Unlike his friend who was beside him.

"No need, you don't have to pay," the man said instantly, still looking at Hera who was still kneeling and looking at him.

***