Chapter Three

Marcella groaned as she woke up from the blaring sound of her alarm clock before reaching over to turn it off. It was 4am and she wasn't a morning person by any means. She groggily got up from her bed and slowly padded out of her small room to the bathroom with a hand on her head. Gosh, she hated Mondays.

Stepping into the bathroom, she switched on the lights and was met with her reflection staring back at her. Her hair looked even wilder and crazier than usual and she scowled at it.

The brown curly hair was the bane of her existence and the only reason why she woke up an hour earlier than normal just to try and make it look presentable. Hair straighteners didn't work on it, and the various assorted hair products which lined the shelf beside the mirror that promised straight sleek hair were just a waste of her hard earned money. 

She gingerly picked up her toothbrush and hurriedly brushed her teeth before undressing. Assessing her familiar nude body, she felt insecure as she took in the sight of her small body from the mirror. 

Latinas were supposed to be blessed with a curvy body but it seemed she missed the memo. Her small breasts made her look like a teenage girl and were another source of insecurity for her. 

She was starting a new job at a bar across town as a waitress later that day and hoped she wouldn't be fired for not having an attractive figure. 

Standing underneath the shower head and running her hands through the soaked hair which fell all the way to her waist, she inwardly prayed that her clumsiness also didn't make her lose the job. 

Stepping out and towelling herself dry quickly, she brushed her hair in sections before gathering it all into a bun atop her head and no matter how much she tried, some stubborn short curls still sprang free and were sticking out in all directions. 

She silently cursed and used a mousse to run through each of them so they at least fell around her face. Going back to her room, she threw a simple white tee-shirt and black jeans before hurriedly stepping out to go check on her Nana in a room down the corridor. Slowly opening the door, she peeked into the room and saw her chest still slowly rising up and down which indicated that she was still asleep. 

She slowly closed the door and went to the small kitchenette to prepare a breakfast of mac and cheese. Her Nana had been falling sick much more frequently which had prompted her to get a second job as a bartender. Working in the small coffee shop part time as a barista wasn't paying as much as they needed and the medication she was picking up for her Nana were quite expensive.

She knew her Nana wouldn't approve of working 2 jobs while also being a college student but she couldn't bear to lose her. She didn't think she would survive the pain since her Nana was the only family she had left in the world.

She'd lost her parents when she was just a year old and had been living with her ever since. The only thing she had as a reminder of them was a photo album. Her mum had run away from home and hooked up with her dad until they died in a car accident just a year after she'd been born.

Shaking her head to clear the incoming depressing thoughts, she stirred the mac and cheese until a sound made her look up. 

"Marcie dear, why didn't you come wake me up to make food? You gonna go late to college and that no good." Smiling at her Nana's English, she shaked her head disapprovingly at her stubborn Nana slowly coming towards the dinner table.

 "I already told you I'll be handling the cooking Nana. Besides, I'm almost done with it. I learnt from the best after all."

Her Nana offered a small smile and slowly sat down at the small dining chair while trying to hide a grimace. Marcie wasn't fooled though and a thought occurred to her.

"Have you been taking the drugs I got you?" She asked accusingly as her Nana suddenly bows her head guiltily. 

"The drug too expensive and I don't wanna use it all fast. The pain no longer serious I tell you. It almost gone." She dramatically shakes her head as she responds.

"No Nana, we've spoken about this. You shouldn't miss a dose for any reason." She could feel her throat getting tight as she gently admonished her. 

"You have to keep using it if you want to get better completely. I've told you not to worry about the cost. My boss gave me a loan so money isn't a problem." This was a lie but she didn't need to know that. 

Her boss Mr Finnegan was a greedy man and was in fact always looking for reasons to cut her pay. He came up with the silliest reasons too; "You lost me 2 customers in 3 weeks because you were slow. You made a mistake with George's order and he didn't come in for 5 days." She couldn't count the number of times she ended up crying in the bathroom stall.

She tried not to let it get to her because she needed the job and there weren't any other options. She hoped the bar job paid as much as she was told so she could finally quit the coffee shop.

Carefully carrying the two steaming plates of food over to the table, she set them down and took her seat opposite her Nana.

She was about to eat when she felt her Nana reach out to grip her hand from across the table. Her grip was surprisingly strong for her frail body and she raised her eyebrows at her in question. 

"You growing into a strong lady, my precious baby. I so proud of you and I know your parents proud too." She slowly swallowed and gave her Nana a bright smile so she wouldn't see that her eyes were about to tear up.

"Eat up your food Nana and don't make me cry." She quickly ate her breakfast as soon as she spotted the clock which read that the time was five thirty. 

Walking to the college took about an hour and she also had an early morning shift at the coffee shop before her ten am class. The only good thing about the job was that it was only a five minutes walk away from the college.

As soon as she was done eating, she quickly stood up to go pick up the medication from her Nana’s room. Seeing them by the bedside table, she grabbed them and made her bed and opened the windows before stepping out of the room. 

"Take just one of this right now and another in the afternoon, OK?" She waved the packet of drugs at her and saw her nod her head before dropping it by the plate.

Bending down to give her a kiss on her forehead, she said a quick prayer for her to remain ok until she came back. Grabbing her backpack from the sitting room, she hurriedly left the house and began her quiet walk to the coffee shop. 

She would have taken the bus but every cash she had left now had to be spent wisely until she got her pay from her boss.

While silently praying for the day to go well, unbeknownst to her, she was about to become entangled with something that would change her life forever.