Chapter Three - Another Day

The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual, although I still felt like I hadn't gotten enough sleep. My body was sore from all the cleaning we had to do the previous night, especially my back and legs, and for a moment I simply lay there staring at the ceiling while trying to convince myself that I really had to get out of bed. I turned my head towards Amy, who was still sleeping soundly beside me. She looked so peaceful that I almost felt jealous of her.

“Must be nice to sleep like that,” I whispered.

Amy only moved slightly before burying her face deeper into the pillow. I smiled to myself before finally getting out of bed. I had promised myself that I wouldn't be late again, so I hurriedly prepared breakfast while getting Amy ready for the day. My neighbor, Kanika, had agreed to watch her again that morning, although I felt guilty about relying on her too often. I knew she was kind enough to help me, but I didn't want to take advantage of her kindness. After preparing a simple breakfast, I helped Amy change her clothes and fixed her hair before putting a small lunchbox into her bag.

“Mommy is going to work again?” she asked while sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Yes, my beautiful Amy.”

“When will you come home?”

“Mommy will come home after Mommy is done with work.”

“When?” Amy pushed for an exact answer.

I laughed softly, “sooner than you think, my sweet baby.”

Amy frowned as though that answer wasn't good enough.

“Mommy, I don't like you working, you are not there when I fall asleep.” Amy's frown goes deeper, seemed like she was going to cry.

I bent down and kissed her forehead.

“Now there, don't cry now honey," I caressed her little head full of hair and hugged her tightly, "Mommy needs to work, remember?”

Amy looked at me with teary eyes, but she still nodded reluctantly. I hated these moments. Every morning, I had to leave my daughter behind so I could earn enough money to give her a better life, yet every time I walked away from her, I couldn't help wondering whether I was doing the right thing.

But, somehow, I knew I was. At least, I kept telling myself that I was. I didn't want Amy to grow up worrying about whether we had enough money for food or rent. I wanted her to have everything that I never had, even if that meant sacrificing most of my own time with her.

After dropping her off at Kanika's apartment, I hurried towards the bus stop, making sure to check the time every few minutes. Thankfully, the bus came to a halt just as I arrived at the bus stop. I smiled in relief as I got inside.

When I arrived at Scalavatia, I was relieved to see that I was early. A tad bit too early, I guess. There were still a few employees preparing the restaurant for the day, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee was already filling the air. I walked toward the staff room to put my things away before heading towards the waiter station.

“Morning, Aria.”

A familiar voice sounded through my ears. I turned around and looked straight to the source of the voice. Noah was standing right there with two cups of coffee in his hands. He handed one of them to me. I looked at it before looking at him.

“Morning, Noah,” I replied briefly to him.

He smiled the sweetest smile anybody could ever have.

“You look like you need it.”

“I've only been here for five minutes.”

“... Well, you already look tired.”

“Sigh. I guess I am still tired from yesterday, but thank you," I smiled as I took the cup of coffee from his hand.

“No problem.”

I tried to take a sip. Wow. It was exactly how I liked my coffee. So relaxing, but at the same time energizing. 

Noah leaned against the counter while looking at me.

“How is Amy?”

“She’s fine, she slept well last night, I felt guilty not being there for her bedtime story though."

He smiled gently, and I could sense a hint of empathy in that smile.

“That's good, how about you? Did you sleep at all?”

“Not much.”

“Because of yesterday?” 

“Sigh. I kept thinking about the slap.” I whispered lightly. I tried not to get it into my head, but still it felt painful. Like my whole dignity just went crashing through the ground. 

I can sense that his smile disappeared slightly.

“That was a pretty devastating experience, but you shouldn't let that get to you.”

“Easy for you to say.” I rolled my eyes at Noah, as if he was in the wrong.

“I know, I'm sorry, I'll try to protect you if anything like that happens again."

He was quiet for a moment before looking at me.

"I would rather not have a situation like that happen to me again." I smirked at Noah.

“Yeah, of course, but are you okay, though?”

“I'll be fine," I replied to Noah as I smiled faintly.

Noah seemed like he wanted to say something else, but before he could, the manager walked past us and called out for everyone to get ready. The restaurant was about to open. I put my coffee down and started preparing the tables. It was going to be another long day. At least, I thought it would be.

By lunchtime, Scalavatia had already become crowded. I moved from one table to another, taking orders and bringing food while trying my best not to make any mistakes. Yesterday had taught me a very valuable lesson. Never carry a full tray while wearing broken shoes. I had brought another pair of black flats that I had in my apartment, which were much more comfortable than my old heels. I was carrying several empty plates toward the kitchen when I heard someone behind me.

“Aria.”

I turned around to see the manager standing there; right behind me.

“Yes, Sir?”

“Take these to the private dining room.”

He handed me a tray as I looked towards the private dining room.

“May I know who the guests are?”

“Mr. Harrison and some guests.”

My stomach immediately tightened. Harrison. I don't know why his name made me nervous. Maybe it was because of the way he had looked at me yesterday. Or perhaps it was because I still remembered Noah's warning.

He's a player.

I took a deep breath before accepting the tray.

“Yes, Sir.”

I walked toward the private dining room carefully, making sure my shoes were firmly on the floor this time. When I reached the door, I knocked twice. There was no answer. I knocked again. Still nothing. I slowly opened the door. The first thing I noticed was Harrison sitting at the end of the long table.  He was looking through some papers while two other men were having a conversation beside him. He looked different from yesterday. Less intimidating somehow. Perhaps it was because he wasn't standing in the middle of the restaurant giving orders to everyone. I lowered my gaze and approached the table.

“Your order, Sir.”

I carefully placed the dishes in front of them, but Harrison didn't say anything. I was about to turn around when one of the men at the table spoke.

“Isn't she the new waitress?”

The question made me suddenly stop. Harrison finally looked up to me. His eyes met mine.

“Yes.” Harrison replied briefly.

The man smiled while looking at me. His eyes were scanning my whole existence. I immediately felt uncomfortable. I didn't know whether I should leave or continue standing there.

“She’s pretty," said the older man.

Harrison's expression changed slightly as he replied sternly, "She's working.”

“I know, I was only making a compliment,” the man laughed.

Harrison looked back down at his papers.

“You can leave.”

I nodded as I hurriedly walked out of the room. The moment I closed the door, I let out a small breath. I didn't know why I felt so relieved. Maybe because I was still getting used to Harrison's presence. He was difficult to understand, and I had barely known him for a few days. I walked back towards the waiter station and found Noah standing there. He was looking seriously at me.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“You look nervous.”

“I just delivered some food.”

“To Harrison?”

I nodded.

Noah sighed before asking me, “did he say anything?”

“No.”

“Good." Noah nodded approvingly.

“Why?”

“Because the less attention you get from him, the better.”

I laughed softly before replying, "you really don't like him, do you?”

“It's not that I don't like him.”

“Then what is it?”

He looked toward the private dining room before lowering his voice.

“I just know what he's like.”

I frowned.

“And you're still not going to tell me?"

“You'll find out eventually.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You're impossible.”

He smiled.

“Maybe.”

I turned back toward the tables, trying to forget about the conversation. But somehow, I couldn't. Because even though Harrison had barely spoken to me, I found myself wondering why he had suddenly told his guest that I was working. It wasn't really important. At least, it shouldn't have been. Yet for some reason, I kept thinking about it.