A waitress concern

8:35

Good Gracious! , I'm late. 

I scrambled from my bed, distorting the sheets that covered my naked body, and climbed down the bed hastily. 

Biggie's going to kill me! 

I ruffled through the pile of clothes on my stranded sofa, picked up a skirt and a gray shirt, which was originally blue. 

Took my courier bag and shoved whatever I could lay my hands on from my closet into it; lipstick, concealer powder, mascara… 

No, No! I had forgotten to stitch up my mask. Getting another one would have cost me more money, I burped. 

Eww! That stinks. 

I dashed into the toilet to brush my teeth and found myself staring at a ghost in the mirror. Placing both hands on the sink, I breathed heavily.

 My hair was messed up. I rushed back to my room to get my hairbrush and straightener. My room was messier. I had to shuffle between piles of both clean and dirty clothes to get my brush. 

Phew. 

Then, I remembered

Straightener

I checked my closet and my bed table, but it was nowhere to be found. I squeezed my face tightly, as though I were in pain. 

I hated searching through my messy room. It wasn't really my fault that it was messy, though. Every time, I tidy up my room, it just gets disorganized a few hours afterwards. 

I stood in a corner of my room and wondered where it could be until I looked up and saw my hair straightener dangling from my overcoat. I walked towards it and placed my placid hands on my face as I took it out and rushed into the toilet. 

Fixing up my hair as fast as I could, it was still evident that I was sleepy. I stared at the clock. 

9:00 

I picked up my dusty boots and produced a napkin from a drawer and wiped up the settled dust on it. Old but classy, all my boots needed was just a wipe. It shone like a new pair of polished boots. 

I ran out of my room, locked my door and proceeded towards the door when I froze. 

Coat

I unlocked my door, ran back in, and pulled off the nearest overcoat from a hanger which I wore before I proceeded to lock my door again. 

“ Tasha, have some cookies before you go" My mum screamed. 

I looked at her, and she shoved a disappointed look at my face. Defeated, I took one cookie from the tray she presented to me and bit it as I dashed out of the house, waving my hands and saying my mum goodbye. 

..... 

“ You surely don't need to apologize, it's going to be a double shift today" 

I gasped, I knew I was going to get a good scolding, but getting a double shift was the height of it. 

I was burning with anger as I took my tag and locker key off her desk and stormed out of Biggie's office. I changed into my uniform and proceeded to my assigned section—The VIPs. 

Likewise, I appeared with a bottle of champagne as requested by one of the VIPs when he requested for me to change it. 

I did not mind doing that since it was also a part of my job and people were prone to making mistakes. 

I came back with yet another new red wine when he looked at me and sized me up. I've never been that embarrassed my whole life, yet I tried to look composed. 

“ I asked you to bring me champagne ", his pupil flared as he raised his middle finger at me. 

I was annoyed at his expression and not at the fact that he deliberately wanted to frustrate me.

Anything for the money, I thought as I swallowed hard and was about walking away when I heard him say to his friends. 

" You need to make people like that know their place, she's only a prostitute. "

I stopped to look at him and made my way towards him, his brows knitted, and was about to speak when I cut him off. 

" You should go pick up the champagne, PERVERT! ", I growled. 

His face contorted as his friends stared at me with their mouths wide open. 

“ Pervert? Did you just call me a pervert?? " He asked surprisingly, and gave a half smile. 

Realizing what I had done, I squeezed my eyes tightly and blamed myself for letting my pride get the best of me.

He stood up, walked fiercely towards me and moved his mouth closer to my left ear. 

“ I'll never be interested in someone like you, you're just an embodiment of fat”, he whispered, and moved away from my face. 

My eyes swarmed with tears as I rushed out,

I was burning with anger as I pushed through the crowd and grabbed three bottles of beer from a tray and made my way to the car park. 

Fat! 

Embodiment of fat! 

I opened and gulped down a bottle of cold beer. I sat down on the tarred floor and continued to drink the beer. 

What does he even know? 

Calling me fat, he is an unapologetic pervert, I said to myself as I stared at the remnants of the last bottle of beer before gulping it down my throat. 

As I hanged my head comfortably in between my laps with my intertwined hands over it, I reminisced over what had transpired earlier and coughed involuntarily. 

I raised my head up to see four men dragging their feet lazily onto the floor. 

Drunkards, my lips twitched. 

I returned my head to sit in between my laps, but I lifted it up almost immediately. 

Pervert! 

The man who had embarrassed me from before was drunk? 

Gosh! 

I wished I could take a picture of him immediately. 

I stood up and shuffled my feet to meet with them. 

It's not over yet! 

I tried to catch up with them as they had walked over to a car. 

“ Hey! What do you think you're doing? "

“ Move away from the car”

“ Is she CRAZY? "

I gave a half smile as I produced a big stone and waved it for them to see. 

Pervert walked towards me and I raised my hand for him to stop. 

“ What? Fat? Pro…prostitute? Why would you even call me that? 

I am a waitress here, but that doesn't give you the leverage to talk me down. 

I am just a gentle chubby girl who is trying to make ends meet, and you call me a prostitute? “

He proceeded to move closer to me and I warned him," I swear if you move an inch closer, I'll lose it all”

“ We can talk, right? If you want me to apologize, say it. Just put the goddamn stone down” he pleaded. 

I chuckled softly," Ooh! Now you've given me something to use this stone one".

There was no going back. 

....... 

I could hear some voices speaking out loud, could be some drunk fellows going this way, I thought. 

“Be quiet” I shouted as they were too loud for me to sleep comfortably, then I felt a twitch of pain from my wrist. 

I couldn't move my hands. I opened my eyes and realized that I was handcuffed. 

Handcuffs! 

Was I kidnapped? 

Am I going to die? 

I stood up and started to bang on the door while crying. 

Please! 

I would rather not die! 

I had leaned on the door lazily when I heard the door open. 

“ Do you not know where you are? "

I began to check out who had come in, a fully clothed man with a cap on his head putting on a uniform. 

Uniform… 

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my palms, and stared at him widely and walked a few meters away from him. 

There was a group of injured people who sat on a bench like they were involved in a fight. Men and women putting on tags sat in front of a computer. Handcuffs on each table. 

I stared back at the man who had come in, and he shook his head mildly as he walked out and signaled to me to follow him. 

I was at the police station and the cage I had thought I was in, was me actually locked up in a police cell. 

As I walked behind him to his desk, I could hear whispers and loud gossip, too. 

“ She might be a sex worker”

“ Maybe she stole from him”… 

Getting to his desk, a man sat in front of him, and while the police officer sat down. I began to think of who the mysterious man might be. 

“ What's your name, Miss? " The police officer asked. 

“Tasha Rowan” I replied as I shook, fearing what might happen next. 

My fears were confirmed. 

I was being charged with assault!