I was fired on Tuesday.
For dropping one tray.
One stupid glass , iced-coffee tray that slipped right out of my hands because my foot slip and coffee fall on customer.
"You're done, Maria." My manager "Oksana" didn't even look up from register.
"Don't come back tomorrow."
Just like that.
Few months of working double shifts, of smiling at customers who tipped nothing, of paying for my medical textbooks with salary..... Gone.
I stood in the middle of the cafe in my brown apron, holding the empty tray.
The other waitresses looked away. The customers pretended not to hear.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Rent. Due in 3 days.
Tuition. Due in 2 weeks.
Bank account: ₽1,420.
About $14. That wouldn't even cover my bus pass.
I untied my apron and left it on the counter. Don't cry. Couldn't afford to.
Outside, the Russian wind hit me in the face. Moscow was already freezing in October.
I was a first-year medical student. I was supposed to be saving lives someday.
Right now, I couldn't even save myself.
I pulled out my phone with numb fingers and opened the job apps. Nothing. "Too Young" for every clinic.
Then one ad popped up.
"MAID WANTED. ROMANOV VILLA.
$50,000/MONTH. ROOM AND BOARD INCLUDE. NO QUESTIONS."
I almost laughed. $50,000. For cleaning ?
I was desperate. So I clicked apply.
YOU ARE READING
Slow Burn
RomanceMaria Morozova: Med student. Maid. Broke. Sergey Romanov: Mafia Boss. Landlord. Problem. She needs money to eat for next 4 years. He needs staff who won't talk. It was supposed to be simple. Work. Study. Graduate. Leave. Russia had other plans.
