Defying Desires

Chapter 21- Unstoppable

I felt that.

Goodbye, Starvnos.

"My son used to help me but he went away to college. Said he wants to pursue higher education." She said with a disgusted face and air quoted the higher education.

"That must be hard then. You being the only one here." I symphatised, already tired from standing too long.

"You know. I had a couple of people working here, but they stole from me so I  fired them all."

"Hope you're not like that." She asked me. Just then she freed a cigarette that was tucked behind the helix of her ear and lit it up.

"Well Mia, step into the counter. Your first day of work, let's see how well you'll do. There are cameras all over the place. I'll be in the room over there." She pointed to one tiny room at one corner of the supermarket.

"Umm, Mrs....." I turned to her, expecting her to say her name.

She puffed out a huge smoke and coughed. "Mrs Cooper."

"Please, don't we discuss the terms of the salary?"

"Yes. Your salary will be based on the sales. So work hard. The more sales we make, the bigger your salary." She said, gave me a crooked smile and coughed her way out. I was worried about how costumers would feel in a shop with cigarette smoke.

She came out few minutes later and threw an apron with Clayton's bodly typed on it. She also handed me an air freshener.

Guess, this was how she fought the bad smell. I spritzed the freshener all around the counter, and wore my new work uniform.

Three hours had passed and the shop had fairly made encouraging sales. Mrs Cooper hadn't still come out of the room all that while. When it was one, I desperately waited for her to grant me the chance to go for lunch.

I sauntered to the room and saw her fast asleep on the desk. She was snoring loudly with her cigarette still in her mouth and a bottle of whiskey which was almost finished beside her. Wow, she really was messed up.

I tapped her quickly, forgetting I had left the shop unattended to and that it was prone to shoplifters now.

I tapped gently at first, then harshly.

"What? what?" She wiped the drool from her mouth.

"Mrs Cooper, do I have lunch breaks?"

"No. Go to any of snack shelf and get whatever you want. Now leave here, and let me sleep." She snuggled the whiskey closer to her and I stared at her in disbelief.

I came back to the opening and picked out some doritos, almost regretting this new job as a cashier. I also understood why her former employees stole from her. Mrs Cooper was a trainwreck.

We closed the shop at eight, well I did. Mrs Cooper, I assumed lived there. She only locked the doors from behind, handed me a few treats and coughed her way to her room.

I didn't know what caused this lifestyle but I felt bad for her.

Okay, stop it. You have no right to speak about someone like that.

I nodded in compliance to my inner voice,  and I felt my phone vibrate.

I brought it and saw that it was Alan. My heart did a backflip. This was never normal, but since I've decided to not tell him about the loss of my job, this guilt would ride on back for a long time.

Be cool. Be cool.

"Hello."

"Hello princess. How are you?" His velvety voice spoke.

"I'm good and you."

"Great here. I haven't heard from you today. Alaric is stressing you right?"

"You know how working is. So tedious."  Technically I wasn't lying.

"I could talk to him, ease things up for you."

"No!" I almost yelled. Oh please, I did yell.  "Don't worry. It's no bother. I'm sorry I haven't called. Took Papa out for a bandage change, we just got back. Has nothing to do with work." Okay, that was a lie

"Oh okay, hope he's fine?"

"He's fine, and how's the contract working up?" I did the obvious by changing the subject.

"We had a meeting scheduled for today but they canceled it."

"Oh, sorry. It's been hard to get back with them?"

"Yes, it has been. Now they want a better deal. I'm working my way through it. See what I can offer. It's really important to my family."

"I believe in you. You'll nail it."

"I miss you." He said out of the blue.

"You have no idea how I wish you were here too. Trust me, you don't." At this time, I had leaned against some random wall.

"Soon, I'll be home." He assured.

"Yes, soon."

"Well I have to go now."

"Sure, I love you." I whispered.

He was quiet for sometime. I could envision the smile in his eyes. "I love you. Bye."

We hung up.

Wheeew.

That was nicely played.

You need to tell him Alaric fired you. You're so stupid. He's going to find out one way or another, you stupid jackass.

I ignored the annoying voice in my head until I got home. Ready for interrogation by Detective Frederick North and his assistant Jayden Benedict North.

"Papa." I did what I always do. Gave him a big hug. Jay was feeding him some rice.

"You cooked?" I scrunched my face.

"No. I microwaved the leftover you prepared yesterday."

"Oh okay. Papa." I kissed his check.

"Since when do you dress casual to work Mia?"

"Yes, and you've come home late." Jay chipped in.

Here we go.

"What's going on?" Papa asked, his eyes watching me intently.

I figured now I could tell them, since I had a new job.

Here goes nothing.

"Alaric fired me."

"So call Alan." They said in unison. That wasn't the reaction I expected, at all.

"No! It doesn't work like that."

"Why? Alan is your boyfriend." Jay stated matter of factly.

"Shut up Jay." I rolled my eyes at him then turned to Papa, afterall, he was the one I had to convince not that nitwit.

"Papa, trust me. I can't tell Alan. It will cause more problems. I already got another job so."

"What?" Jay asked, making his way to the kitchen. I wished I was near him, I would gladly slam his face into the bowl of rice.

"I'm a cashier at Clayton's." I said, my eyes on Papa.

"Oh that supermarket. The woman is always stoned. My friends and I go there all the time." I ignored him.

"But you love writing. You love everything literature and Starvnos was a dream come true." Thank God Papa ignored him too.

"Yes Papa. And I've had a feel of that dream. It didn't last and it doesn't mean I shouldn't keep on pushing just because I lost my dream work. I got this."

"I know you do Mia." He smiled at me.

"You're unstoppable." Jay lifted my arm up like I'd won a wrestling contest.

Yes I was, and no one should forget that.