Clara
Six years ago
When I woke up, I found myself lying on a bed and the room around me looked like it was a hospital room. My suspicion strengthened when I saw a woman walking towards me, dressed in pink scrubs with a file in her hand.
"How are you feeling?" she asked once she reached me. I nodded, mumbling to her that I felt fine. She checked my pulse rate and then helped me in sitting up on the bed.
"Who brought me here?" I asked.
"Your coworker, Diana." she said and I nodded in recognition. She must have found me unconscious on the floor.
"What's wrong with me Doctor?" I asked. I have watched in movies that if someone gets dizzy a lot, they are often diagnosed with a serious brain issue or something.
"Getting unconscious in the first trimester is more common than you one might think. So you don't need to worry. Just focus on your diet. I think you aren't feeding enough." she said, smiling at me.
"Wait. First trimester?" I asked, my eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes. You know about your pregnancy, right?" she said and my head started spinning. Never in my dreams did I imagine that I would end up pregnant.
"No. No. That's not possible. There must be some mistake." I panicked, trying to stand up. I couldn't stay in this room for another moment.
The nurse that came with the doctor immediately moved forwards to stop me.
"It is pretty clear from your tests that you're 8 weeks pregnant. Didn't you keep track of your periods?" she asked, patting my arm in a soothing manner.
"I... I just... I thought it is because of stress. I mean we used protection. Shit. Please tell me you're kidding?" I almost begged, tears coming out from my eyes in a stream.
The doctor kept staring at me as if I was some wild animal on loose. "Should I call someone? A family member? A partner maybe?" she asked.
"No. I need to go." I stood up, despite the protests of her. "I have a job. I.. I need to go away from here."
"Clara!" she tried to stop me but I had already bolted out of my room. From a corner, I saw Diana walking towards me. She reached me and put her arms around me so she could help me in walking.
"I am fine." I tried to resist but she didn't pull away her hand. At last, I let her help me as she led me to an elevator and motioned something to the doctor.
Once we reached her car in the parking lot, I seated myself in the passenger seat and she sat on the driver seat. Inside the car where nobody was watching me, I broke down. I cried like there was no tomorrow, ignoring the pleas of Diana to tell her what was wrong.
"No. This can't be happening
Fuck. Fucking hell." I exasperated, whimpering hard.
"Clara! Let me help you. What's the issue? Is this child not your boyfriend's?" she asked and that made me remember how I haven't told anyone about what happened in the past few weeks.
"He... He had left. I'm alone. Shit. I don't even have a place to live. What am I supposed to do? How can I bear his child? Why is this happening to me?" I blubbered.
She leaned forwards and hugged me briefly, telling me that everything will be fine and she would help me as much as she could.
I told her everything, about how Kevin attempted to rape me and how I was living in the restaurant for some time. At first, she looked really shocked but then she told me that she won't tell anyone and my secret is safe with her.
"Thank you Diana." I said in between hiccups. She gave me a tissue paper to wipe my tears and then drove towards the restaurant where a pile of work was already waiting for me.
...
Another week had passed.
My morning sickness didn't get better but at least I didn't lose consciousness after that.
After cleaning all the counters, I locked the restaurant from inside and lay down on the sofa to sleep. My hands automatically found their way to my stomach and I brushed it gently.
I couldn't believe there was a life growing inside me. It was Ryan's child, a constant reminder of his betrayal but it was also mine. Maybe I was given a chance to redeem myself after betraying Aaron. Maybe it was another chance for me to find happiness and I was not going to waste it this time.
With this thought in mind, I closed my eyes and sleep enveloped me.
The next day, I didn't wake up with the help of my internal clock. Instead, I felt like someone had poured a bucket of cold water of me. At first, I thought it was just a dream but when I found almost half a dozen pair of eyes glaring into mine, I realised that it was actually happening.
One of the pair belonged to the owner of the cafe, Robert. As I had mentioned before, he was not one to compromise on rules and it was clear from the anger written on his face. Behind him, all the other workers were lined up too.
"Get up." he ordered in his stern tone. It didn't took me more than a second to do so.
"I... I am sorry. This isn't.."
"I don't need any lie woman. Why are you sleeping inside my cafe?" he asked.
"I..." I lowered my head to ground. "I don't have any place to live."
"That's not my issue. I want you out of my damn restaurant. Now." he glared into my eyes and a shiver ran down my spine at the thought of losing my only shelter.
"Please Robert. Please don't fire me. I desperately need this job." I begged him but his face didn't soften. Behind him, all the other workers were staring at me with worry. "I am pregnant." I added, expecting him to show some mercy.
At this, his eyes softened a bit. Shaking his head, he walked out of the seating area. I looked at my coworkers in confusion, specially Diana who was staring at me with pity filled eyes.
After almost two minutes, he returned with a khakee envelope. "There is some money in this. It will be enough for few weeks, until you find a nice job. But I can't let you stay there." My eyes switched between the packet and his rough features, contemplating whether to take it or not.
If I was alone, my answer would have been different but I had another life depending on me. Pulling my hand out, I took the envelope from him and muttered another apology.
Once everyone turned their attention to their respective works, I picked up the very few belongings I had and made my way out of the cafe, after giving one last glance to it.
"Clara!" I stopped when I heard Diana's voice. "I am so sorry. I didn't want to rat you out."
"Wait! Did you.." I took a deep breath. "Did you tell Robert about me?"
She lowered her head at this. I balled my hands into fists and stopped myself from slapping her hard.
"He was going to fire me because of the budget. I needed to secure my position so I told him about you." she reasoned, as if it made her action justified.
"You should be ashamed yourself." that's the only thing I said to her. I didn't have the stamina to argue with her. If I can cheat on my husband the night before my wedding with his own brother, such betrayal from a stranger could be easily expected.
Once again, I was on the street. I checked the envelope to count the money. It was enough for spending a week in a cheap motel. But right now, at this moment, I didn't want to go anywhere.
So I just continued walking forwards in the slowest speed possible. The world around me was moving happily, unaware of everything I had lost. The sight of couples disgusted me and the smile on people's faces, it made me want to claw those grins out.
The bitterness inside me spreaded to every part of my body and I let out a frustrated groan. I don't know how long I have to pay for one mistake and it felt like God wasn't done with me yet.
Karma is really a bitch.
__________________________
Poor Clara!
Don't worry. Her suffering is going to end soon.