THE ALPHA’S ADDICTION

“I think table four wants to make an order. Go check it out.” The lean, thin faced woman, wearing a knitted white woolen sweater on brown slacks with brown leather sandals, mentioned to Emma who was wiping off coffee stains from the first table in the cafe.

“Right on it.” Emma said, with more excitement in her voice than necessary, which of course startled the woman. The older lady chuckled, shaking her head as she watched the boisterous redheaded teenager meander her way around the tables, humming a tune she didn’t consider familiar in all her forty something years, while saying a few hellos to people, mostly the male folk who contested for her attention. She thought that the young college girl reminded her of her younger self. She was too full of life, and had been so happy when she had allowed her have the part time job back.

Emma scooted around the tables, careful enough to shift away from the fat man who had wanted to touch her hips, or ass, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t going to stick around and know. She already knew what would happen thereafter. She would kill anybody who thinks that he can mess with her and get away with it, but then she might lose her job. She didn’t want to risk that. She thought that the job was the best. It offered her much time to do other things, and the pay was okay; and it wasn’t that hard either. She chuckled a little as she remembered the first day that she had reported for work at the cafe. Her hands and feet had ached so badly. Things do really ease with time. She thought, stopping at table four.

“Hello, good afternoon. Welcome to Brenda’s Cafe. What can I get you?” She sing sung the mantra which she had gotten so used to with much saying. She noticed that the occupants of the table were college kids like her, two boys and three girls, and that they weren’t paying attention to her, rather they were ahhing and oohing over something on their tablets.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“Hello…excuse me..” Emma called, tapping the female nearest to her gently on her arm, knowing that she couldn’t wait for them to get over their fascination. She could see more students coming into the cafe, and knew that they would be placing their orders soon. So, she didn’t have time to stick around some college kids who have forgotten that they had been about to place an order.

Ama and Gloria, her co-workers weren’t around for some personal reasons according to her boss. And so, inevitably, the whole burden of taking in orders and serving at the same time rested on her. But she wasn’t really deterred by it. For some reason, she had the strength of a tiger today, and she was sure that, that had been the reason why the boss had listened to her plea and given her back the job; she was short staffed, and so might not have been able to cope if she hadn’t come around.

“Excuse me too…who permitted you to use your slimy hands and touch me?” The female she had tapped earlier to get her attention replied in a sharp loud voice, shocking her. What the hell! She thought, as she trailed her eyes over the tiny figure sitting in front of her, looking all plastic and artificial. Emma was sure that the lady was one of those privileged brats with rich parents. People just like her. But there was no way she was going to admit that. The girl and her were worlds apart when it came to simple manners.

“Don’t tell me that Brenda hired a dumb waitress…” The other female with purple dyed hair, sitting opposite the plastic one stated, sharing a lame chuckle with one of the guys, the one with a pink hair, a dyed pink hair. The other guy, who perhaps was the most responsible among the lot with his calm countenance, and pursed lips which were set in a thin line as if wanting to open, but failing for some reason, just stared at her, his eyes brimming with pity.

But she hated to be pitied. Replaying the girl’s words in her mind, she grasped the tray she was holding tighter, to prevent her hand from going on a wide smacking spree on the cheeks of the girls. She was mad with anger, but she knew that she had to control it. She loved her job. She needed this job. She couldn’t risk being sacked. It had taken a lot of pleading to get her job back. She wouldn’t let some plastic bimbos wreck this second chance for her.

And so, forcefully swallowing down her spittle while willing herself to calm down and breath out, she spoke out as gently as her self-control limit allowed.

“I’m sorry about that.” She said meekly, amazed at her quiet voice. Her father’s plan had actually worked in some kind of way. She thought. Leaving her with no choice but to earn her own keep had humbled her. But she wasn’t entirely happy about it. There was no way this thin broom sitting in front of her with a very flat nose and oblong head would have been able to talk to her this way, like she was some trash, if she had cruised into the park with her blue sedan.

Poverty is really a bastard. She cursed within her, while putting up a tight smile out front, hoping that it was enough to convince the bimbo to shut up and order. They were already gathering some attention from the other customers.

“You better be, dumbie.” The first girl stated, eyeing her badly, before turning away to continue her conversation with her friends as if she wasn’t standing right there waiting for their orders.

Emma gritted her teeth as she contemplated on whether to stay there or to leave the table and go over to the other tables who she knew was waiting for her.

No. she muttered. If she left here, without taking their orders, her boss might go berserk on her, especially if these wacko girls report her for not taking their orders first. She didn’t think that Ms. Brenda would listen to her enough. The customers always came first; and they are always right.

And so, not being able to help the bubble of anger which had now surged into a mighty tidal wave, especially as she watched the group laugh out loudly about something in their phones without still taking note of her, she banged the tray on the table, smirking a bit, as she saw the scared looks on the faces on the girls. They hadn’t been expecting it.