A Rainbow in Your Eyes

Chapter 11

After dressing and putting her hip-length hair up in a bun, Irielle coaxed Thandi out from underneath the bed and the two hurried out and down the stairs to the street. Irielle was thankful for the crowdedness of the streets even as she tried her best to keep to the shadows while hiding the little girl’s body as best she could.

Living in her neighbourhood was already dangerous, more so for children, but with Bashir out looking for the girl, it just increased the danger and Irielle spent the whole-time walking towards her place of employment, looking over her shoulders and up any small allies. Thankfully the coffee shop was only two streets down and she breathed a sigh of relief when they reached it.

It was already past seven, and, as she was the only waitress employed, Ishmail couldn’t open the shop until she was there. As such, a crowd had grown. Banging on the side door, it swung open almost immediately.

Ishmail was glaring at her furiously. “Where the hell have you been?!”

Irielle pulled Thandi behind her, trying to shield the girl as best she could, to prevent Ishmail from seeing her. He hated children and would force the child to stay outside if it where up to him.

“I’m sorry, I… I had an emergency. My electricity…” She didn’t complete the sentence, letting it hang between them instead.

“I don’t care! I’ll take the time out of your tip! Get inside and get working!”

Irielle grimaced at the thought of losing some of her hard-earned money but knew there was nothing for it. The area they stayed in was low class and the tips she earned where far between, so losing some of it due to no fault of her own, was harsh indeed. With a sigh she waited for him to leave before entering the kitchen.

Jesse, Ishmail’s sister and the cook of the establishment, was already there. Unlike her brother, she noticed the addition of Thandi immediately.

“Irine! What is she doing here?” Although Jesse wasn’t scared of her brother, she knew his temper and dislike for children.

She used Irielle’s assumed name. No one around new her real name, she had made sure of that when she fled her father’s house. But with all the missing posters that was still out, Irielle often worried about being found, so she had changed her name to try and hide behind a new identity. It wasn’t as if her landlord or employer wanted to get involved or ask to many questions. Getting the authorities involved would compromise their own backyard deals and black-market organisations.

“Her mum had an emergency. Bashir…” Irielle left it at the name. There was few around that didn’t know that Bashir was the right-hand man, and second in charge of the gang that ruled their neighbourhood.

Jesse’s eyes narrowed before holding out a hand to the small girl. “Come one, let’s go get something into you to eat.” Her eyes travelled to Irielle’s, and she shook her head. “I made you some coffee, it’s on the counter where Ishmail won’t see it.”

Thankfulness made Irielle’s legs buckle. With barely a yoghurt in her body, and almost nothing to eat lately, she needed the extra fluids and caffeine might just wake her up properly. If she earned enough tips, she would hopefully be able to buy her some food, the electricity would have to wait for now. At least she was able to look forward to a good lunch as that was one of the few things Ishmail provided her employees, and only because Jesse demanded it. With him paying less than minimum wage, she had told him its either that or she would find another place of work. His customers liked her food to much for him to risk her leaving.

The rest of the morning past by in a blur. Jenny didn’t show up get Thandi, so the girl hid away in the kitchen. Luckily Ishmail left around ten for business and left Irielle, Jesse and the few other employees to handle the shop. But a cup of coffee could only keep a girl for so long. The smell of eggs, toast, coffee and bunny chows filled the air and hunger swept through Irielle making her stomach spasm. Fighting to ignore it, she continued as best she could.

By lunch time she was struggling to put feet in front of one another. Ishmail who had just returned, noticed. “What the hell is wrong with you, Girl? Get a move on! Time is money! Maybe I should deduct the loss in costumers from your tips as well?!”

“Leave the girl bee, Ishmail! You would also be trembling if you hadn’t eaten all day.” Jesse rarely stood up to her brother, but Irielle was thankful that she had chosen today to do so.

Blinking to clear her vision she turned to grab some completed bags for the que in front of the counter. Everyone was vying to get their food as fast as possible and to leave back to whatever business they were on. Another wave of dizziness swept her when she turned to quickly and she bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from fainting.

Even as she swayed, determined not to black out, she heard the yell from Ishmail, “Damnit woman!” and then a pair of hands wrapped around her hips, helping to keep her upright.

“Enough!” A thunderous voice break through the cacophony of voices and sounds, pulling her back from the darkness that had wanted to sweep over her.

“Enough.” The voice repeated and she had never been so thankful for someone that could quieten Ishmail and the sounds of their small coffee shop/ take away restaurant.

“A chair, now!” The voice was demanding, and broke no argument, so totally out of place in the setting they were in. Out of place even in the neighbourhood where gunshots, screams, yells and threats were commonplace.

Finally, her eyes obliged to follow her orders and fluttered open. Only to look in a face that seemed somehow familiar, but she couldn’t quite place. The man was dangerously handsome, but skin as dark as freshly brewed coffee, the good kind her father had always demanded to drink without milk or sugar. Lips full and well formed. But what pulled her in most, was his eyes. They were just as dark as his skin, but they seemed to hold a thousand different emotions that he kept from playing over the rest of his face. They were the type of eyes a girl could drown herself in. The pulled at her. All the while he seemed to study her just as much as she was in the few instances that their eyes met. Then suddenly, he stepped back and a shutter settled over his eyes and face before he turned to Ishmail.

“Bring her something to eat.”

“But…” Ishmail seemed flustered. He never let the employees eat where the customers might see, nor when there was so many still present.

“It was NOT a request!” The voice ordered. But before the anger that seemed to have built in him could crash out, Jesse was there.

“Come on, Love, eat something, before we need to take you to a hospital.”

The words had the necessary effect. Irielle straightened in panic. “No! No hospitals, please!”

Irielle looked around stressed from Jesse to Ishmail, just to meet eyes ones more with the man that stood in his clear business suite, so out of place her, in this establishment. Something in the stranger’s face seemed to convey that he knew her reason for refusing to be treated at a hospital.

Leaving her feeling even more confused. Her thoughts were to jumbled, running in circles. Perhaps if she ate something then she would be able to make something from it once her sugar levels have stabilised.

Because how on earth could a stranger she had never met, know why she refused to go to a hospital? And why did he stir such strange emotions and feeling inside of her as if she should know him? As if her body knew him?