I sighed as I put my uniform in the locker. It was finally the end of my shift at Liz Restaurant.
“Ready to leave?” asked Karen, chewing bubble gum as she fixed her makeup.
“Yes, I don’t want to be late,” I say, referring to my other job.
“What a hard-working lady,” she says, winking.
Karen was 3 years older than me but I don't feel intimidated by her. Well, I like her cool personality.
“Bye Karen, see you tomorrow." I put on my backpack, smiling at her.
“Take care, Sav. Don’t forget to eat your dinner.” She never failed to remind me.
I nodded and she smiled at me before she left.
______
I searched for my keys in my pocket as I approached my motorcycle. I put on my helmet and immediately started the engine.
Since I don’t have time to eat a decent meal right now, I decided to drop by a burger machine. This little burger will have to do for now.
Loud music greeted me when I got to the Ruz bar. There were only a few customers since it was still early, but I was ten minutes late. I greeted Stefan as I passed the bar heading to the employee’s locker.
“Good evening, Stef.”
“Good evening Sav, you’re late,” he said with a smirk on his face, he was prepping drinks for later.
Stef was the owner’s brother and was five years older than me.
“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again." I grinned because I knew I couldn’t go a week without being late.
I’m just glad Stefan is so understanding and he knows I work two jobs a day. I notice Lea, one of the bar staff, sitting as I approach my locker.
She smiled at me. “Hey, baby girl.” Her voice was so sweet and welcoming.
“Hi, Lea,” I responded furrowing my eyebrows, seeing her eyes a bit red. I don't know if it's because she was crying or it was just an eye irritation.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I change into my uniform.
I stop tying my apron when I hear a sob. Lea was sobbing. Lea and I became friends when I started working here because she was the only one who wasn’t rude on my first day.
“Oh, I'm sorry, Sav. I just can't help it,” she cried and covered her face with her hands.
“It's okay Lea, what happened?” I was curious, and I felt sympathy for her. She looks at me, forcing a smile.
“We broke up, and he said he is no longer happy in our relationship,” she confessed in between sobs.
She was referring to her boyfriend of almost 6 years, Stefan. I thought they were getting married this year, I know how much she loves him. She was so ecstatic yesterday, thinking Stefan was going to propose to her.
“I'm sorry Lea, I don't know what to say.” I sadly reacted.
I can't relate to how she feels since I've never been in a relationship before. I don't know how to love a man or be loved. I've had suitors in the past but never entertained since my focus was on my mom.
I met someone during college but I've never felt the spark or maybe I'm just too numb to feel anything.
“It's fine, Sav.”
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Lea’s calm voice. She wiped her tears and forced another smile on her plump lips. I don't know why Stefan broke up with her, she’s so nice and pretty.
Looking at her, I realized not all relationships are perfect. Not all couples are happy no matter how long they've been together.
Is it really painful? I ask myself. Maybe it is, shrugging my shoulders, decided to never let myself experience what they call love because I didn't want to get myself hurt.
“I'm sorry I took your time, Sav,” Lea says bringing me back to the present, I smile at her.
“It's okay Lea, are you sure you want to work today?” I ask with worry.
She nods, getting up from her chair. “Let's go.”
“Okay,” I reply with uncertainty. We head out together going our separate ways as I go to the bar area, and Lea goes to dining. She's a waitress, serving food and drinks to customers.
I clear my throat at the sight of Stefan, feeling uneasy around him after what Lea told me. Stefan is a nice good-looking guy who's a tease sometimes, especially with girls at the bar but I know how much he loves Lea. Whatever their problem is, it's none of my business.
I start working, ignoring Stefan’s presence. We were both working at the bar counter. I mixed and served drinks throughout the night. I worked silently, and so did Stefan. I guess he was also affected by the breakup by the way he was acting, cranky and moody.
After a long day of work, my shift was finally over. It was already midnight. I head to the locker and sit on the chair with my hands on my face. My stomach is hurting, it's been hurting for the past 2 weeks but I ignored it. This is what I get for skipping my meals.
I inhale and exhale trying to calm myself down to relieve some of the pain. This is why Karen keeps reminding me to eat proper meals because she’s seen me writhing in pain during my break hours.
She would give me pain reliever pills and scold me for my poor eating habits which helped. I never thought the pain would come back again. The pain I feel right now isn't too bad though, I can handle it. I just need to go home and rest.
I get up and open my locker quickly changing out of my uniform. I grab my backpack and then tie my hair. I got a haircut last week, getting my hair to my shoulders.
I had long beautiful black hair that my mom admired. I wonder why we don't have the same hair color, she's a brunette. She said I have the same hair as my deceased father. Maybe I have all my father's features since none of my features match my mom's.
I have a heart-shaped face with bluish eyes and wavy black hair. I stopped asking my mom for a picture of my father when she told me she lost it. They never had a lot of pictures together.
I have dimples on both cheeks that appear when I smile. My mom says I'm pretty and I just need to change the way I dress cause I get mistaken for a man sometimes. I don't care at all.
I quickly head to the bar exit, bumping into Lea crying on my way. She ignores me heading to the locker room. I want to follow her but I need to go home because of my stomach ache.
On my way out, I see Stefan kissing and flirting with another woman when I glance at the counter. Maybe Lea saw them and started crying again. I hope I never feel what Lea is feeling right now. I would lose it if I saw my man kissing another woman.
***