《The Man She Betrayed》36. In Sickness And Health
Advertisement
Somewhere along the night, I lost the will to stay awake. When I woke up next morning, the sun was at its peak and people of different ages were jogging in front of the bench I was sleeping at.
Few kids were pointing at me, giggling. Realising that I probably looked like hell because of all the crying, I ran fingers through my hair and stood up to leave.
This park was close to the restaurant where I worked and my shift there started at 10 am. Ignoring all the glances towards me, I walked forwards. Each part of my body hurt due to sleeping in such an uncomfortable position on a hard bench but it was far better than staying with that pervert.
Once I reached the restaurant, I looked at my reflection on the glass door. My hair was flying in every direction and my eyes had huge eyebags under them.
Sighing, I went inside and when Robert, the restaurant's owner watched me, his eyes widened like saucers.
"Are you ill?" he asked in his grumpy voice, which now I know is his usual voice.
I couldn't tell him that I was homeless because he would fire me. He didn't like any unnecessary tension around him. "Yeah. But I'm better now. I'll freshen up in the staff's bathroom." I said, keeping my voice as straight as possible.
"Make sure your illness doesn't ruin my business. Or else.." he glared at me and then walked away.
Thankfully, I have kept two extra outfits at work because I ruined a lot of clothes in the beginning while handling the food. Changing into fresh clothes, I tied my hair in a bun and asked my coworker to lend me her concealer to hide my eye bags. I began working, trying my best not to think about the fact that I don't have any place to live.
Advertisement
I told Robert that I would work full time. He was already short of workers so he conceded easily. Plus, he also gave me the keys of restaurant and told me that I would be the one closing it at night and opening it the next day as Flora, who used to do this before had left the job.
Throughout the day, I kept myself busy because everytime I think about those videos, I couldn't help but feel nauseous. It was probably because of the same nausea that before the ending of the shift, I ended up vomiting in the bathroom.
By the time I walked out of the restaurant, everybody had left already. With heaviness in my stomach and bile rising in my throat, I cleaned all the shelves and made sure all the eatable leftovers were dispatched to the orphanage nearby.
Where would I go now?
Sitting on a small sofa in the seating section, I stared at the keys in my hands. My eyes switched to the empty, deserted street through the window and I contemplated adding another bad thing to the already filled bucket.
It was wrong but I needed a place to crash. I had the keys and I was the one supposed to open it next morning. If I wake up early in the morning and act like I just came here, would anybody be able to tell that I was lying?
At the end, the evil in me triumphed and I locked the door from the inside. Turning the lights off, I lay down on the sofa and looked through the glass door.
The moon had cast its dim light all inside the small dining hall, illuminating the place. Last night, at this time, I was running through the streets for my dignity because once again, a man betrayed me.
Advertisement
But can I complain?
I closed my eyes and light brown, more like hazel eyes appeared in front of my eyes. Eyes of the person I betrayed. I knew this was karma, my karma for cheating on the sweetest man on the planet.
I knew I won't be given an easy way out after what I did.
And I better prepare myself for it.
...
I have been sleeping in the restaurant for two weeks now. Every night, I would wait for everyone to leave so that I can close the restaurant. Sometimes, I would actually close it and come back later on. In the morning, I wake up with the first ray of light. I don't have my mobile to use as an alarm but gratefully, my internal clock is regulated now so I wake up way before the opening time of restaurant.
As for clothes, I alternate between the two clothes I have kept in my locker. Mostly I am in my waitress' uniform so it's not a big issue.
The major issue was actually my sickness. I haven't been feeling well for quite some days now. The constant nausea was causing some turbulence in my work but I have been successful in pretending to be fine. Once I get my paycheck, I'll go see a doctor.
I try my best to keep my focus at work but whenever I am not doing anything, my mind goes back to my family, my past life and everything I left behind. I did everything for one man and he left me to struggle alone in this strange world. Many a times, I came close to calling my parents and begging them for apology but I couldn't do this after abandoning them.
I am not the same snobby person anymore because there is no one here to look after me. One mistake and I am off to streets, which I can't afford. I didn't know living in real world was so difficult. Working day and night made me realise how lucky I was, for being served everything on a silver platter.
Here, nobody really cares about me, as if my presence doesn't mean anything to anyone. No matter how much time I spend in bathroom spilling my guts out, nobody notices my absence. No matter how many holes are there in the only two shirts I have, nobody gives a damn about it.
Today was just another day. After waking up, I felt a strong wave of nausea hit me. I was going to get my paycheck later on so I booked an appointment to a doctor through the landline.
With this thought in mind, I walked towards the kitchen to steal a teabag of green tea. While I was mixing it, my vision started to turn blurry. I wobbled towards the sink to splash some water over my face.
My head was getting dizzy and the world around me had started to rotate. It was probably because of all the stress and hunger.
After some five minutes, It got a little better. Sighing in relief, I trudged forwards but suddenly, my muscles felt too exhausted to move and another wave of nausea hit me. I tried to balance myself by gripping the wall but before I could reach it, everything blacked out.
____________________________
Advertisement
- In Serial21 Chapters
Spell and Fang
Bird is an orphaned witch hated by the heavenly host of Lun and Hexa and feared by humanity. When her family is brutally murdered can she find faith and protection among the dragons?
8 133 - In Serial11 Chapters
Beatrice Santello
An adult imagining of Beatrice Santello's life prior to the events of Night in the Woods. There are no explicit depictions of sex here, though there are obviously adult themes and situations involving it. I wasn't going to post it to Royalroad as I didn't think Fanfiction was okay here - but now I see it is and I am quite convinced it is the best work I've ever done yet, I've got to see what any fans of NitW think about it! The first chapter was originally written as a short vignette and wasn't intended to be continued into a full blown story. It was just intended to be moody and evocative. Even though anyone that has played Night in the Woods has a good idea how this must end, I hope it will still be worth the read. Also, since I've finished writing it, I'm going to post it as one big chapter dump all at once. Cover drawing by GreasyMojo and colored by me (with permission!). I don't think it should be too risque on it's own but I suppose I'll soon find out.
8 103 - In Serial8 Chapters
The Promise of Yuuko Asahino - Volume 1
"Inspire them Yuuko. Show them heroes can exist. Move by your own strength, and move others. You can do it, I promise." These were the words spoken to him by his father, but a child can only go so far. The real world isn't like a storybook, so he'll journey through life to learn what exactly it means to hold an ideal. An ideal that starts with a promise.
8 120 - In Serial40 Chapters
Camp Wisahickon
To her parents, Amelia Stevens is the perfect daughter. Excellent grades, a piano prodigy, and her mature nature makes Amelia a good girl. However, when she's at camp, things change. Camp Wisahickon is the one place Amelia is able to be herself.Carter Miller is the exact opposite. Constantly getting in trouble, making reckless decisions, and a stubborn pride has landed Carter a court ordered ultimatum: spend the summer at the Juvenile Delinquent Detention Center or attend a month-long camp. Unfortunately for Amelia, he chose Camp Wisahickon.
8 189 - In Serial27 Chapters
Mrs. Jeon || jjk ☑
Starting from now you will become 'Mrs. Jeon'I'm sorry but this is not a mafia story.This is a boring story. I already told you so be prepare.
8 217 - In Serial29 Chapters
Rage
Julio Hernandez is socially stunted, rude, snarky and, in all respects, an asshole. With a penchant for wearing leather jackets and successfully scaring off everyone around him, Julio has never met anyone who has had the ability to talk back to him. Until Taylor Channing, the new girl. She's sweet, yet sarcastic and has the innate ability to put Julio in his place. Maybe the bad boy has finally met his match.Published- 22nd November, 2017Completed- 30th March, 2018
8 146

