There once was a girl who worked very hard to achieve her dream. And that was to save her father from his illness. It was Friday night when she worked late and she was ready to go home. But something unexpected happened, which truly changed her life forever.
"This came for you again," her friend spoke beside her, giving her an envelope.
She took it from her and opened it with an excited grin. She wasn't surprised at all. There was almost a hundred bucks inside.
"Someone has a secret admirer," her friend sang, giving her a wink.
For the past few weeks, someone had been giving her a large tip and she still didn't know what she did. Had she been such a good waitress to receive this kind of generosity?
"Do you know who it is?"
She looked up at her friend and shook her head. "I have no idea."
Every other day, it was always given to her in an envelope. At the back, a name was written — DB.
This person, whoever it was, just kept giving her these tips without introducing themselves. As far as she knew, most people liked getting recognition for doing a good deed. She would have liked to thank them, or ask why she was getting too much.
She had never received this kind of generosity before. But somehow, it made her feel special.
Despite everything, she needed this money. Her father was sick and she needed enough to pay for his medication. He needed her and she was the only one left to take care of him.
And so, she promised herself that she would always be grateful to her secret admirer, whoever he was.
Shaking away her thoughts, she looked at her friend and gave a sweet smile. "You know what, it's getting late. I should probably go home."
Her friend was also smiling down at her. Sometimes, she felt like her friend pitied her, knowing her situation. She was the youngest waitress working in this restaurant and everyone knew how much she needed the money.
"Sure, would you like me to give you a ride?"
"Oh, it's okay. I can handle myself." Besides, her home was far away so she didn't want her friend to get exhausted from the long ride.
"You take care on your way home."
With a nod, she quickly put the envelope to her bag and began to prepare herself to go home.
She remembered the first time she got a big tip. It was a few weeks ago and it was from a man that came to the restaurant and sat at the far side of the room.
Now, she never knew him nor did she see his face. But it seemed like he was a shy guy. And then, he kept visiting the restaurant again and again. She never really got the chance to talk to him.
One thing she knew for sure was that he always wore a black hoodie and he was so tall. She had a feeling that it was him who kept giving her these tips all along. Thanks to him though, her father was now getting better.
Finally, she was walking down the street on her way home. The darkness at night never really bothered her and she was used to it. But it was only this time that she felt so conscious. It felt like someone was watching her.
Her heart was beating fast inside her chest as she tried to quicken her pace. But then, she felt it in an instant.
She began walking towards a corner when large hands suddenly grabbed her waist and she slammed against a hard chest
Instinctively, she pushed against him but he kept his strong arms around her, keeping her locked and unable to escape.
"Don't scream," she heard a deep voice whispering in her ear. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt something cold against her neck. When she tried to look up, she saw nothing. The darkness shadowed over the man's face and his eyes were dark and cold.
"Please, le-let me g-go," she begged, her voice breaking. "I'll give you anything you want. Just let me go."
"Apparently, there's no way for me to do both, sweetheart."
Light tears gathered in her eyes and swiftly rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't stop it. "What do you want?"
In the darkness, his eyes sparkled with mischief and she saw his lips forming into an evil grin. "Revenge."
Revenge?
Her mind was muffled with confused thoughts. All her life, she'd been a good girl, obedient to the rules, never rebelled against her parents. As far as she was concerned, she never liked violence. So how come there was a man claiming to partake an act that she never asked to be a part of?
What was she doing? She shouldn't be this weak. She had to fight him. Without thinking, she pushed him hard with all her strength. He was like a brick wall. He didn't stumble back nor move. He was just surprised and she used that to her advantage.
Turning around, she ran away quickly. She reached about a few meters down the street when she felt strong arms around her waist. "Wrong move, sweetheart," he stated, his deep voice rumbling into her ear.
Try with all she might, she struggled against his hold but he only tightened his grip around her. He was obviously so strong compared to her. Just as she was about to be lifted up and taken away, the man was suddenly thrown to the ground with a loud thud.
It was dark and she couldn't see clearly. But to her amazement, her heart knew in an instant that she was being saved. Yet she couldn't see her savior. In a second, the evil man was gone quickly, as if he teleported to somewhere else without leaving a trace. Perhaps she was dreaming. She hugged herself, feeling her heart beating fast inside her chest. It was the first time that something like this happened to her.
It was so surreal that she almost felt like fainting.
A warm coat was being wrapped around her. When she looked up, she met deep brown eyes. She couldn't see his face clearly and she badly wanted to. She didn't have the strength to speak, didn't have the courage to thank him.
Tears began to pool in her eyes and she began crying silently. She couldn't process what was going on and couldn't think of anything else. Right then, she felt strong arms wrapping around her, giving her warmth and safety. He caressed her hair and rubbed her back as she buried her face to his chest.
"You're safe now, baby doll. No one's going to hurt you," he assured her over and over again.