It's been a month now and I had gotten accustomed to our daily schedule- wake at one am to prepare for the day, open the canteen at five am to place things in order, work begins at seven am till ten pm and then sleep till one am.
At first, I fell terribly ill trying to adjust but with the help of Miss Jane and Jonas, I found my feet. Jonas was a bit free with me now but I knew he still didn't trust me. I think he was of the school of thought that believes in keeping their enemies closer. But he's been nice; doesn't pester as much as when I I first arrived.
Miss Jane took me as her daughter. She got me pretty clothes and jewelries and anything I needed. I had changed my number already and was enjoying this new life.
Right now, I was receiving payments, Jonas was dishing out orders and Miss Jane collected the orders.
"Oh my goodness. Is this you?" I heard Miss Jane squeal and saw her embrace an older woman.
The woman blushed and disentangled. "It's been a while, Jane. You look so good and look what you've achieved." The woman's eyes gleamed.
"And you look stunning, Grace. Your husband's new office is doing you well," Miss Jane ushered Grace to a table and waved at me to take over from her. I set to work immediately, while watching the two women discreetly and listening to their conversation.
"The stress that comes along with being the mayor's wife is far more than the stress of running a canteen," Grace said after sitting down and Miss Jane's voice rang in delight.
"You haven't changed at all," Miss Jane noted.
Grace's eyes zoomed in on Jonas and she smiled, "Well, your son has. Look how grown and strong he is now. And I last saw you both two months ago. What are you feeding him?"
"Oh please. I'm sure Lucas would be more dashing," then in a whisper, she told her friend, "Don't let Jonas know I said that." And they both chuckled.
When the laughter had died down, Grace said, "We got Lucas a wife. Even though the girl is being stubborn but I'm sure she'll come around soon. Their engagement party is this weekend and I'd like you, my childhood friend, to be in charge of the refreshments. We'll pay handsomely, just give us your best."
Miss Jane embraced her friend, "Thank you so much. I know I can always count on you. I won't fail you." When she released Grace, her expensive clothes had wrinkled and Grace used her hand to straighten them out.
"Okay then. I have to be on my way now. Duty calls," Grace said.
"Oh. I'm so sorry I didn't offer you anything. I was just too excited to even remember that. Before you go, Alex," Miss Jane called me over.
I excused myself from the customer I was attending to and walked to them.
"Grace, meet Alex Brown. Alex, meet Grace Brown. My childhood best friend and wife to the mayor," Miss Jane introduced.
Grace's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, "Brown? Are you from here?" she inquired.
"No ma'am. I migrated," I answered.
"From?" she asked. When I told her the city, she relaxed. "Oh. Okay. Thought you were a relation."
Miss Jane giggled, "That's what I thought too at first. Said I'll ask you."
"Jane, as much as I'd love to stay, I have to go," Grace said.
Miss Jane embraced her again and walked her to the door where men in black suits and glasses stood waiting by a car. I watched them wave each other bye.
After we had closed for the day, Jonas stormed into the house. He had been quiet since after Grace's visit and his face had been stony. When I and Miss Jane got to the house, he was pacing in the sitting room.
"What's the matter, dear?" Miss Jane asked her son.
Jonas stopped in front of his mother and fired, "Mother, how could you? How could you let your friend force her son into marriage?"
"But that is not my business," Miss Jane said casually.
"That is not right. And it is your place as a friend to tell her so," Jonas fired back.
"There are lines that should not be crossed in every relationship, son. I'm sure Lucas does not mind either. We even got a job out of this. And why does this bother you?" Miss Jane asked getting angry.
"Mother, it's not about Lucas. That scumbag can rot in hell for all I care. I'm just concerned about the girl. Put yourself in her shoes. I know I haven't met her but I feel for her. I can't believe you and your friend don't feel compassion for her. You taught me to be selfless but here you are being so selfish," he yelled and a slap followed after that.
"Watch your tongue," Miss Jane said breathing heavily. "I trained you for twenty eight years alone. Without help from anyone and I wouldn't let you insult me."
Jonas stormed into his room and Miss Jane slumped into a sofa. I went to sit on the arm of the sofa and hold her by her shoulders.
"Calm down. Breathe in. Out. In. Out," I instructed her and she did so.
When she was calm, she began talking, "I had Jonas when I was sixteen. His father abandoned us. Said he was the father of my child. My parents threw me out. But I didn't let that weigh me down. I promised myself not to let my son suffer. Grace helped me through everything. And now she's happy for her son's marriage, Jonas wants me to destroy it. These things happen everyday, so why should this make a difference?"
I heaved a sigh and spoke up, "I wish I had the powers to make things like this stop for good. I had a friend who was forced into marriage like this. She ended up murdering the man, unintentionally and spent some years in prison. Had a child there and gave the child up. Now she's seeking for the child and healing from the trauma. My friend is strong but I don't know how other girls have coped in this situation. If I were you, friendship or not, I'll stand for what is right. Put yourself in that girl's shoes."
I left her to brood over what I said. I knocked on Jonas door and entered.
He shot me a glare and asked, "Weren't you taught to wait for a reply after knocking?"
I shrugged, "I'm sure you'd have told me to go away and I'd have still entered whether you wanted it or not."
"What if I was naked?" he asked.
I shrugged again and sat on his bed, "It's nothing I've not seen before."
He rubbed his forehead, "You're here now to give me a headache. What do you want?"
"Why do you hate Lucas?" I asked him.
He laughed scornfully, "I don't hate him, I just have a strong dislike for him."
I gave him a look, "You know you just defined hate, right?"
He groaned and said, "Okay. I do hate him. He just doesn't care about people's feelings. He's a bully. He's mean. And a playboy. He hates me and is always grumpy around me."
I laughed, "Like you are around me."
He smiled, "That has changed now though."
"True," I agreed."But you still don't trust me."
"We're getting there," he said and I smiled.
"How about we speed up the process?" I asked, smirking.
"How do you mean?" he queried.
"Well, I had a friend who's been forced into marriage and her life has been a mess since then. I don't want this girl to go through the same. She might not survive it."
"So what are you trying to say?" he asked me, still confused.
I swallowed my spit, "Let's stop the engagement."
His eyes were round in shock, "And how do we do that?"
I opened my palm to him, "Do you trust me?"
He looked at my open palm, contemplating, struggling, before finally placing his palm in mine. "Yes. I do trust you."