Another night of winter arrive. Ice crystals cover the city under a white blanket lifting the back hair on the neck but of those who haven't wrapped themselves in a warm piece of clothes. Moon seems to collect appraisals from stars on how bright it is shining tonight. Couples strolling down the lane, hand in hand glueing close to each other, not letting air pass between them. Romantic. Love is in the air.
"Alice, fast fast fast", yeah, romantic in every sense it was until my boss drags me out of my reverie.
I hum welcoming more dishes making their way to me. It's Friday night which means customers double than the whole week. After my graduation, it's been six months since I'm working in this restaurant. I applied for a job in several companies but luck isn't on my side yet...I guess. That's how I ended up being here even after holding an Information Technology degree.
"Oh my God! He's going to propose to her!", Nari, one of my coworkers and yeah, an amazing friend, comes clasping her hands.
"Who's going to propose who?", I ask, scrubbing the sponge to remove the stains from the plates.
"Geon the fucking hot Junho is sitting outside with his girlfriend!", Geon Junho, son of one of the richest men in China? Sometimes I wonder how wonderful it would be to have everything just at the click of touch. But then life would be simple and boring without any twist. Crazy? Yeah, I'm kind of adventurous. I've got this courageous self from my mom.
"Words, Nari", the boss yells from the backside of the kitchen.
"Was I being this loud?", she arranges the plates in a stack over the counter to be used by other staff.
"Enough loud for crashing down my eardrums", Xian groaned, apparently mingling with Nari 24/7, poking fun at her, but preoccupied with her thoughts. Bet me, he's already in love with her.
"Yahhh!", Nari goes nudging his side.
"Nari, it hurts! I'll lock you in a cage and will never set you free, you nasty witch!", see? If this is not love then I don't what is it.
"Huh, as if I'll let you. Now show me what are you hiding in there", Nari's eyes sparkled with glee, gaze fixed at Xian's left-side pocket.
"Nothing for you!", he turns around putting the roasted chicken in the dish.
"I saw Geon Junho giving you the ring", Nari exclaims crossing her arms against the chest.
"Were you spying on me? Do you even come here to work?", seeing Nari standing next to me with anger dripping off the now reddened face of her, he shoves his hand inside the pocket and pulls out a diamond ring.
"He gave me this to hide in one of the plates", I've seen diamonds in movies many times but gotta say; this one seems out of this world.
"She's such a f*cking lucky girl!", Nari's mouth goes agape.
"Zhang the Nari!", the boss yells again, appearing from behind the counter.
"Okay, so Mr Geon has signalled me to bring their order. None of you is going to make a mistake. Xian, you will go with the cater having this dish with the ring hiding under the cover. Nari, you will bring the drinks that Mr Geon has ordered for the dinner and Alice, if you're done listening to us, you can grant your mighty hands to the rest of the dishes", he finished, facing me.
"Haha...", I sheepishly smile and return to my work. Nari is right. Some people are really lucky. I haven't heard the name of this Geon until a week ago when he made a reservation at our restaurant. There passed not a single day that Nari let gone by without daydreaming about him, his hot masculine body, built abs---Oh, God! I'm going to eat the tainted air of lockers soon if Nari doesn't stop talking about him!
While yawning I look at the pile of dishes. I've been washing them for practically more than three hours in a row. Now I just want to stretch my arms and lay down on my mattress.
"You've got this, Alice", putting my earbuds on, I get lost in the world of my imagination in a split second. Feng taught me how to enjoy the worst moments of my time, how to make myself comfortable in the utmost uncomfortable moments, and how to relax in the most unrelaxing times. Who's Feng? He's my best friend. We've been friends since high school.
When we were taking admission at the same university, we decided to rent an apartment. Though he's paying the third quarter of the rent, he promised to take half from me when I'll get a nice job with a handsome amount of salary. Yes, he takes care of me more than anyone has ever had.
I applied for different jobs in a few offices last week but haven't had any positive response. Tomorrow I'll apply to a couple of corporations again and that's the very reason I want to leave as early as possible so that I can do some preparation for interviews. I guess I'll be off to work early even though it's a weekend. God bless that rich bastard for reserving the five tables. This spendthrift wasted his money on five reservations convincing himself with buying some privacy from his surroundings. Well, he was born with a silver spoon. Prodigal habits die hard.
"That f*cking bitch dared to refuse him!", Nari yells taking my earbuds off.
"What the hell, Nari!", she sometimes gets on my nerves. She's the most short-tempered person I've met in my whole life.
"Alice, stop me! I'm gonna kill that whore!", grabbing a knife from the counter, she shouts.
Pfft...and Feng says I'm a drama queen.
"I'm feeling sorry for the pitiful person. Who knows why did she refuse?", I take my apron off since I'm done with my tonight's shift. At least, that's what I think.
"She is a witch! No one can ever pity her! She refused the proposal of Geon Junho!", another heartbreak. Well, only if he was insanely obsessed with her.
"It's their matter to be taken care of. You better calm down, Nari", I dry my hand under the hand dryer and proceeded to hang the apron on the hook.
"You are right but I'm just feeling sorry for him. He's drunk as a skunk", relationship sucks. First, it makes you feel the happiest person on the earth, then, after turning your whole world upside down, it tosses you in space, letting you struggle to breathe. You make senseless decisions by allowing irrational thoughts to take control over your mind and heart.
Feng always says to me that it's not my turn, that's why I keep finding myself running from it but once I fall for someone I'll probably be making stupid decisions same as all the lovers do. If that's so, I'd rather like to die alone than to die for someone else. But every time the thought of dying for someone crosses my mind, I feel an uneasy rush in my body.
"My little brother is whining for chocolates", Nari sighs, putting the phone back in her pocket.
Her brother is four years old. Nari has a perfectly happy family. Even though having no family is completely perfect either but theirs is just amazing in every way. Her mom and dad often go on honeymoons. They want to grow old while falling in love with each other more and more unlike my parents who got divorced when I was sixteen.
My dad moved to the states because he was originally from there and mom? She only calls once a year to make sure I'm alive though she barely talks for ten minutes. After getting me admitted in the first year of high school, she travelled to Guangzhou and found herself a wealthy man there. She even forced me to leave everything here and move to their large house in Guangzhou that I bluntly refused. China is my birthplace. Though I felt myself all alone when they two moved out of here but only until I found Feng.
Nari and I change our uniforms in the dressing room and walk back to the kitchen because I forgot my phone on the counter.
"Alice, where are you going?", my boss asks.
"I've finished my work", I reply while texting Feng that I'm coming home.
"Alice, Mr Geon doesn't seem to leave. He keeps ordering bottles of alcohol", I arch my eyebrow at him. What is he up to this time? My boss. He has made me work for someone else's shift a few times when one of our staff was on leave. But it doesn't mean I would be working at their place. I just don't like to refuse him since he makes it look like a reasonable request every time this happens.
"It's not like we can order him to leave since he holds Geon Incorporations. I'd be very grateful to you if you stay here until he is done drinking", no way in the damn hell! I have to wake up early tomorrow for interviews.
"But it's already 11, boss", please no. Not this time.
"I'd stay but my son has a fever and I've to take him to the hospital. Except you, I cannot trust anyone with this place, Alice. Please try to understand my situation", Damn, God why did you give me this heart that keeps understanding others more than understanding the damn owner of it!
"Okay", only if he could see me mentally screaming.
"Thank you! Thank you so much. Here are the keys", after handing me the keys he storms out as if he already knew that I'd not refuse him.
"I'm sorry Alice. I'd stay but my brother is waiting for me", die alone, Alice!
"It's okay", no it's not! Why do I've to be the understanding and comprising one all the shitty times! Nari leaves after giving me a goodbye hug.
"Gotta learn how to say no", I whisper to myself imagining Feng saying this to me whenever I get myself stuck in a situation like this. I grip onto the stripe of my bag that is slung over my shoulder and make my way to the table. The drunk bastard is still drinking like a fish.
I wonder how strong his alcohol tolerance is?
"You! Come over here!", I feel like a fawn who is left alone in the forest by its pack.
"Pour me another drink", when I walk up to him he orders me holding the wine glass in his hands.
"Can't you do it yourself?", who does he think he is bossing around?
"I'm gonna shut this place down", seriously? It looks like it's his first time being rejected by someone. Well, that's not my problem. If he wants to close this restaurant, he can do that all to my care. It's not like I'm the owner of it. The worst could help is my boss kicking me out and Feng paying the whole rent of our apartment. Nari and Xian will find new jobs. And my boss will open another restaurant. Easy and simple as it is.
"You can't get a hold of yourself. How are you gonna shut this whole place down?", I'm not being rude. Am I? I'm not his employee to tolerate every shitty command of his. He gets up from his chair. Despite how drunk he is, he effortlessly walks toward me without tripping even for once.
"First, you refused my proposal. Now babbling without any guilt? Gotta give you a lesson, bitch", aptly crunk! But Nari was right. He's definitely hot but looks like a hamster with that hairstyle. Who parts the hair from the centre?
"Get yourself together stupid. I'm not your girlfriend", I retreat backwards as he keeps walking toward me. Soon I find myself caged in his arms. Great.
"You are beautiful", his alcoholic breath fans against my skin.
"But not my type. Now be a good girl serve me. Will you?", dickhead!