Seeing that Ella was trying to dodge the question, Mary placed her hands on the box she was working on and said, "Well here are the new cardboard boxes the company wants to use these instead of the old ones so the set of papers you have packed in the old boxes should be packed in the new ones, can you do this?"
Ella's mind has been on last night's incident ever since she woke up, the announcement that the old boxes were no longer in use was missed by her, she hurriedly paused and replied, "Yeah! sure, why not just give me a minute I will surely replace them with new ones."
Ella started to rip off those packed old boxes and took out the sets of paper tissue boxes from them. Mary looked at her dull face and felt that there was something wrong with Ella as her colleague and her friend she was concerned about her, while helping her unbox the old boxes she asked, "Hey, Ella! is there something you want to tell me?"
"No! but why are asking this?" Ellas paused and then replied to Mary's question.
"Well, I am seeing that ever since morning you have been quite lost in your thoughts, you didn't talk to anyone and you look so unhappy. Usually, you enjoy your work but today it is looking like you are just going through motions."
"No, Mary! you are getting too worried about me." She didn't want to tell anyone about what happened last night, it was humiliating to say that something like that happened to her and her children and she didn't want Mary's sympathy. She has been always a woman with pride but now all of a sudden everything was getting out of her control and now she was reduced to the point where she had to bow her head everywhere she went.
Mary knew she was lying to her, she pulled Ella's hand while she was unloading sets of papers from the box, held her hand and asked, "Ella we are working together for the last eight years and I know you so well that I can recognise by your face that there is something which is making you tense. Ella, at least you can tell me about your problem I hope that I can help you to find a solution to your problem."
Ella felt her heart get warmed by Mary's concern, that's right Mary was her friend for eight years and she has always been concerned about her.
However she couldn't come to a decision, she couldn't decide whether she should tell Mary about her situation or not, in pinch tears started to flow out of her eyes, and this made Mary stunned, she thought that Ella was crying because of her continuous asking. Mary then gently spoke, "Ella! I am sorry if I hurt you. I was asking because I want to know your problem but if you don't want to tell me then that's fine, I understand but please don't cry."
Ella was sobbing, she wiped her tears and replied, "No, you don't have to be sorry I don't want everyone to worry about me, I know that you are worried about me but you know I have always been like this."
She placed her head on Mary's shoulder and cried like a child, Mary consoled her as she patted her shoulder, "Ella you can share your problem with me I swear won't tell anyone about it."
Then she wiped Ella's tears and gently clasped her face and asked her, "Calm down Ella, now tell me what happened?"
Ella before telling her looked around to see whether anyone was eavesdropping on them, only when she saw that no one was there, she turned to look at Mary and said, "Mr Richardson came into our house last night and asked for his money which I owe to him."
As she was reminded of what happened last night, her sobs intensified and she continued to tell Mary about Mr Richardson's ruthlessness. When she told Mary how Mr Richardson tortured her daughter in front of her eyes and how he threatened her with her children, Mary went numb.
She didn't know how to react, she couldn't believe her ears for a while she was thinking that how Mr Richardson could do this to someone she never knew that Mr Richardson was this evil.
Ella then continued, "Mr Richardson now had given me two weeks span to pay all his money and if I don't then he will do something worse again." Ella then covered her face with her hands and cried bitterly, Mary made her sit on a stool and bring a bottle of water for her and ask her to drink some water. Ella stopped crying and took a sip of water from the bottle while Mary gently rubbed her back to make her calm.
"I don't know what I have to do now. I am scared… if I don't give him the money within two weeks I am scared that he will again hurt my children but how am I supposed to come up with so much money? You know my husband used up every penny he borrowed... if only he was smart enough not to do something like that" Ella finished bitterly when her husband told her that he got a loan at a decent interest without putting anything up for a mortgage, she already knew something was wrong and she tried to stop him but he didn't listen to her.
Now look what kind of devil, he invited into their house!
"And I have run out of groceries there is nothing left in my house. My son Cesar had eaten nothing since last night and today in the morning I've somehow managed to make an omelette for him but I had to give that to Amelia. I don't know what should I do right now Mary, what should I do."
"Ella just calm down don't take too much stress and today we are going to have our salaries, first give the money to Mr Richardson then ask him for a few more days to pay back the rest, you can save a few dollars to buy groceries and lie to him that you made a mistake and had to pay it from your salary, it's not like he is going to find out what happened in the company right?" Mary gave her a decent suggestion but Ella shook her head
"It's not that easy Mary, Mr Richardson will not give me more days even if I give him my full salary, he will not step back from his words. I am sure he will not show any mercy this time."
Mary also agreed with her thoughts about Mr Richardson but she still tried to convince Ella to at least talk to Mr Richardson. While they were discussing what they should do, suddenly a woman called Mary from behind and asked, "Miss Mary does the sets of papers packed in the new boxes? the manager is asking for them."
Mary replied, "Yeah, we are just doing that, you tell the manager just wait for a few minutes we will send the boxes."
The women agreed and turned around to leave, seeing her leave Mary turned to Ella and once again patted her on the shoulders and said, "Ella, you just don't have to worry about this right now ok? we will talk about it later first we have to pack these sets of papers in the new boxes as fast as possible otherwise the manager will take a pay cut from our salaries if we are late."
" Oh, would you please shut up!" Caesar hissed at his stomach grumbling to the point that it was playing an orchestra of its own. With each period his hunger was getting even more intense to the point he was thinking whether the leaves of the cactus that sat next to the window sill were edible or not.
On the other hand, Rosie was repeatedly looking at Andrew, she was trying to get his attention but she was unsuccessful, Andrew kept ignoring her and Rosie was pissed because of it. She has apologise to him and even said that she would make it up to him but he wasn't even looking at her! How can he do that?
She continued to peep at Andrew and Cesar who was sitting adjacent to her noticed her actions, he looked at Rosie and then at Andrew seemingly understanding the situation. He pursed his lips and looked away, ever since he came to this school, he had held a candle for Rosie but having her say a few words to him was already a dream much less dating him.
He rubbed his stomach and then glanced at Rosie again, a sudden thought came to his head. If Rosie was his girlfriend then —— he shook his head, what was he even dreaming about? Rosie was a second-generation rich heiress and he was a brat born in poverty with a dirt spoon in his hands.
Getting that girl was similar to getting stars from the sky!
He turned his head to Joey who wearing a wristwatch in his hand, he was reluctant to ask him the time but as his stomach growled for cheeseburgers again, he couldn't help it anymore.
He patted Joey's shoulder but the latter didn't turn around to look at him, why will he? He knew just how much the top dogs of the class liked to bully Cesar, if he got entangled with him then surely he will be bullied as well. But after being tapped on the shoulder for a while he couldn't help but turn around and growl, "What the hell! what do you want? Are you trying to find trouble for me?"
Cesar apologised with his hands clasped together like he was praying, "I am sorry to disturb you but can you please tell me what time it is?"
Joey didn't like or dislike Cesar, he simply didn't want to be bullied together with him, so he pursed his lips turned his head and whispered, "Five minutes left to twelve, now don't disturb me. I don't want to become a floor mat like you all right?"
" I know, I am sorry." Cesar retracted his hand from Joey's shoulder and turned to look at the blackboard again. A floor mat, that was all he was in this school.