Riya was looking at her emails with a frowning expression. She always frowned at the laptop even if it was a piece of exciting news. She got that from her father. There was so much noise coming from the other apartments. The smell of BBQ meat that had been marinated in lovely spices and herbs. The delicious smell was coming into Riya's apartment and she could not stand it anymore. But she had to endure it. She made a promise to herself that she would start eating healthily from day one which was today. Riya was checking if she got accepted in restaurants or hotels from overseas. There was nothing new in her inbox. She slammed her back against the sofa and looked at the screen. She was hoping that something would appear in her emails. She waited for five minutes for something to happen.
Five minutes later, nothing appeared in her email. Riya was getting hungry. She got up from her cozy sofa and walked to the kitchen. She entered the kitchen and went straight to the fridge. She opened the fridge door wide and her heart fell apart. There was nothing in the fridge. Not one single container was on the shelves. She went to the mall earlier but she forgot to buy the important item, food. Riya leaned her head against the door because she was sad. She stared at the empty shelves. Her stomach started growling like a lion was roaring inside. The smell of the meat was not making it even better for her. There was a knock on the door. Riya removed her head from the door and walked away from the fridge. The door closed itself automatically. Riya stopped in front of the door and opened it. Two women, African and Indian, were standing in front of her. They were holding two containers each.
"Good evening Mrs. Naidoo and Mrs. Mbeki.", Riya greeted them.
"Good evening my dear. My family and I made spicy mutton, BBQ chicken, and sweet corn. Don't worry, they are cooked.", Mrs. Naidoo lifted her container in her right hand. "In this container, baked beans salad, potato and mayo salad, and green salad."
"My family and I made pap (mealie meal), chakalaka, and roast chicken. In the other container has the dessert. I bought the dessert from Woolworths.", Mrs. Mbeki said.
"Thank you ladies.", Riya was grateful then she took the containers from Mrs. Naidoo.
"We should be thanking you because you saved my daughter. The man who did the make-up turned her into the main female character from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Thank god, Riya saved everything. My daughter had a wonderful time at her wedding.", Mbeki explained the situation.
"Today, people want to work less but earn more money. The people who work the hardest get the low salaries while the people who don't put any afford to get the highest salaries. People who are earning millions are still not happy about the amount they are earning that they will find ways to get more money which means they will steal.", Mrs. Naidoo explained.
"Those people who are earning millions are the ones who are working less. But not all people are like that. There are some millionaires who put a lot afford into their work. It also depends on how people see the money. It's a complicated subject.", Riya took the containers from Mrs. Mbeki.
"Riya, you must become a businesswoman and start selling your desserts to the market.", Mrs. Naidoo was being encouraging.
"But it's so difficult, especially us women. There are still people who think that women are not capable of becoming businesswomen.", Riya said.
"Don't let that undermine you. You must show those close-minded people that you are more than capable of becoming a businesswoman. Show them that you can do it.", Mrs. Mbeki said firmly like a mother.
"Thanks, ladies."
"Promise us that you won't give up. You must tell yourself that "I will become a businesswoman.'."
"Yes Mrs. Mbeki.", Riya said with a smile.
"Happy New Year my dear.", both the women wished her.
"Happy New Year.
The women walked away to go to their apartments. Riya closed the door behind her. She took two containers at a time to the kitchen. She placed them on the granite counter. She went to get the other two. Her laptop made a noise. She stopped in the middle of the hallway when she heard it. She turned around to the sitting room. She slowly walked to her laptop. Then she sat on the sofa while looking at the screen. A new email appeared in her inbox. It was from The Rose Valley Hotel. She clicked on it not even thinking twice if it was a scam. But she carried on reading it.
Congratulations. You are accepted into The Rose Valley Hotel. Planes tickets, accommodations, and public transportation will be provided by the company. You will start on 24th June 2024. You will be leaving South Africa for Shanghai on the 1st of March 2024 to settle yourself in the city. Welcome to the family.
Kind regards
Wu Yingjie
Judging by the way this person typed, this person sounded friendly. But Riya did not want to be blinded by that. She was so excited that she got a new job. She stood on the sofa and started jumping on it.
"Yes, yes, yes.", she said in excitement. She hit her head hard on the light bulb. "Ah, ssssss.", she hissed then rubbed her head.
Riya got off the sofa and grabbed her black Huawei phone. She was messaging her sister about her job.
Akka (big sister), I got the job.
Riya sent a smiling face emoji to her sister. Riya put her phone on the coffee. She went to the kitchen to get a piece of cake. It was her family's tradition. If anyone received an achievement, they would buy a cake to celebrate. Riya took out a piece of the Black Forest Cake. She neatly placed it on a small clear glass plate. She licked the cream on her fingers while putting the knife in the sink. Her phone made a noise. Riya took the cake and fork to the coffee table. She placed the cake on the table then took the phone. Her sister sent a message.
Wow, mom and I are so proud of you. If dad was around, he would have been proud of you even though he wouldn't show it. But well done. Can't wait to see you, baby.
She sent a hearty emoji to Riya. Riya was touched by the message. She grabbed the plate, sat on the sofa, and started eating the cake. She could hear the people saying 'cheers' and the music was going on from the other apartments. It did lighten up the atmosphere for Riya. She took a piece of the cake and put it in her mouth. She was enjoying the cake and the music that was making her dance.