I rang up the woman's coffee, my eyes fixed on my phone. "$7.25," I said, not looking up.
"Excuse me?" she retorted, her tone tinged with annoyance.
I met her gaze, my expression neutral. "$7.25."
She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "For a cup of coffee?"
I shrugged, my eyes drifting back to my phone. "That's the price, ma'am."
The woman's gaze shifted above me, her eyes scanning the board. Her face reddened as she realized the price listed was indeed lower. "$2.25," she muttered, her voice laced with indignation.
I leaned against the counter, my hands tucked into my pockets. "Price went up," I said, my tone matter-of-fact.
The woman's eyes flashed, her voice rising. "You're trying to rip me off!"
I raised an eyebrow, my gaze drifting from her designer handbag to her expensive-looking jewelry. "You're not exactly... thrifty," I said, my tone neutral.
The woman's face darkened, her voice escalating into a yell. "I demand to speak to your manager"
Geez, didn't take her long to lose it. I tried to calm her down but she kept yelling about how I was trying to rip her off, I tried telling her she was mistaken but she only got louder the more I tried to reason with her.
"What seems to be the problem, miss?" a familiar voice emerged behind me. I looked back to find Wu, the owner of the shop and my guardian. He walked over to me and gave me a look, I shrugged and looked away.
"This girl," the woman started, pointing at me, "This swindler tried to rip me off. This isn't the first time I'd be coming to your shop, I came yesterday and bought my iced coffee for $2.25 and missy over here decided to call it $7.25 and she claims it's because I'm dressed nicely." She huffed and looked exasperated.
Wu shot me a knowing look and I glared back at him, he looked back at the overweight woman, bowed his head and apologized on my behalf. The woman demanded I apologize and Wu dragged me, pulling my head to bow and whispered to me to apologize. I didn't get it, this woman looked rich, why the fuss over a few extra dollars.
"I deeply apologize for trying to charge you more than the initial price of the coffee," I said flatly while still bowing. The woman fumed and mumbled some words about how she had just experienced the worst customer service and that she would not be patronize the shop ever again, then she took her YSL purse from the counter and left. I watched her leave the shop with the coffee but noticed that she did not pay, I knew Wu noticed but he decided not to say anything to avoid another scene. The shop was empty so there was no one to experience the drama that just unfolded. I raised my head up after she left and tried leaving the shop through the back door when I heard Wu's voice.
"Betty, hold on." I stopped and turned to look at him. He started walking towards me and as if knowing what he was about to say, i raise my hand in protest to try and stop him from coming closer, ready to make a break for it if needed. He stopped walking towards me and sighed, rubbing his palms against his face.
"You'll develop acne if you keep touching your face, Wu." I tell him and he gives me a concerned look.
Wu's words hung in the air like a challenge. "Betty, for how long will you continue to live like this? What was the point of lying to that woman?"
I shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. The memories I'd tried to keep hidden began to resurface, like old scars aching in the cold.
I remembered the feel of the cold pavement beneath my feet, the sound of my parents' angry voices, the smell of stale beer and smoke. My mind flashed back to the countless times I'd been left alone, abandoned in random places with no one to turn to.
I was only six when my parents decided to involve me in their criminal world. Desperate for their next fix, they sent me out into the cold to steal from strangers. I was too young to understand, too scared to refuse. When I failed, they'd lock me out, leaving me to fend for myself. On some occasions, they would beat me up and deprived me of food, other times, they would lock me up in a small, stuffy closet.
The cycle continued until I finally worked up the courage to snatch a man's wallet. It was my first "trophy," a twisted badge of honor. The man noticed me stealing from him and caught me, beating me mercilessly even though I begged for mercy. I went home extremely injured that day but my parents beat me up some more for failing to return with money.
My first taste of success – and deception – came when I concocted a desperate lie. Fearing another beating, I approached a stranger and told a tale of a sick mother in need of help. The woman's pity-filled gaze handed me a lifeline – and a note of cash.
From that moment on, I relied on fabricated stories to get by, until I eventually honed my skills as a pickpocket and stealing became my survival mechanism. It was a habit I couldn't shake, even after I met Wu.
I looked up at Wu, his expression soft with concern. "You know why I do these things, Wu," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "You know what my life was like before."
Wu's eyes filled with a deep sadness, and he reached out to place a hand on my shoulder. "I know, Betty. But that's exactly why I want you to stop. You deserve better. You deserve a chance to start over."
I shrugged off his hand, feeling a familiar defensiveness rise up. "I'm fine, Wu. I can take care of myself."
Wu sighed, his expression a mix of frustration and compassion. "I know you can, Betty. But that's not the point. The point is, you don't have to live like this. You have a choice."
I looked away, feeling a stinging sensation in my eyes. Wu's words struck a chord deep within me, a chord I'd tried to ignore for so long.
"Do you have anything to say?" I knew that tone, he'd given up on this conversation. It had been two years since I met this man and he had been nothing short of a father figure, not like I ever had a father figure and it hurt me to let my bad habits hurt him the way it did. I scoffed and ran out the back, leaving him behind in the shop. I just was not ready to deal with those emotions yet.
When I got to a safe distance from the shop, I dipped my hands in my pocket and brought out the root of all evil.
231 dollars and 90 cents.
I had swiped money from the YSL purse the overweight woman left on the counter earlier. I had mixed feelings about the money since I had just received a talking to earlier, I decided I was going to do a good deed to make up for the petty thievery. I walked around for a while, looking around and thinking about what good deed I could possibly do. That was when I sighted a clothing store in the distance where a bright idea hit me, I grinned and made my way over to the store.