CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1

Because of the suddenness, I was unable to move for a while on all fours. I could clearly see from my position the scattered broken plates, glasses, and scattered foods on the floor that had stuck already to my white polo shirt. I just came back to my senses when I heard the whispers and waves of laughter from the group of women where I can see the woman that came also from their groups, the one who blocked her foot while I was walking that is why I became and look like this.

"Deserve! So stupid bitch!"

"Attention seeker in men!"

"How many fish did you catch there, girl?"

I wanted to run to them and ask them why they were still so happy about what had happened to me and why that girl did that to me but my whole body suddenly felt weaker because of the rapid occurrence and because of the speed on how I just fell into the floor. My fall into the floor had such a strong impact that I quickly felt pain in some parts of my body.

For sure, the loud sounds crashing of the plates, bowls, and glasses on the floor thundered into the whole eatery earlier. As I got up from the floor, I could easily feel the eyes of the people inside the eatery on me and I could also hear their whispers and waves of laughter.

When I finally got up from the floor, I immediately saw some stains of blood on the white polo that I am wearing because of some broken glasses that stick into me when I accidentally fell on the floor and I also immediately knelt down and reached for the tray that was upside down to the floor to pick up the scattered foods as well as the already broken plates, bowls, and glasses with just my bare hands. And as I did that, I could feel my tears forming silently on the side of my eyes, the shaking of my hands, and the sudden sharp feeling of pain in my chest because of all that just happened.

Are people in this world really like this now? They are still happy when someone gets hurt or embarrassed even though that someone doesn't do anything bad or wrong to them? Is it just always be like this? Are they not really going to change?

I just took a deep breath and resumed picking up the broken things and the foods that are scattered on the floor even though I could hear some flashings of cameras in front of me and on my back. Some customers even stood up just to kick the scattered foods and broken glasses on the floor to keep them away from me and to make it even more difficult for me to pick up.

The hatred inside my chest grew even more because of them. I am just holding my tears because I do not want them to see my weak side. I will just let them be doing that if they are happy hurting me because I know how karma works.

I was about to stand up when I suddenly just heard Madam Baby's loud voice from behind that made my heart beat so rapidly. I can imagine now from where I stand her furious and angry face for me.

"What the hell is this mess, Deandra?!" she shouted that made me shocked and her voice immediately thundered inside the whole eatery.

Deandra. That is my whole name and she is just calling me that way when she is so angry with me already.

I became more nervous and the rapid beat of my heart doubled. Also, my hold on the tray that I was holding tightened.

I bite my lips first and close my eyes before I could finally face her as I am still holding the tray with just pieces of broken glasses and pieces of wasted food and as I am holding my breath.

The tears in my eyes became even more visible when I saw how red is her face for being furious and angry Madam Baby is as she watched angrily the debris on the floor and as she glared at the specks of dirt on my white polo shirt.

"I-I am sorry, M-Madam Baby. I have become like this because of a customer who tripped me while I was walking and heading to the other table earlier that is why I fell on the floor and the tray that I was holding also fell on the floor. I-I am just going to pay all of these, M-Madam. J-Just cut it on my s-salary here," I said softly first to her alongside with my voice broken because of the tears formed silently on the side of my eyes.

I did not really make her speak first because I wanted her to know immediately what really happened.

"Did you know that even if you put your salary together for five months it will never be enough for all the foods you have wasted and for all the items you have broken, huh?! Even maybe if you will put together your salary for two years, it will also never be good enough because I have bought those things abroad and the food you wasted was still from a faraway supplier!" she furiously said while widening her eyes and gritting her teeth.

Her eyes were already colored red because she was furious with me.

Fear and nervousness immediately wrapped inside my body more because I can really see how angry Madam Baby is to me. Also, both of her fists were already shaking because of her raging anger towards me.

"M-Madam, I-I do not mean all of these to h-happen. It is just an accident, M-Madam. J-Just an accident. Y-You can even ask some customers who have seen the whole incident to prove what I have said," I desperately pleaded, hoping that she will listen to me and believe in me.

Please, Madam. Listen and believe in me... just this once... please... I am begging you.

I immediately felt the silence inside the whole eatery and at that moment I realized that they were all watching us and just waiting for what might happen.

"Do not believe in her, Madam Baby! Mabel and I saw everything that happened and we saw that she was just looking and focusing on the group of guys at the other table and not on what she was holding and where she was walking that is why she stumbled and fell on the floor together with all the food!" Monica confidently said and she seemed to be sure of what she had said and after that, she even stood right next to Madam Baby who was still looking at me angrily and looked like not believe in me.

"Yes, Madam Baby, Monica is right! We have seen everything with our very own two eyes! Maybe Andra was flirting and seducing the group of men from the other table so she forgot what she was holding on both of her hands!" Mabel suddenly butts in while crossing both of her hands and while raising her eyebrows at me and like Monica, Mabel even stands next to Madam Baby's left side.

She said "maybe" that is why I think they did not really see the whole incident because of not being sure.

Both Monica and Mabel had their hands crossed on their bodies and also raised their eyebrows on me now while there was a smirk and a glowing smile on their faces, enjoying what was going on right in front of their eyes and happy because they could also see how Madam Baby was angry at me.

Like me, they are also wearing our uniform, a black slacks, a white polo shirt, a hairnet on their head, and their pair of shoes.

I quickly walk towards Madam Baby to explain everything and only the truth. I was shaking my head while still holding the tray and while my tears started streaming down from my eyes as I looked straight at Madam Baby's eyes, hoping that she would feel that I am the one who was telling the truth rather than Monica and Mabel.

"I-It is not true, M-Madam. All of the things they said are not t-true. I-I love my job so much that I can not do what they just said," I beggingly said with tears in my eyes because of the fear I am feeling right now that Madam Baby might fire me in this job because of what happened and because of the lies that Monica and Mabel just have said.

I can not lose this job right now! I still want to continue my study and reach my dreams and Aunt Cecille will surely be angry at me when Madam Baby fires me! I need this job! Oh, gosh! Please! Do not take away this from me!

Madam Baby became even angrier at me and quickly went close to me after I said all of those things.

"And you are still going to lie huh, you, unworthy woman!"

And because of the heavy feeling that I was feeling right now inside my chest, I was not able to avoid her when she pushed hard to me the tray that I was holding that is why it hit my chest so hard and the wasted foods and broken glasses that were inside of that tray immediately scattered on my body.

She was still not satisfied with what she did to me so she immediately slapped me so hard on my left cheek that made me fall and stumble to the floor. I quickly closed my eyes when I felt a few pieces of broken glass sink into both of my palms the moment I stumbled on the floor.

I heard the gasping of the people inside the eatery but... no one still even helped me... even just one person... I waited but still none. No one has a good heart to help me and they just choose to watch and laugh at me.

I stayed stumbled on the floor and because of the strength of Madam Baby's slap on me, I could barely feel my left cheek anymore now. I also gradually felt the pain in my palms caused by the few pieces of broken glass sink into both of my palms.

My tears were almost uncontrollable right now because of the extreme pain I am now feeling, both mentally and physically.

I immediately felt shocked when Madam Baby suddenly grabbed me by my hair and quickly pulled me in the direction where the locker room is located.

"M-Madam, s-stop this already. I-I am hurting, M-Madam," I begged her in between my sobs as she dragged mercilessly by my hair.

While Madam Baby was dragging me, I saw some customers holding their phones, videoing me, and some of them even laughing at me while they were just watching what was going on. They were just like watching some shooting and they looked like they were so happy about what is happening to me right now.

"P-Please, Madam, s-stop this already. I-I am really hurting already," I said to her while I was crying so hard as I held her hand that was holding tightly my hair, hoping that she would stop already pulling it but she even tighter her hold from there that made me flinch because of the pain I felt in my scalp. Even on my butt, I can also feel pain from there because of the way she hardly dragged me while I was still sitting on the floor. She is literally dragging me while I am almost laying on the floor.

"You are really going to be hurt because of your stupidity, Deandra! Your job is so easy! You are just going to put food on the tables but you still became stupid! You are studying but you are so stupid in your job here! You should stop studying already because you are one of a hell stupid women! You are just a piece of bad luck here in my business! Do you hear that?! You are just a piece of bad luck and nothing else!" she is scolding me again and I cried even more because of everything that she said to me.

All the words that she said were immediately pierced into my heart. I feel like that all she said was true and... it is hurting and killing me.

"I-I will work better now, M-Madam, I-I promise. T-This is just the first time something like this has happened and I-I will never ever do it again. I-I promise. J-Just please free my hair right n-now," I hardly begged her while I was having difficulty breathing.

I could barely recognize my voice anymore because I was sobbing too much. Madam Baby continued dragging me, not minding if I was already hurting or not because of her tight hold on my hair. We even happened to pass through some of my coworkers who were just smirked and laughed at me when I glanced at them. All of the staff here at Madam Baby's eatery are women. Even our cooks and dishwashers are women too and I do not have a friend in even one of them because they are all always staying away from me, and they also seem to hate me and I do not know why even though I am not doing anything bad to them.

"You are really can not do it again because I am firing you right now here in my eatery! Start packing your things now and when I come back and I still see you here, I will not hesitate to call the police and get you arrested! You do not deserve to work in my business because you are just a piece of bad luck and you will be just like that forever!" She shouted right in front of my face while still holding me tightly in my hair and I did not see her coming to her next move that is why I was not able to move to avoid her movement when she pushed me hard to the hard locker.

And because of the strong force of her push on me, I just felt the strong hit of my forehead on the locker that was made of so hard and durable steel.