Chapter 04

SIAN's POV

*************************

I was awakened to the sound of birds chirping and singing nearby my window. I was feeling too drowsy to get my ass off the bed. 

So I was squeezed my eyes shut as I rolled over the bed in thought of having some more sleep another hour or two.

"Oh my gosh...." 

Suddenly, me meeting Jenny hit my mind to which I shot my eyes open in a flash. I picked my phone up off the night stand and checked on the time... It was seven past thirty. I had enough time. Because Jenny opens her shop at 8'o clock and I can meet her any time of the day. But in the morning she is not much busy. So It will be comfortable for me to meet her up in the morning. Without letting my eyes go shut, I rubbed the sleep off from my eyes and jumped out of my bed only to stroll towards the window..  I opened the window to let the rays of the sun flow in my room through the windows.... I feel such a relief when I enjoy the scenery in the morning just after I awoke.

After having a quick wash I changed myself into a light T-shirt and paired it with my dark blue leggings. 

I went down stairs to be greeted by the busy figure of my mom. She was too busy in the kitchen.

"Good morning mom! Did Mia go to school?" I asked my mom while joining in her work. Most of the times I help my mom in our house chores when she is so busy. It will lessen her burden.

"Good morning baby. Oh no... Not yet. She is still getting ready. How many times I have been calling her? Still didn't she come down to have her breakfast..."

I heard the clicking sounds of her shoes trailing down as she was climbing down the stairs as fast as a unicorn. "Mom..."

"Here comes the storm..." I said looking at Mia. Because she was in such a hurry. "Hey have this milk.!" I said placing the glass of milk on the table.

"Oh no! I'm getting late. Mom... Sian... Gotta go. Bye. See you." She said while kissing me and mom on cheeks. She left for school without having her breakfast...

Mom was running behind her.. "M...i..a... Stop.. Have this meal!"

Baaaaaaaang.....

I heard the door close with a loud Bang..

"What has happened to this child?" Mom said with a worried look.

"Don't worry mom. She is stressful with her drama competition.. She has to do much with it. She is always like this.. So no worries mom... "

"Yeah.. But she has two more months, I guess. I don't know what's going on?" Mom shrugged and came back to her work. 

"Well.. mom.. I'm going to meet Jenny today..."

"Oh.." it was just came out of her mouth and I realized she didn't get what I said.

"Mom?" Again I talked getting closer to her.

"Yeah... What did you say?" She asked as if she was broken out of her stance just to look at me as she felt the touch of my palms.

"Mom... are you worried?"

"No.. It's not that."

"I know.. Tell me mom. What's wrong.?" I held my mom's shoulders with both my hands.

"No... it's not that important." Said she dismissing my question while trying to busy herself in her work. But she was too late to miss my reproaching gaze. "Huh!" She heaved a deep sigh as she twirled herself to face me. 

"Mhh... I'm always getting worried of you both. I don't know whether I'll be able to give a good education for Mia. When your dad was a wealthy person I didn't have any fear of your lives. But now the situation is changed.... And... And Mia is not like you. She doesn't have a clear understanding about these things. She is stubborn. You saw what happened now?.."

"Oh mom! Please. Don't think like this. She is a responsible girl. She knows how to manage her   things. So don't take these things into your mind. Everything will be alright. Even I'm there for your help. So no fears...." I smiled and hugged my mom.

"Hmm fine..." A small smile formed on her lips. Then she pulled away and placed the tray which contained the soup and the toasted bread in my hand.

"Sian come, take this meal to your dad.." 

I carried my dad's breakfast to his room to see him awakened a little bit early today. His brows lifted and gave me a glance like Didn't-you-go-to-work? Though he can't utter any single word and can't move his limbs I can understand what's going on through his mind... 

*******

A few minutes later I was in Jenny's coffee shop. 

Luckily the weather was good to have a walk today. 

Some of her customers were enjoying their morning coffee in her coffee shop. My eyes rolled around the shop in search of the silhouette of my bestie, but only her employees could be seen on working. 

Where is she?

"Oh my god! Si.....an......" Jenny's voice almost gave me heart attack as she came behind and hugged me at once with a big shout. 

"Oh Jenny! you scared the hell out of me..." I said averting my face trying to even my breath... All pairs of eyes were stuck on us including her employees. Then only Jenny realized that everyone was looking stunned at us and it's her Coffee Shop not somewhere else. 

"I'm... Sorry... Excuse us..." Jenny politely said to her customers before she dragged me towards the kitchen inside the shop asking her employees to handle the counter. 

We initiated our conversation with a cup of coffee... 

"I know it's not that easy to find work this soon. Jenny, I'm extremely sorry for troubling you.."

"Hey what are you saying girl? I have already asked my friends to find you a new job.... And you are my best friend.... I'm always there to help you." She heartily said touching one of my hands.... 

"And stop these actings, saying sorry or thank you. Friends don't share such stuffs. Got it?" She winked at me while squeezing my hand... 

"Ahh..." both of us laughed aloud.

"Hey, have the coffee, Or else it will get cold." Jenny said... 

How nice of her.....

How can she be this funny.....?

Everything is so simple to her.....

I really am lucky to have a friend like her...

"Jenny..."

"Yeah..."

"If you don't mind can I ask you something?"

"Yeah... Of course baby..." she said flipping her hair which was fallen across her wide brow as she took a sip of her coffee. 

"Um...I can work for you till I find a job.. What do you say?"

Jenny almost choked on her coffee at my words....

"What...???" Her eyes bulged in their sockets.

Why? Is there any wrong?

"What's wrong Jenny?"

"Hey! are you serious?"

"Yeah! Why? Can't I work for you? In your shop?" I exclaimed.

"No no... It's not that.. I mean... How can I let you work here Sian? It's not good for you..."

"Why? Wherever I go, I have to work.. So what's not good if I work here?" Her lips compressed into a thin line.

"This is a small shop.... Different kind of people are coming here.... And... Sian... You are not used to these ordinary things... So...." She was cut off by me...

"That's not a problem Jenny... Once I was a rich girl and I had everything in my life... But now I'm also an ordinary girl and I'm used to everything in my life.... You know it right...? So nothing to worry about it."

Jenny heaved a sigh and continued " Hmm... well... Then I'm okay with your decision.."

"Oh my god.! Did you just say yes.. Thank you Jenny" I hugged her tight as I was over the ninth cloud.. 

A few minutes later we came out of the kitchen towards the counter.... At the moment the shop was full with customers and two girls were very busy withscribbling the ordersof customers according to the menu down on the notepads and delivering them to the relevant customers.  One girl was handling the counter and the other was making coffee at the coffee bar...They seemed to be the busy bees... 

"Sian..." Suddenly I was startled away when I was called by Jenny.

"Yeah..."

"You can work at the counter.... That's the only place I can offer you here..." She said with a grief-stricken face... 

Why the hell is she worried this much? 

I nodded and gave her a look like Take-it-easy hoping that she would understand me...

"Sian.... You know....

Different types of people are coming here... Some are very flirty... So... Be careful..... Don't mind them. And don't worry by the way... I'll help you handle them..... Okay?" Jenny said winking at me. The girl who was making coffee next to us chuckled at Jenny's words. 

No way...

That won't be easy with me.. 

The day was going good.... Working there with Jenny was so enthusiastic. Even the other four girls were very friendly like Jenny.

Yeah... exactly! Why not? 

Because they are Jenny's co-workers. 

They have inherited her qualities...

*********

Now it's been one week I've started working with Jenny in her coffee shop.... During this time I was interviewed in two separate companies.... 

One as an accountant, but they wanted me as a temporary worker as the current one was abroad for her further studies.... And the other one as an assistant, there I needed to be worked at nights. So I rejected the both and here I am still working at Jenny's coffee shop. But one thing I never forgot to do was, visit my Max.. How am I supposed to forget him?

Never... Ever... 

Nothing can make him forget...

Within this short period of time, I learnt many things from Jenny.. Sometimes we shifted from one work to the other and even I learnt how to make coffee, cake and dough-nuts....

Haha... That's so funny.

As today is Friday we didn't have much work... So I joined in kitchen work with Jenny... 

"Sian....  I just wonder, Why did you leave the Channel X? You were doing great. You could have thought one more time before you left..." Jenny probed whilst sliding the trays of dough nuts into the oven.

"Oh! It's gone now." I nonchalantly said as I rolled the remaining batter of the dough-nuts.

"Do you have any idea how talented you are? You were being famed through iTune. But you lost it in the middle." There was a concern in her every uttered word...

"They are still calling me.." I said not taking it that serious....

"Oh god! That's so great. Why don't you join in it again Sian...?" Jenny shouted happily.

"I lost the interest." I said.

"What?" Her brows lifted up with amusement.

"Just leave it Jenny! UmI m... By the way I just wanted to ask you since the day I came here... What's that building over there?" I asked Jenny looking beyond the buildings, through the window in thought of switching the topic. 

"Which one?" And luckily she bought it. 

"That highest one." I pointed at it.

"Hey don't you really know?" The gawky look that stuck on Jenny's face was like Are-you-really-in-this-world? 

Opz...Is it that important?

"That's the Head Quarters of Sydney the Great Construction Corporation. They are the biggest businessmen in New York."

Earlier, it was my dad....

He was the best businessman in New York....

"Even they have their sub companies world wide. Haven't you heard?" Jenny exclaimed with surprise.

"Hmm... The name is familiar. But I have no idea. May be my dad knows them."

Because I lost the interest in these things since my dad lost his business.... 

"Sian... You know.. One in a thousand hardly gets a chance to work there. The employees are well paid...."

"Oh really? That sounds great. Can't I have a job there...?" I said winking at Jenny... 

"E-Exactly.... S...i...an... You can even try...." Jenny shouted clasping her hands together.

"What? I just said... Nothing serious." I said pushing my hair strands from the back of my palm.

"No. I'm serious.... You--" Jenny couldn't continue any more as we heard a loud voice outside the kitchen. That means from the shop. 

"Hey! What's that?" Both of us ran towards the sound... 

"See.... What have you done? You just spoilt my day?" A man whose rear view was in display, was barking out rudely at the sweetest work-mate in our coffee shop Sarah.... Her downcast face which would have obviously been plastered with a glum look was shivering as she held herself to the tray which was now sandwiched in between her hands whilst a cup was smashed into pieces on the floor. Every eye was glued on them making the girl more embarrassed by the suddenly occured incident.

"I'm s-sorry sir... I-It was.... "

She stuttered in fear. The man's back was still facing us, so his face was not clearly visible... A sudden glimpse passed between me and Jenny as we came to the realization of what might have been happened. Jenny let out a sigh as she shrugged her shoulders looking at me before she went towards the scene hurriedly. I followed her but paused in the middle. 

"Excuse me sir... We really are sorry for the inconvenience caused.. I will take the-.." Jenny stopped herself half completing her sentence as the man turned himself back hearing Jenny's apology.

The sooner he saw her, his eyes popped out descending his anger to a shade of surprise. I was amused to see his angry mood descended to the calmness in a blink of an eye. "Jennifer?" A wave of amusement flashed across in his eyes as he said that aloud..

Do they already know each other?

"Oh my god! Callum.... You? Incredible!" Jenny screamed out happily with amusement... Whilst their over joyed scenario had been taken on to the floor Sarah cleaned the floor..

For God's sake, she was saved.

"Happy to see you after many years...." He said and they had a friendly hug. He shifted his gaze from Jenny to me. 

"Sian...meet Callum... 

Callum Smith.. One of my high school mates. Actually he was my best guy friend...." I was struck at her words as the memory of Max flooded in my mind.

Max... He was my best friend...

"And Cal... This is my best friend Sian Anderson...." Jenny introduced me to her friend tweaking me out of my stance.

Letting them speak I came back to the counter... I was busy at the counter when I noticed Callum's gaze shifted to me from time to time. In a flash, he averted his eyes from me when he noticed I caught him off gaurd.

A few minutes later, Jenny came to me and joined in my work after she walked her friend out.. 

"Hey! Sian... How is he?" She asked me trying to compose her smile with the customers.

"Who?" I asked while typing on the machine. 

"Callum..."

"Hmm... Not bad... A nice guy." I said nonchalantly as I had busied myself taking the cash from the customers.

"Yeah Sian... He is really a smart guy. I'm so overwhelmed by his sudden meeting. You know what... God! I didn't meet him for years... So there were left so much to talk... It was like I went back to my school time for the second time." She said with a glint of happiness in her eyes as she let out a deep sigh of joy. 

"That's great.... He seems to be a nive guy with nice looks..." 

"Exactly Si....... Hey, by the way.." she suddenly jerked herself closer to me as she had some important thing to share with me.. "You know, Callum is working at Sydney the Great Constructions... That's great. You know, I really am happy for him.. He deserves it...."

"Hey you are too overwhelmed by his meeting... aren't you? Something.. something....." I said faking a cough, but stealing a glance at her reactions. She rolled her eyes before nudging my waist as if trying to rebuke me for what I did just say.

"Nothing.. Nothing.." she grinned at me. "You are over thinking girly. He is my best friend. Nothing more or less. Got it?"

"Fine. Let's hope so..." I smirked at her.

"But one thing is clear.. Don't you think that it was something more than valuable that we came to know him working at one of best companies in New York..." she  jerked her brows up in a funny way  as a sign that she used to make me convince of what she thought of his ftiend working there.

"That's so funny you know..." I shrugged it off prying her hands off mine..

********

I was so tired.. So I sprawled myself on the couch the sooner I got into the living room as no one was there to be seen in the living room.

"Mom...." So I called mom still resting myself on the couch...

"Hey Sian... You came....?"

Before mom, Mia came down running...

"Mia! Watch out! What this suddenness?" I panicked.

At once she came and jumped on me...

"Mia What's this? You're gone crazy?" I exclaimed and in the next moment she drew me off the couch back to my feet.

"I am so tired... Just leave me...."

"Sian... you will be happy hearing this? No.. You will the happiest one....." She said still jumping up with me. Even now mom was smiling, looking at her kid around.

"What?" I yelled with tiresome.

"You know... I got the main character in the drama... The Princess... Yeah the sleeping beautu...." Mia shouted with the excitement.

"Oh my gosh! That's really great... I hoped you would get it... Best of luck hun..." I hugged her with extreme happiness.

"Well. So what's next up? You will have to do much with it.." I said in an encouraging tone.

"Yeah.. That's true.... I have to do hard work.. Sian will you help me with this?" She held my hand with much nervousness.

"Hey! Why not? Who else helps you if it is not me?" I said pinching on her nose...

"Wow! Superb! Then c-can you give us.....m-music as a v-violinist? And you know some others are too there..." She stuttered and looked at me biting on her bottom lip.

"What?" My lips formed into an "o"

"Aw! Come on! Just now you promised me that you would help me.. So please! please!" Her pleading puppy eyes were something that she used ina situation like this.

"But why me?" I exclaimed.

"Actually it was not my idea. Mr.Adams knows that you are a professional violinist. He just wanted to offer you this.... What do you say?" She asked hopefully.

"Hmm we'll see." I said.

"Oh no! Come on Sia.....Say yes.. please sis..." Mia begged. I looked at my mom. She was smiling and then nodded at me. A smile suddenly spread over my face.

"Okay...." I confirmed.

"Oh my god! Thank you. Thank you so much.." Again she jumped for joy.

"Okay. Mia let your sister have a wash first... Just now she came... Sian...go get changed.." Mom said.

"Okay...mom.." I came to my room.

Everyday comes to an end with a lovely family dinner even with the presence of my dad at the dining table with us... He just keeps on listening to what we say. Mia's blabberings about her school and my talks on simple incidents at the office.... I really love these simple family times which bring our day to a happy ending...

Sleep didn't reach for an hour. So I was just rolling over the bed thinking about some random things... But at once my mind travelled back to what Jenny said early today... 

If I can have a job at Sydney the Great Constructions, that will be great. 

I can earn a lot of money for my family....

Many things were roaming around my mind as much I was unaware of what time the train of my thoughts came to an end. At long last I fell into a deep sleep...