Chapter 3 At work

Chapter 3

The next day, I woke up feeling heavy, but I forced myself to get up and headed straight to the bathroom to take a shower. After finishing, I quickly dressed in my uniform and fixed myself up. I found myself touching the bags under my eyes when I saw my reflection in the mirror-my eyes were still swollen from crying the night before. I skipped breakfast and left my apartment to go to work. I didn't even bother with the flowers I saw outside the door and just walked straight to catch a tricycle to the university.

As I got off the tricycle, I felt like I was floating in the air. I kept walking, even though I kept bumping into people. I wanted to apologize to them, but I couldn't because my mind was still occupied, worrying about the money we needed for my father's surgery.

When I entered the classroom, I heard greetings from my friends Cathia and Alona. I just gave them a small smile and went straight to my seat. I knew they were puzzled by my behavior, but I ignored it because I wasn't in the mood to explain. A few minutes after I sat down, Sir Alonzo arrived, holding test papers in one hand.

I had completely forgotten that we had a long quiz today.

Sir Alonzo handed out the test papers one by one, and we started answering. I was grateful to myself because most of the questions on the test were things I had studied before, so I quickly finished and handed in my paper at the table where Sir Alonzo was seated. I noticed my classmates watching me as I walked back to my seat.

"Wow, already done! Must be nice to have reviewed!" one of my classmates said loudly, making everyone, including Sir Alonzo, laugh as he started checking my paper.

"I didn't even review. How could I have reviewed when I completely forgot we had a quiz today?" I muttered to no one in particular, which made Cathia, who was seated in front of me, grin.

"Oh please, you always say that. You never review, but you're always the first to submit your paper after just fifteen minutes," Cathia teased, making everyone laugh again, except me.

"Exactly!" Alona chimed in, agreeing with Cathia. These two really are something else.

"Everyone, quiet! Focus on your own paper," Sir Alonzo admonished, and the room immediately fell silent, as if nothing had happened. I shook my head, which only made my headache worse.

Damn, I can't afford to be like this. I still need to work later to add to the funds for my father's surgery.

"Pens up! Please pass your test papers!" Sir Alonzo instructed, and my classmates quickly handed in their papers to his desk.

Sir Alonzo stood up while organizing our test papers. "You're all dismissed. And congratulations, Ms. Deviente. As expected, you aced the exam. Keep it up!" I gave him a shy smile and thanked him before he left the classroom. My classmates turned to me with mischievous grins, but I ignored them.

"Eullah, can you tell us your secret or spell that makes you answer all our exams and quizzes so quickly? Because... because..." Nadia began, pretending to have a headache before continuing, "because it seems like you're making it clear that we're not worthy of this course." Everyone nodded in agreement with her statement.

I chuckled. "You're all crazy! I just do advance studying, you know? That's the secret. So, you should all do the same."

"No thanks to advance studying! It's enough for us to hear your name always mentioned by the professors because it feels like you're carrying our names across the campus too," Nathan, one of my most mischievous classmates, interrupted. Everyone agreed with him.

"Cathia, what time is it? Is Sir Aguerre still coming in?" I asked Cathia, who checked her wristwatch and looked back at me.

"It's already 10:00 AM, Eul. Didn't you know? Prof. Aguerre won't be able to attend his class today. He's in the U.S." As soon as Cathia said that, I quickly packed my things and stood up, but I suddenly felt dizzy, so I held onto my head and grabbed the edge of my desk. Cathia and Alona quickly approached me with worried looks on their faces.

"Eullah, are you okay?" they both asked as they gently guided me back to my seat. I closed my eyes and nodded to them.

Cathia clicked her tongue. "Liar. You didn't eat breakfast before coming here, did you?" I didn't answer. "See? I knew it! I knew it!" she exclaimed, lightly hitting Alona's shoulder.

"Here, Eullah, eat this." I turned to see Nathan offering me a sandwich, looking concerned.

Though hesitant, I took the sandwich because Cathia kept pushing me from behind. I smiled at Nathan and thanked him, also taking the water he handed me.

I only drank the water because I had no appetite. When I started feeling a bit better, I stood up and left the classroom. I heard Cathia and Alona calling after me, but I didn't pay attention.

I left the university and immediately flagged down a tricycle to take me to Halluè Café, where I work.

"Good morning, Eullah!" David greeted me cheerfully when I entered the café. I gave him a small smile in response and headed straight to the restroom to change into the uniform like the other crew members.

"Oh, Eullah, are you done with your classes?" My manager asked as I nodded, forcing a smile in front of her. She looked me over from head to toe, and I was surprised when she suddenly grabbed my chin and made me face her as if she was searching for something on my face.

She smirked, "You look pale. Why did you still come to work? Answer me honestly, and don't you dare lie to my face; you know how much I hate liars," she said sternly, and I nodded in response.

"I need the money right now, ma'am. My father is in the hospital, and he needs surgery as soon as possible, so I have to work extra hard. And don't worry about me, I made sure I could handle myself before I came in," I explained, which she acknowledged with a nod.

"What's wrong with your father? And how much money do you need?" she asked.

I looked down and fidgeted with my nails. "He has a brain tumor, and the doctor is asking us to prepare a million pesos, but we don't have that much money, so I don't know where or how to gather such a large amount." I couldn't hold back my tears anymore, and I felt my manager hug me to comfort me.

"Alright, go ahead and start working. But don't do any overtime later; just rest because you need your strength, or you might collapse," my manager instructed. I was about to speak, but she silenced me by putting a finger to my lips.

"I already know what you're going to say. Don't worry, I'll tell the boss to double your pay for today since you're doing so well. You're so good, we even named this café after you. We just flipped it around," she said, but I didn't catch her last words. I wasn't sure if she whispered it on purpose, so I asked.

"What was that?" I asked. She quickly shook her head and waved her hands as if erasing something in the air.

"I said, I'll take care of explaining everything to our boss. And before you go home later, come to my office; I have something to give you to help with your father's surgery," she said. My face immediately brightened at her words. Whether it's a small or large amount, I won't refuse because it's a big help for my father.

After our conversation, I forced myself to attend to the customers who came in. I was in the kitchen, preparing an order when my manager called and approached me.

"Eullah, hand that over to David. Take care of the customer at table 6 first," Ma'am Mariz ordered while I was slicing strawberries for the cake toppings.

"Just a moment, ma'am. I'm almost done here," I replied without looking at her.

"Eullah, do I need to repeat myself?" she asked with emphasis, so I reluctantly stopped what I was doing and followed her out of the kitchen. I immediately headed towards table 6, but as I got closer, I started feeling extremely dizzy, and my vision began to blur.

"Good morning, s-sir! C-can I get you-" I couldn't finish my sentence as my vision went completely dark. Before I lost consciousness, I felt someone's arms catch me to prevent me from falling to the floor.

Good morning, S-sir! C-can I get you-" Eullah didn't finish her sentence as she nearly collapsed. Luckily, I caught her before her body could hit the floor. I felt a surge of anxiety and concern. I touched her face, trying to check if she had a fever, but she didn't.

"Fuck this! Mariz!" I cursed loudly, calling for the manager of the Café I had appointed.

When she approached, I saw the shock etched on her face. Gradually, other customers in the Café began to gather around us, curious about what was happening. I didn't know what to do; no matter how much I tried to wake Eullah, she remained unconscious.

Mariz quickly sat on the floor to check on Eullah. Just like I did earlier, she felt her face and neck.

To Be Continued...