Chapter 3 A New begining

CHAPTER 3

Anita walked slowly to her room, her dad still talking as she walked away. He paused, concern etched on his face, and stared after her as she disappeared into her room.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" her dad called out, but Anita didn't respond.

She walked over to her small desk and dropped the file she was holding onto it. Feeling exhausted, she collapsed onto her bed, her body weak. She soon drifted off to sleep, the stress of the day catching up with her.

Anita woke up a few hours later, feeling a bit more refreshed. She sat up on her bed, rubbing her eyes, and looked around her room. The file she had dropped earlier was still lying on her desk, a reminder of her new job and the events of the day

Anita woke up feeling refreshed. She yawned and checked the time on her cell phone; it was already 7 pm. She stood up, stretched, and headed out of her room towards the living room. She found her whole family seated and chatting, but she didn't greet any of them. Instead, she walked straight to the kitchen.

She drank some water and exited the kitchen, walking past her family again without a word. She was about to head back to her room when...

Anita was stopped by her dad, who asked, "Claire, can we have a minute with you?" Anita sat down next to him, her face stern.

Her dad cleared his throat and began, "Everything's going to be changing now that you've secured a job. If I may ask, what's your monthly salary?"

"It's weekly," Anita corrected.

"Fine, what's the weekly pay?" her dad asked.

"Twenty dollars per week," Anita replied.

Her dad nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Not bad. So, you should always make sure to get to work early."

After about thirty minutes of counseling, Anita's dad finally finished. Dinner was later prepared, and they were all invited to the table. Anita served herself and took her food, starting to walk...

Anita started to walk away, but her dad stopped her. "What are you doing, Claire? We're supposed to eat together, as a family."

Anita turned around, her eyes flashing with anger. "We're not a family!" she exclaimed, before turning and walking away from them. She went to her room, locked the door, and sat on her bed to eat her food.

As she ate, Anita picked up her mobile phone and messaged Natasha on WhatsApp. She told her friend about her new job and how excited she was to finally have employment.

After finishing her meal, Anita stood up and went to the form she had been given. She went through it carefully, then grabbed a pen and filled it out. She took one more glance at the paper, then hid it under her pillow.

With nothing else to do, Anita laid back on her bed and continued scrolling through her phone. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Anita woke up feeling refreshed and ready for her first day of work.

Anita woke up early enough, quickly rushing to her bathroom to shower. She dressed up and hurried downstairs, where breakfast was already served. She rapidly ate some bread and cheese, then rushed out the door, only to suddenly stop.

"Oh shit, my phone!" she yelled, rushing back to her room. She quickly grabbed her phone and rushed back out.

But Anita wasn't done yet. "I'm forgetting something, shit, the form!" she exclaimed, rushing back inside. Her family watched her with amusement as she frantically ran around.

Anita reached her room and stared around, trying to find the elusive form. "Where is it?" she muttered to herself, searching her desk, under her bed, and even her bathroom. But it was nowhere to be found.

In desperation, Anita opened her wardrobe and scattered her clothes, trying to locate the form amidst the chaos.

Anita searched every nook and cranny of her wardrobe, but still couldn't find the form. She scratched her head, trying to recall where she had last seen it. Suddenly, a look of realization crossed her face.

"Oh, I know where it is!" she exclaimed, rushing out of her room.

She hurried to the dining table, where her parents were still seated. Her eyes scanned the room, locking onto her stepsister.

"Where's she... oh, there you are," Anita muttered, her eyes narrowing. "Where is my application form?" she yelled, grabbing her stepsister by the neck.

Her father quickly intervened, dragging Anita away from Mitchell and holding her firmly. "Just calm down, fighting isn't going to find your application form," he said soothingly.

He turned to Mitchell and asked, "Did you take anything from her room?"

Mitchell shook her head vigorously. "I didn't take anything from her room! She misplaced it and is now blaming me for her carelessness!"

Anita's face turned red with rage. "You crazy bitch, I know you've hidden it somewhere! Give it back now or I'll kill you!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Her father struggled to calm her down, telling her to go check her room again. Anita insisted she had already checked thoroughly, but her father gently persuaded her to try again.

As they entered Anita's room, her father began searching furiously for the missing paper. Anita watched, still fuming, as her father searched every nook and cranny.

Suddenly, he paused, his eyes fixed on something. "Where was the last place you saw... wait, is this it?" he asked, holding up the application form.

He asked Anita, holding the application form. Anita nodded and sluggishly took the paper from him.

"Arrange your things and meet me in the dining room. You have to apologize to your sister," her dad said, his voice firm but gentle, before walking out.

Anita checked her phone and her eyes widened in panic - it was already half past eight! She was supposed to be at the restaurant by eight. She quickly rushed out, exiting through the back door, and boarded a taxi to the restaurant.

Taking a deep breath, Anita entered the restaurant slowly. She walked straight to the manager's office and knocked. The manager's voice called out, asking her to come in. Anita entered nicely, walking over to the seat and sitting down.

"I'm sorry for coming late," Anita began, looking down at her hands.

"Traffic was very bad," Anita said. "Okay..." Mr. Manager replied, collecting the form from her. He glanced through it carefully. "Are you sure I can start working here today?" Anita asked.

"Congratulations, Miss Anita, you are now a team member of this restaurant!" Mr. Manager exclaimed.

Anita jumped up happily and performed an energetic victory dance, then sat back down, laughing.

"You can go over to that old woman and tell her to give you your uniform," Mr. Manager said.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Manager!" Anita said, smiling.

"It's Mr. Reynolds," the manager replied.

"Oh, okay, Mr. Reynolds, thanks for the job. I'll make you proud!" Anita said, and walked out of the office.