Blurb; Jade.That girl who wore a black wig, black-rimmed big eyeglasses, braces and old-fashioned clothes. Everyone thought that she was a weirdo, a nerd or a girl resurrected from the past. She was used to being the laughing stock of everyone. But who really was Jade Collins? Why did she hide her real outer beauty? What happened when her boss, the great Eros Petrakis, finally noticed her? Could she tame the beast inside him?
Good morning, Mrs. Chang. Did you sleep well last night?" I greeted my employer happily, Mrs.
Grace Chang, a 65 year-old widow. I was
concerned because she often had severe
headaches and couldn't sleep well at night.
Mrs. Chang owned the small coffee shop, in Manhattan, New York, where I got my family's bread and butter. I worked from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m.
Monday to Friday as a cashier.
The place was understaffed, so I often worked all
around. I did the waitressing, cofee preparation,
and sometimes cleaning the place after work. I
couldn't complain, since Mrs. Chang was paying
me well. Actually, not so well, but enough for my
family to eat a decent meal every day and pay off
the bills.
"Hi Jade, yes, I did. The pain reliever I took last
night finally worked," she smiled adoringly at me.
"That's good. What did the doctor say?" I asked
while putting my worn-out leather bag and old
knitted coat inside a closet, and then I adjusted
my black wig and took off my eyeglasses, to clean
the lenses.
"it's just a migraine, nothing serious."
I was relieved that finally she listened to me. I
told her several times to seek medical attention,
but she wouldn't. She had a phobia of hospitals,
medical clinics, syringes, and doctors. She
probably had a traumatic experience when she
Was a kid.
"George's wife had a normal delivery last night."
"Really? I'm so happy for them, after five years of
trying, they finally have a baby. It's a girl, right?" I
instantly became so excited for George, the
barista.
"Yes, it is. Anyway, he can't report today. Could
you fill in for him?"
OH. That would mean doing two jobs at the same
time. Whew!
"Okay, no problem about that Mrs. Chang. I can
manage." | smiled at her assuredly and fixed my
crumpled brown floral vintage dress. Actually, it
was my favorite dress and I loved wearing it
often. It belonged to my grandmother, as well as
most of the dresses in my closet.
It was already eight o'clock, and time for the
Coffee Shop to open. I wondered why the other
employees, Suzanne and Kurt hadn't arrived yet.
Suzanne was the waitress, who took the order
and served the food. Kurt cleaned the tables, the
floor and the bathroom.
Recently, I found out that Suzanne and Kurt were
lovers. I caught them making out inside the
bathroom. They forgot to lock the door.
"You retard! Don't tell Mrs. Chang about this or
I'm going to break your bones." Kurt threatened
me. He even twisted my arm behind my back. A
tear suddenly fell on my cheek because of the
burning pain.
"I won't, I promise. Let me go, please." I pleaded
and finally he let go of my arm.
"Good. Remember that." His eyes were glaring at
me angrily.
Irubbed my arm, it was so sore and my flesh
turned red.
"Now, go, ugly monkey. You're not wanted here."
Suzanne laughed and pushed me out of the
bathroom.
Yup, they often bullied me, calling me names and
I was used to it. I pretended not to hear their
hurtful words. I just avoided messing up with
them. I needed my job so badly and my family
relied on me, besides Mrs. Chang was a good
employer.
"Jade, I'll be in the kitchen. Just call me if you
need help."
"Sure Mrs. Chang." I put on a black apron, getting
ready for the first customer. I went inside the bar
counter and turned on, the electronic cash
register, as well as the coffee machines.
Ilearned how to prepare coffee from George, the
barista. For almost a year that I'd been working in
the coffee shop, he taught me how to do coffee
artworks and the techniques for preparing a very
good espresso. I learned the barista's complete
guide to coffee and embraced the knowledge
wholeheartedly.
I was cleaning the bar counter when the first
customers came inside. Two men wearing black
suits and dark glasses entered the coffee shop.
They reminded me of the movie, 'Men in Black.'
T looked at the tall, black-clad figure of the man
who came in first. He was younger than the other
man. He halted at the front door and his eyes
scanned the room. He stood there, tall, devilishly
handsome, with a beautifully proportioned body.
I froze. My mind stopped working and my body
turned numb. Something about his appearance
disturbed me. He looked vaguely familiar.
Is he a movie star, a model, or a celebrity? He was
probably into sports, because of his athletic
physique.
His dark glasses hid his eyes. It was impossible to
find out where his eyes were focusing on. But I
was certain that he was not looking at me. He
carried himself with a commanding air of self-
confidence. He looked very powerful and
extremely rich.
He said something to the other man, and then
they strode in the room. They took their seats in
the center of the room.
I grabbed a pen and the order slip pad. Ihurriedly
went towards them to take their order.
"Good morning, what's your order, sir?" I stood in
front of the two men and smiled at them. I wrote
C#1, shortcut for 'customer number one' in the
order slip.
"Good morning. Can we have a cup of espresso
and a café latte?" The older man removed his
dark glasses and smiled at me. He was probably
in his mid-forties.
My hands were trembling when I wrote their
order. I didn't know why, perhaps because of the
younger man's appearance. He looked like a very
important man. His face was bronzed by wind
and sun. The set of his chin suggested a stubborn
streak and his lips were firm and sensual.
He made me so edgy and nervous as hell, and he
didn't even seem to notice me. He was very busy
talking on the phone. I couldn't help listening to
his voice. It was so deep, with a velvet-edge, and
strong.
"Is there anything else, sir?" My eyes shifted from
one man to another.
"That's all, miss," the older man replied, then
nodded at me, a sign of dismissal.
I served their coffee within five minutes. I stared
at the younger man again. He seemed really
familiar. I was sure l'd seen him before. I wished
he would take off his dark glasses sol could see
his eyes, and figure out where I saw him before.
Then I noticed, he drank his coffee. The cup of
espressO was his.
A few customers came in. I became so busy
taking their orders and prepared their coffee. But
I couldn't help glancing at the two men sitting in
the center of the room, from time to time. I tried
to ignore them and focused on my job.
After a while, I saw two girls approach the two
men. The girls were giggling flirtatiously at them.
The younger man looked at them and said
something that made the faces of the girls turn
sour. He probably said something very insulting,
since the girls immediately went out of the coffee
shop with stony faces. Well, he was rude.
The men left without asking for their bill. I went
to the table, they earlier occupied and saw a one
hundred dollar bill under the espresso cup.
What! A hundred dollar bill?l couldn't believe it. I
was over the moon! They left too much tip for the
coffee.
Later that morning, Suzanne and Kurt
simultaneously called in that they were sick. So, I
was with Mrs. Chang in the coffee shop the whole
day. She took my place on the cash register. I did
the rest of the job. I tried to serve the customers
so fast, so they would stop complaining about
the slow service.
Before I went home, I mopped the floor and
scrubbed the bathroom. I was so tired, but I
didn't have a choice.
It was already eight-thirty when I left the coffee
shop. I took a bus to the South Bronx, where my
family rented a small one-bedroom apartment.
The moment I was seated on the bus, I ate the
burger that I grabbed near the bus stop. After
eating, I took a power nap until I got home.
"Guess what Mom. I got a very big tip today. Two
rich-looking men left a hundred dollar bill for
their coffee."
"What? That's too much." My mother, Ruby
Collins, narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it. I told Mrs. Chang that
we could split the tip, but she said that it was all
mine."
"Aww... she's so sweet."
"Yeah, very sweet. I'm lucky to have her as my
employer." I took my wig off and pulled the
rubber band that held my hair in a bun. My long
silky red hair instantly cascaded down to my
waist. I took a hairbrush and combed my hair
until it shone.
"How's baby Hannah?" I asked about our
neighbor's baby. Mom worked as a babysitter for
almost a year now.
"She's still very adorable, but getting heavier. I
don't think I can handle her anymore." Mom
rubbed her chest. She had a mild coronary heart
disease. It started six months ago. She was
advised by her physician not to do strenuous
activities.
"Then stop babysitting. I don't really want you to
work. You are risking your health. Don't worry, I
have a job. I'll work during weekends too, to have
extra money. We can manage."
"You're working too hard for us, Jade. I'm so
sorry for being a burden to you."
"Mom, please don't say that again. I love you and
I'll take care of you and Sapphire. I promised Dad
that I will." T hugged my mom, with moisture in
my eyes.
Dad died of Stage Four lung cancer two years ago.
I was eighteen at that time. He got it when he
worked in an asbestos manufacturing company.
A year before he died was the most traumatic
year in our lives. We fought for his life. We lost our
little savings and our cottage, just to keep up the
medical expenses. It was like a nightmare, seeing
Dad's health deteriorate. He was a good man
without vices, a God-fearing, jolly person, and full
of vitality, a very loving husband and a caring
father to us. I couldn't help but wonder why the
good and godly people passed away earlier than
their time.
The day when we finally lost dad, our world
collapsed. We were so dependent on him. We
looked up to him and solely relied on him
financially.
"What's wrong?" My sister Sapphire came out of
the bedroom. She shrieked with panic seeing me
and mom hugging. She thought something bad
happened again.
"Nothing really. We just want to hug each other.
We miss dad." I smiled at my fifteen-year old
sister, showing my braced teeth.
"oh! I thought something bad happened.
Anyway, Jade, I have news for you."
"What is it?"
"I was chatting with Joseph an hour ago."
"Joseph?"
"Yup, your one and only love!"
"What?"
"He asked for your Facebook account, and I told
him you didn't have any social media accounts
anymore. Then he asked for your phone number."
"Did you give it to him?"
"No! You said not to give your number to anyone,
right?"
"Right."
"But he gave me his number. He asked you to call
him, anytime. He'll be waiting"
Iheaveda sigh. Joseph.
It had been two years since I last saw him. I totally
cut our communication.
No. I can't face him anymore. I'm not the same
girl that he used to know. I'm different, totally
different now. The old Jade was gone, dead and
buried.
A flash of wild grief ripped inside me.
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