Wisteria found herself in a tight spot. She honestly didn't see it coming and now, she didn't know how to respond to his question.
She stared at him and tried to guess what he was thinking.
His brows were knotted and his piercing gaze was threatening. She felt if she didn't weigh her words carefully, he'd chop her head off.
If you were in my shoes and someone acted the way you did, would you like them?
She wanted to tell him how much of a jerk he was on that day, but she's not stupid enough to dig her own grave like that.
She hummed and squinted her eyes, pretending to recall something. In the end, she pouted her lips and shook her head.
"I don't believe so. Is something the matter, Sir? Has any of the staff in this store acted, in any way, rudely to you? If so, I apologize on their behalf and will look into this matter."
She tried to make her face looked so oblivious and innocent. She got the skills for it and she's pushing it. In return, he just stared at her. She started having trepidation under his scrutinizing gaze. After what felt like forever, he finally withheld his gaze.
"It's fine. Just asking."
"Okay." Wisteria secretly sighed in relief.
"Anything else I can do for you?" This time, she tried to plaster a natural, friendly smile and even used her saccharine sweet voice.
"No. Thanks."
He picked up his stuff from the counter and turned to leave. Wisteria bade him once again a good morning.
When she couldn't see him anymore through the glass wall, she scratched her head. Was she too obvious? Probably. She ought to control her facial expressions when she faced people she didn't like in the future, lest something like this happened again - or worse. It's not the first time she witnessed someone being violent to a sales rep. That's scary. Anyway back to third shift cleaning list!
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... At 4 in the morning, Ed arrived to do odd jobs. He was still a high school student and his class started at 7 in the morning. He was startled the moment he saw Wisteria mopping the floor.
She was bending her back as she mopped seriously without missing a spot. Her forehead glistened in beads of sweats. Her dark circles were very prominent. When she heard the door rang, she raised her head and greeted Ed good morning with a raised hand. Her palm was red and rough. There were brownish callouses on it - a sign of hard work.
"You... Aren't you supposed to be off?"
Ed was confused.
"Yeah," Wisteria replied while mopping vigorously. "Mary was busy with her thesis."
She took a deep breath and put the mop in the bucket and caught her breath.
"Oh... Well, let me finish it."
Ed took the mop and bucket from her. She thanked him in a breathy voice.
"Don't forget to put wet floor signs in spots you're about to mop. We don't want any accidents to happen. That's a liability and a lot of money."
"Safety hazard. I know," Ed said.
Wisteria didn't nag him anymore. She went ahead and fill up the coffee machines with coffee beans. When she noticed the creamers were almost out, she went inside the cooler and grabbed some. She checked the dates first and when she confirmed they were not out of dates, she removed the seals and put them in the cooler tray. When she was done with stocking the coffee supplies, she went to the office to deal with paperwork. She taught Ed how to run the register so if there were customers and Ed was on the sales floor, he could take care of them.
Around 4:30, Lola* Maring came to the store to deliver her siopao (meat buns) and siomai (meat dumplings). Lola Maring was in her late sixties. When Wisteria just moved back to the country, she often bought siopao from the old lady's small and tattered stall outside the public market. Her siopao was so delicious and clean. Back then, Wisteria was still planning the changes she wanted to do and the old lady's products inspired her.
Few weeks later when the warmer and a big steamer finally arrived, the first thing she did was ask the old lady if she was willing to sell her food in Wisteria's store. After explaining to the old lady how their business transaction would work and the sanitary conditions she had to strictly comply to when making her food, the old lady agreed. Wisteria was happy with the result. The siopao and siomai got sold out fast. She knew she made the right decision and chose the right vendor.
Wisteria checked her in and helped her put her stuff in the warmer. The rest were put in the cooler as reserved. If the store ran out, she could just grab some more and cooked them in the steamer. Once the old lady left, Wisteria bought two siopaos and asked Ed to have breakfast with her in the office before the morning rush.
The scent of coffee filled the entire office. Wisteria ate with gusto. The sweet, savory meat filling and sauce were just perfect. She noticed Ed was staring at the screen of her computer. He seemed to be studying the data on the spreadsheet. For a kid like him who had no experience in this, using the inventory management software and reading the inventory management plan was very foreign to him.
"Curious?" she asked and took a big bite of her siopao. It was just so good!
Ed nodded his head and went back to eating. Wisteria adjusted into a much comfortable position and sighed. She was just so tired and sleepy. She studied the kid's expression as he quietly ate his fill.
"What's your plan after graduation?"
Ed froze at her question. That reaction was clear to her. This kid had never thought farther about this. Well, it's not like he could afford to daydream.
"Work full time in the store," he answered matter-of-factly.
She wasn't surprised. She knew all along and Ed had expressed his intention so many times before.
"You... You haven't thought about going to college?"
"Yes, I have. But you know my situation, Boss. What can I do? I want to be an Engineer, but Engineering is very expensive. My parents can't afford it."
Despite saying it nonchalantly, Wisteria could see the pain and bitterness in his eyes.
"You..."
"If it weren't for you, Boss, I would probably be in jail now. It's enough for me to finish high school. Even this, it's all thanks to you."
Wisteria was stumped for words. This kid... His frame of mind was so different from many kids his age. She felt guilty for him - not the kind when you did something bad to someone, but the kind that was due to helplessness. But then again, not all teenagers could afford to dream big and live without a care in the world.
This kid in front of her had no time for that. He couldn't afford to spend his free time on his phone, on Facebook, or doing fun things people his age often did. Right now was the best example. He was up so early in the morning to do odd jobs in the store for a couple of hours. He'd go home and get ready for school afterward. After school, he would go straight to her store to clean up until 9:30 at night.
The pay was low but it's enough to cover his weekly allowance. She knew, too, that he was extremely thrifty and he would save his allowance for school projects and fees. There were times he would skip lunch for it. He often looked tired and from time to time, she caught him stealing a glance at the food in the store. Because of that, she decided to include him whenever she had a meal.
She swallowed painfully.
"Why do you want to be an engineer? And what kind? There are many, ah!"
"Well... A civil engineer," he replied.
"That's a good one. You can work under the government."
She drank her coffee.
"Is it for the pay?"
"No. You see I live in the squatter area*. The footwalks are all cracked and ruined and the drainage system is so bad. When it rains, it floods, and the cracks on the footwalks cause accidents all the time. A few days ago, my youngest sister tripped on it while she was running. The skin on her chin was almost torn."
"You've told me."
"Yes. Then I heard from our neighbors that last year, there was a budget for road repairs and our area was one of them and until now, nobody has come to do repairs! Those engineers under the government are a bunch of corrupts! Not only that, many of their projects are done sloppily and they even skimp on materials. Most of their projects can't even withstand a tropical storm! They put people's taxes in their pockets. If I were an engineer, I'd get rid of every single one of them! I'd never steal and abuse the budget. I'd do my projects to the best of my ability and for the benefit of the masses."
For some reason, Wisteria couldn't close her mouth.
"That's...very noble of you."
What a powerful rant..err...speech coming from this young man. She was speechless.
It was indeed very noble but how many people once dreamed a noble dream for the good of others and ended up becoming corrupt, evil, and twisted? Like many famous, evil leaders in history, weren't they once young, naive and pure? Weren't they once dreamers who dreamed of saving their people from misery? And what had they become when they finally had power in their hands? In this cutthroat world, there's no guarantee a person could keep his heart pure, his ideals noble. The truth was not everyone was blessed enough to make their dreams come true. A lot of them had fallen, lost sight of their dreams and many had their dreams shattered, ah. But who was she to destroy this kid's dream with her views? Without a dream, one would end up a wanderer. She didn't want such a thing to happen to him.
"Do you think one day I'll become an engineer, Boss?" Ed looked at her straight in the eyes.
There was hope and desperation in his eyes. It was as if by saying something negative, his world would shatter. Wisteria's heart tightened. Had she known they'd end up like this, she wouldn't have talked about this topic at all. She believed he could, but given his situation, it's not going to be easy.
"Yes. You will. One day." One day, I believe so. It may not be in a matter of a few years, but you will. Don't be like me, who once had a dream, and gave up on it. Life may have killed mine, but I hope you won't give up on yours and may it come true.
Lola = grandmother, granny (for older women)
Siomai = (Shumai) a Chinese dumpling
Squatter area = shanty area (poor people's town)
so far im loving this keep up the good work :)