A Side Order of Fate

Chapter 3

Ella

"Enjoy your meal!" Ella told the grumpy customer, a fake smile plastered on her face. She hoped that they would just leave her alone and stop complaining. Her mood was rapidly declining as customer after customer came up with another reason to moan. The dark stormy clouds weren't helping either. They threatened rain and made her want to cry along with the clouds.

She just wanted to finish her gruelling shift and go home, where she could curl up on the couch with a soft blanket of steaming tea and a good book. If her small cat Jinx was in the mood for it, she would cuddle up with her and stroke her soft fur. She knew that in the mood she was in, that would be the only thing that could help.

Ella didn't think she could take one more angry customer, but she knew if she exploded at the next one, her boss would talk to her. Thankfully, the next customer was in fairly good spirits.

"Hi Ella." His deep masculine voice called from behind the counter.

She turned to face Conrad. "Hi," she smiled, "My shift is about over, if you want to sit down. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure." He ordered a large coffee and turned away.

Trying not to notice his wind blown hair or strong body, she buried her blush in the coffee maker. She was a little bit surprised that he'd shown up. Even though he'd said he would, she'd only just met Conrad yesterday, and wasn't sure what to expect. Attractive guys like him didn't really hang around with shy girls with plain faces, like her.

She was secretly glad he'd come, though. Two reasons, one, well, he was attractive, and two, maybe he could help get rid of her misery.

After ten more minutes of gruelling work, Ella was finally free. Switching her uniform for a comfy pair of yoga pants and a warm sweater she looked at herself in the staff bathroom. The blue of her sweater reminded her of a beautiful summer day and having a picnic with her mother, who had passed away two years ago. She sometimes found herself yearning for that motherly love, but she had to pretend she was okay and take on the role for the sake of her now eleven year old brother.

The two of them had never had a father. He'd walked out when she was four and never returned. She didn't know where he had gone and she wasn't completely sure that her mom had known either.

He'd stopped paying child support a long time ago, and her mom had to balance both a day and night job to keep the food on the table, and the rent paid. They'd always been tight for money, but when her dad left, it had gone further downhill. At ten years old, Ella had been completing jobs for her neighbours and family friends for extra money. She'd gotten her first job at age fifteen. In all, life had never been easy.

She slid into the booth across from Conrad, her fingers wrapping around a cup of hot coffee. "How are you?" She asked him in a low tone.

"Honestly? I'm better. I think talking helped, maybe that's all I really needed. Thanks for all your help." It would have convinced her, but Conrad said it in a rush, and made her doubt him.

She smiled anyway, "It was really no problem." Staring at her clasped hands, she worked up the courage to look him in the eye and say, "But I don't think the pain will go away yet. I would really like to help you. To be friends. I've... been there before."

He looked at her as if to prompt her, but not push her into anything she didn't feel comfortable in saying.

She launched into her sad tale. "When my mom died of cancer, I was left with my little brother, Mikey. We never had a father and he didn't really understand what was going on. He saw what was happening, the funeral, everything, but he never really accepted it. But I knew what was happening. The pain hit me like a speeding train and I couldn't deal with it. On top of juggling my brother, my job and trying to keep others happy, there was a boat load of pain. I wanted it to go away so I started cutting myself.