Jennie
Misery. One little word. Six letters. So many meanings that held a weight on its own. How was it that one word could have held such an effect on one's life? Was that all it had taken? A six letter word with a hapless definition that I had recalled from an old Oxford dictionary, which accurately explains my life. Dejected and distraught, I folded the wretched piece of paper and placed it back into the envelope. The phrase 'out of sight... out of mind' would have been quite nice at the moment to enjoy but the contents of the letter were still niggling like a nuisance at the back of my mind. It's for certain, misery loves company. Especially mine.
Exhausted both physically and emotionally, I tumbled down to the overused sofa in my makeshift living area silently cringing at the spring's groan of response. Ignoring the sting in my tired eyes, I blinked the tears away as I massaged my throbbing temples. The day had already been beyond terrible and the very last thing I needed was succumbing to a full on sob fest. I have had plenty of those in the past and it did nothing to help the situation on hand, so what good would it do now?
After a twelve hour shift on a horrid day with a horrid boss and horrid customers, of course I had to be welcomed home at almost midnight with an eviction letter. It was the icing on the cake after all. I couldn't help the bubble of laughter that threatened to escape my clogged up throat as furious tears threatened to burst through the dam.
There I was living in a single room, sleeping on a sofa bed with a barely there kitchen, and less than five meters away, a bathroom that was in need of a serious repair. And I thought it could not have possibly gotten any worse. What a way to have been proven wrong!
Now, I have less than a month to move out and all my money went into paying my rent which I was currently behind on. My landlord is not to blame for my misfortune, in fact, nobody is.
Sometimes in life things just happened and we have to deal with them. It was one of my mother's mantra that echoed almost every day in my mind. And it's not the first time that I desperately wished she was here, alive and well.
We would have gotten through the hardships together like we always did. Sighing tiredly, I prepared for bed gearing myself up to face yet another day. After everything that had already happened to me I would never lose hope. I vowed to myself to always remain positive and maybe one day things would finally go my way.
"I need you to work on the catering team for a party tonight." My boss said or more like demanded of me in his usual gruff voice the following day as my thoughts consumed me.
"Me? But sir my shift just ended and I..." I replied back nervously.
"You are what? I am not paying you to state your feelings.... either you pitch in or you get out!" he fumed.
"Yes sir." I muttered meekly.
Donning on the customary black and white waitress uniform for the party, my heavy head swarmed as calculations and multiple bills lined my vision.
"Mr. Yang is in a real mood today." Irene, a fellow waitress said coming out of the shower we used at work pulling me out of my thoughts. She was a few years older and had worked at this four star restaurant to pay for her studies as a part time job. Though we never really spoke much she was always polite.
"He is." I said finally responding to the tall slender blonde.
"He's only anxious as last minute we were called in to cater for some extremely rich people who decided to throw a house party." She informed me while getting dressed.
A short while later, packed into the catering van, I once again became enraptured in my overwhelming thoughts, and not bothering to join the enthusiastic conversation amongst the crew as I tried to work out the possibilities I had in finding a new flat although the reality of the situation was that with my current pay check there was only so much that I could afford.
A quick run in with Mr. Lee, the old, thick, ancient landlord of mine only served as a reminder of the limited time I had left with a decent shelter over my head. I thought he understood my position but even for an aging man who could not have walked without his handy stick the only thing he understood was dollar signs and check books.
Where does one find accommodation in less than twenty days? I thought of working a second job to make ends meet but my first employment took up all my time. Maybe I could have asked for a raise with my current boss, Mr. Yang? Surely after seven years I was worth much more than I was currently paid. The salary from tonight would help a bit in my added pay check but it still would not cover much.
As the drive went by so did my stress level increase as my worries exceeded. Just what was I supposed to do with my measly savings, close to being homeless and perhaps an impending anxiety attack?
A little more than an hour later our catering van pulled up to the entrance stairs of The Manoban Palace Hotel, removing me from my deep thoughts. It was my first time visiting this side of town so I could not help but gawk at its opulence. My facial expression was just of sheer wonder as I stepped out of the vehicle.
The grandeur and wealth of the place left me gob-smacked as I openly gazed in amazement. I felt as though I had to recline my entire neck back to stare at the overhead shelter that held the massive chandelier and artfully wrapped drapery and that was just the staircase which happened to be covered in a golden coloured rug.
The interior of the hotel was an entirely different story with marble polished floors that may as well have been mirrors. Plush lounges and exquisite furniture took its place in the lobby along with beautifully carved statues, multiple floral arrangements and a ceiling that seemed to be made of gold with quite possibly the world's biggest chandelier elegantly hanging from atop.
As we were assisted by the hotel staff into getting our carts filled with food onto the elevator, I briefly wondered what it would have been like to stay in such a place. The name was definitely befitting for a place that was nothing less compared to a palace. I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to meet the magnate who lives here.
