Mr. Navas

1

"Anything else I need to do?"
"Nope. Thank you so much, Kris, you're free to go," Carter told me.
"Ok."
"Wait, one more thing."
"Yes?" I was becoming impatient.
"Do you mind coming in later tonight? I know it's your day off and everything, but with Finn away I need someone else to fill in."
I sighed, "Fine, I'll do it."
"Great. Tonight?"
"Yeah, see you later."
"Bye."

I left my boss, Carter, to lock up the restaurant. I'd been working as a waitress at "The Grill On The Alley" for just over a month now. It wasn't the best of jobs, but at least I was getting paid. I had a pretty good relationship with most of the staff and we all seemed to get along. Expect for maybe Martina... She pisses me off. She's nothing but a slacker and can never get the job done right. I was honestly so sick and tired of picking up after her messes. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets fired.

I exited the restaurant and a gust of cold air hit me. It was around midnight and it was chilly. I clicked my keys twice as I approached my car. It unlocked the doors and I climbed into my white Ford Focus. I started the engine and turned up the heat a bit before driving away.

I was exhausted. I could literally feel the bags underneath my eyes. I yawned and turned on the radio. A Maroon 5 song was playing. At the moment, I was too tired to think of the name. I just wanted to get home and crawl into my bed. I had to be back at work tonight... All I wanted was a day off and sleep. Somehow, it was always me who ended up with the late shifts. I didn't really like it because it screwed up my sleep schedule. It almost felt like I was nocturnal, always awake at night and sleeping in the day.

Finally. Stepping out of the car, I fiddled with my keys before finding the right one. I twisted it in the lock of the door. Immediately, I went to the washroom. I washed off my makeup and let down my hair. Too tired to brush it out. My eyes were slowly shutting with each second that passed. I changed into a grey tank top and small black shorts. I crawled into my bed and dozed off as soon as my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up, it was half past one. I felt like shit. I pressed the home button on my iPhone and looks like I had a few text messages. They were from two of my close friends who were confirming our plans. I called one of them.

"Hello," I croaked.
"Woah, what happened to you? You sound terrible."
"You think? I was up late last night working another shift."
"Kris, you're going to kill yourself working like that!"
"Ok, well I need the money!"
"Can't you just take one day off?"
"I did, but my boss needs me to come in tonight because one of my coworkers is out of town."
"Man, that sucks."
"I know..."
"So we still good for tomorrow?"
"I guess, but let me warn you, I might pass out from exhaustion."
She laughed, "We got you."
"Thanks, Jess. You've confirmed with Alyssa, right?"
"Yep, already done."
"Ok well I've got to shower and get ready for tonight, but for sure tomorrow."
"Great! Talk to you later, love you!"
"You, too."
"Meeting at your place?"
"Sure?" I said thinking in my head for a second, "Yes."
"Alright, your place."
"Bye."
"See you."

I left my phone on my pillow. Before I turned the shower on, I stuck my hand under the water to test the temperature. I walked out of the bathroom to grab a towel before getting into the shower. Once I had a towel, I stepped in. I squirted and handful of shampoo and massaged it into my scalp. Closing my eyes, I rinsed everything out. After, I used conditioner and also soap to wash my body. It was the first long shower I've took in a while now. I turned the tap and the water stopped coming down. I pulled the curtain aside and reached for my towel.

Tonight was going to be a long night. I still felt tired from my last shift and didn't know if I could do another and then the following night go out with friends. Jessica, well Jess, and Alyssa were my friends from way back. We'd been triple threats since grade school. The teachers could never handle us. Since they took their educations farther than I did, they moved away. Every six months, we get together just to hang out and catch up. I'd like to see them more often, but they have their work and I have mine.

Alyssa is starting as an accountant. Jess works out of an office and volunteers often at a school. They both have successful lives with good education. They lead such good lives and on the other hand, there's me. At sixteen, I was forced to drop out of high school when my father was diagnosed with cancer. My mother needed more help at home to care for my younger sister, Addison, who was only eleven at the time. We spent a fortune trying to get my father the proper treatment. In the end, it worked. We saved him and I understand why things were done. They didn't have enough money for post secondary education and anyways, I didn't even complete high school. My sister was fortunate to get a scholarship that paid most of it. My parents could afford the rest at that time. I took small part time jobs here and there to earn money. I normally struggled with money because I couldn't find a good paying job that could fully support me. Right now, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to pay my rent.

For the rest of the day, I used my time to see how much money I had. It wasn't much, but it was still something. Hopefully tonight I could earn a bit extra, since it was supposed to be my night off. My shift started at six, when it was around dinner time. It was the busiest time in the day, plus having it being a Friday night would make it more crowded in there. I got ready for work and drove off like I did every work day. I entered the restaurant and my boss came to talk to me straight away.

"Kris! Thank goodness you're here! There's a big party group over there," he pointed, "we need a few people on that group. This night for them is very important. We can't mess this up!"
"Ok, I'll go get started."
"Perfect. Ahmed and Grace are already on it, go join them."
"For sure."

I walked over to the table. There was a large group of people sitting around a few tables. I spotted Ahmed and Grace, giving them a smile. I introduced myself and got them started.

"Hi! My name is Kristine and I'll be you waitress for tonight. Are there any drinks I can get you started with?"

I took their orders and disappeared to grab their drinks. I brought them back and then gave some time for them to decide what they'd eat for their meal. I returned with Grace, since Ahmed was already starting to take orders. The night was going pretty smoothly and Carter was pleased, but I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I was suddenly called over back to the table.

"Excuse me, could I get another glass?"
"Of course! No problem."
"Thanks."

Less than a minute later, I came back with her drink in my hand. I guess I was starting to get lazy and the tiredness was getting to me. I stumbled and tripped over my own feet, causing the glass to tilt. I spilt the red wine all over her tight, white dress. She stood up in shock, pushing her blonde hair to the side.

"What did you do?!" She screamed.
"Oh shit! I am so sorry, I can give you your money back or something?"
"Do you know how much this dress cost?! You ruined it!"
"Miss, I apologize-"
"Kris!"
"Carter, look it was an accident!"

From the screaming, looks like my boss heard. He wasn't the only one to take notice. Most of the restaurant stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to us. Even the staff was looking at me. I could spot Martina off to the side, snickering at me. It was so embarrassing having all these people staring at me.

"You knew how important this night was and you blew it!"
"I'm sorry."
"An apology won't fix this!"
"Please just-"
"I can't, you're fired!"
My jaw dropped, "Fired?!"
"Get out."
"This wasn't even supposed to be my night, but can you just give me another chance?!"
"Get out of my restaurant."
"Please, I need this job."
"Out."

I covered my face and ran out of the restaurant. As soon as I got in my car, I started to sob into my hands. How could this be happening...