I finished the entire bottle of vodka we had at the house.
Cameron still wasn't home.
It was two in the morning.
I was still sitting there at the vanity, staring at myself in the mirror.
I would've pulled out another bottle if it wasn't for the sound of the front door opening.
I gasped and straightened up. I didn't have the strength for another fight.
"Jules?"
In the mirror I saw Cameron appear in the doorway looking worse than me.
"Where were you?"
"I went to the store."
"Did you make a sale?"
"A few."
"Good ones?"
"Not enough to pay the cable bill if that's what you're asking."
"I can work more."
"I can't ask you to do that."
"Why not?" I demanded. "You can't expect me to just sit around and let the men do everything."
"I didn't say that, dammit!"
I winced. "Stop. Just stop."
"It's not that you can't, it's just that I feel like I have to give you the world and if I can't do that then I've failed."
"I'll go to work tomorrow. Things are going to get better for us. They have to."
***
I was only able to sleep for a few hours before getting ready for work.
I had decided to work a double shift at the bar and Cameron was spending all day at the store.
I got there and my boss, Eli, looked happy to see me.
"Jules! It's been hectic all week. It's great to have an extra waitress."
I smiled. More tables meant more tips. More tips meant more money to get me and Cameron out of the slump we were in.
I waited a few tables, running around in my 6-inch heels and skirt.
Sometimes, working in a bar made me feel like a total whore.
But when you looked good, sometimes it convinces drunk men to give you a bigger tip. And the money was all I cared about.
When my shift was finally over, I sat at the counter and counted my tips.
I had made $80 which wasn't bad at all.
On my way home, I decided that the only way me and Cameron were going to be okay is if I worked like this all the time.
So that's what I did.
All week I would work double shifts just to make the tips I needed to pay the bills.
I would work so hard that by the time I got home, my feet would be blistered because of the running around in heels.
The next day I would wake up and feel sore and want to stay in bed but every day I got up and fought through the pain.
Every day I would get up before Cameron, and get back home after he was already fast asleep.
I had paid the electric bills and water bills before we could get too behind.
Unfortunately, it was impossible for me to pay off everything at once but I had done enough to keep us afloat for a little longer.
After a few weeks of nonstop working, I had a chance during my break at work to really look at myself.
YOU ARE READING
The Violinist's Cherrytree
Roman d'amourJules Cherrytree never expected to find love at a recital. She expected to fall asleep halfway through. Never did she think she'd meet her future husband. Enter Cameron Gold. The handsome violinist with the enchantingly beautiful music. She can't he...