Raising Anniyah.(WattyAwards2016-Ongoing)

Chapter Four.

I stood behind the till, trying my hardest to ignore the excruciating pains which worked their way through my lower stomach. It felt like I was being beaten up from the inside. Not to mention the harrowing headache which caused me to sweat profusely. Hailey occasionally came out from the staff room and circulated the shop floor checking that all the new employees were doing a satisfactory job. She waked behind me, switching the till besides me on and refilling the recept paper draw. The store would become very busy within the next two hours as it was coming up to after school hours and rush hour times, last minute shoppers would burst through the doors, slow service was never an option. She placed a firm hand on my shoulder, pressing her fingers beneath my shoulder blade gently. I wiped my brow quickly turning to face her smiling politely.

"You look terrible. What's up?" she said, turning her back to me as she bent down to check the plastic bags. "Oh, these need replenishing" she muttered beneath her breath. I opened my mouth to speak but an overwhelming pain consumed me causing me to double over. Hailey grabbed my elbow holding me firmly for support. I leaned into her chest hiding my face in the fabric of her shirt gritting my teeth in agonizing pain. "Vee, you have to go home. I can't have you working in this condition" she spoke softly into my ear walking me backwards into the back of the shop. "What's going on with you? You've not been well for ages, you need to get it checked out. I don't want you coming back into work until your better Vee. Hold on, sit here I'm coming back" she placed me to sit on some large brown boxes which were stacked in rows, then she walked out into the front. I could see her talking to Mike, occasionally looking back where I was seated. Not before long they called over two of the new employees and gestured for them to work behind tills. I pressed my face into the palm of my hands wiping my eyes as the tears began to leak from my eyelids. "Right, come with me. I've spoken to Mike, it's my break anyway so ill drop you home. I don't want you traveling in this state. You've got a week paid leave, you've got to get this sorted" she said stroking my hair back behind my ears. She grabbed hold of my hand and lead me trough the store and out into the outside. Christmas decorations patterned shop windows, and hung from lamp posts and wrapped around the branches of trees, big 'SALE' posters stuck against the glasses of shop windows. The streets somewhat glowed with Christmas spirit as men and women swarmed the streets with bags upon bags of groceries, toys and all sorts.

We turned down into an alley and approached a black two door Polo, the lights flashed as we neared. She opened the passenger door and waited for me to step in closing the door behind me. She walked around the front of the car opening the drivers door and sat in the seat sighing deeply as she put the key in the engine. The car had a chill which caused us both to shudder, she rubbed her hands together as she turned the heating up and adjusted her front view mirror. The car slowly began to reverse out onto the main street. "Right, I remember where you live, so no need to tell me" she said with an accomplished look on her face. I didn't bother to say anything, instead I turned my head to look out the window. The car cruised slowly down the main road the humps and bumps in the road making my brain rattle in my skull. We approached Costa and my mind thought of Daryl, it had been two months since I had received the letter from Adam and since I had last seen Daryl. We only spoke around three times since then too. Everything seemed so different, almost alien. I had received the letter from the hospital inviting me for my first altrascan at the beginning of December but I decided not to go. I didn't want to go alone. I couldn't. "Since when did you start wearing your dad's clothes" she spoke in a joking manner which broke the silence. I looked down at myself, I was wearing my uniform with a thick black poncho over the top and black tracksuit bottoms. I laughed, snarling at her comment facetiously.

"Actually, it's winter. Some of us do catch colds" I said in jest looking at down at her apparel. She repeated my remark mockingly, poking my arm gently.