45 Phone Calls

#1st phone call

I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket just as I served the customer their coffee and passed the guy an uncomfortable smile before quickly handing his change and taking my phone from my pocket so that the uncomfortable sensation would stop.

'Amal!'

I jumped at the sound of my manager's voice and turned to him with slightly widened eyes.

'Yes Jerome?'

He gestured that I follow him, I knew full well what was going to happen next and I was prepared for it until my phone vibrated again.

I switched it off and scowled deeply whilst preparing to give the annoying person a good scold.

'Sit down,' he ordered before leaning back in his chair and lighting a cigarette.

'That is the third time this week that I caught you on your phone Amal,' he said and pointed at me with the cheap Chicago cigarette between his middle and ring finger.

Okay...weird way of holding a cigarette but that's none of my business.

'But I was just-'

He silenced me by lifting his hand and making a zipping motion. I coughed purposely whilst staring at the disgusting thing between his fingers. He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward which made me think that he would kill it but he continued.

'No more excuses, you're fired. Effective immediately.'

I tried to appear shocked but my face was void of emotion as I stared at the lousy 40 year old man with a receding hairline and paunch, dark shifty brown eyes and brown curly hair, or at least what was left of it was curly.

We spent ten minutes discussing the issue, Jerome had gotten upset when he noticed that I was not begging nor pleading for him to give my job back. I simply stated that I would not beg nor plea anyone except for Allah to which he had the audacity to scoff at me.

'Leave and don't come back.'

'Fine,' I said and stood up in advance to removing the apron and cap with the McDonald's logo on it.

'Thank God today's payday anyway,' I mumbled and walked out of his office before going to the back of the building to the locker area to collect my belongings.

'Ey Amal, I just heard that you got fired,' my best friend said looking frightened as I exchanged my old pair of comfortable black flats for my white pair of Converse.

'Yeah, I guess good news really does travel fast and come on, you of all people should know that I don't really care Ntombi. You know that I only took this job so that I could get out of the house.'

I redid my hijab and secured it with two pins before putting my black coat on and removing my bag from my locker.

'Then I'm leaving as well! You know I need you here with me Amal!' She snapped suddenly and I stared at her with my brows raised.

'Woah! Why are you snapping at me?'

She leaned her body against the locker which was not really secure and had paint peeling off of it then sighed which brought my attention away from the lockers and back to her. 'You never care and you never take anything seriously,' she said before glaring at me and leaving.

I frowned and thought of all the times that I had probably taken something seriously but unfortunately, I came up with none.

I would have used Uber but I lived 20 minutes away so it was pointless. On my way out my phone vibrated again.

I stared at the caller ID and it was an unknown international call which seemed sketchy since I barely knew anyone out of South Africa. I contemplated whether I should answer or not but this was the fourth time the person called.