My Dearest Sofia

Chapter 01

Sofia brushed her hair away from her face as she tried her best to wipe herself dry. She just entered the fancy restaurant named Elliot's, soaking wet because of the unexpected downpour. It did not help her confidence level at all when the maitre' d gave her a once over, made a snorting sound of disapproval and then ignored her completely.

Sofia did not mind. She was used to such looks of disdain from people who thought they were better just because they had more money or because they worked at some fancy restaurant.

She turned to check her reflection on the huge gilded mirror that framed the entrance and sighed. She looked like a drowned cat. With her cheeks flaming, she marched up to the snooty head waiter and inquired about the bathroom. Again, he looked like he wanted to shoo her away but to her surprise, he mumbled the directions towards the women's powder room.

Sofia gave him a soft smile and she ducked inside, clutching her wet coat closer to her body then headed towards the restroom. Once inside, she marveled at the decadence of the powder room.

There were three huge mirrors with gold borders on it. The sink looked like it would cost a month's worth of groceries and clothes. There were plush settees and pouffy stools with lovely floral prints on them. The smell of the room itself was worth a couple of thousand bucks.

With a dreamy sigh she locked herself inside a cubicle while wondering how it would be like to live with such luxury. Then, she shed off her coat and frowned. Here she was dreaming of luxuries she could never afford in her lifetime instead of addressing the problem of her wet clothes.

She had come to Elliot's to meet a possible employer. She was referred by one of her mother's colleagues at work. Sofia smiled as she thought of her mother, Emma Wright.

She was doing well with her therapy and so far, the bills were getting paid on time. However, with some calculations, Sofia found out that her current job as a waitress at Silver Diner was not going to help when the next wave of bills came around.

She could not let her father do all the hard work. With a slight pang in her heart, she thought about what happened a month and a half ago when all her best laid plans shattered along with her mom's accident.

NYU seemed like a ship, sailing farther and farther towards the horizon almost disappearing off the edge of the world. But, she was determined to stick to her commitment to this family. There was nothing to be gained by sulking or regretting things. There was only the future of possibilities to look forward to.

Her mother was doing well but the therapy she needed would have to stretch to another couple of months. Then, there was also the few unsettled bills at the doctor's office and the hospital. Really, if bills were gold, the Wrights would be living large!

The sound of women chattering as they entered the powder room broke Sofia's musing and she began taking care of the task at hand. She ran her fingers down her long black hair, trying to untangle the tendrils.

She knew she had to use the hand dryer if she wanted to give her hair the extra oomph but seeing as her appointment would commence in 2 minutes, she was just going to let it fall limply down her back and framing her white, almost porcelain-like alabaster skin.

She emerged from the cubicle and looked in the mirror. She blinked and was glad she invested in a good mascara product. The rain had not even smudged it. Forest green eyes stared back at her, the soft yellow light of the room making the shade even darker.

She touched her soft, full pink lips and then pinched her cheeks for color. There was nothing else to do actually, she would rather make a good impression of being prompt than be late because she was too vain.