Bittersweet

-29-

"Sathya, you have put too much salt in this dish and the customer is yelling at me, why you're coming to work when you don't have the intention to work properly." The head chef shouted in front of everyone.

Sathya stood there looking down, her eyes welled in tears. "This is the last time, don't repeat it or else I will tell the manager to fire you," he warned before leaving that place. All her colleagues stared her and Sathya didn't look at any of their faces. There's a common attitude among everyone to make someone feel insecure when they are already on the verge of losing their confidence. And some people will go to the extreme by laughing at other's situation, two young men standing at the corner smiled watching the scene. She doesn't understand why they are happy when she's in a miserable state.

It's entertaining them; for Sathya, it's hurting bad, really bad.

Gritting her teeth Sathya continued her work. The head chef was an arrogant man but he never acted this way to others. Many have done mistakes even higher than what she has done today but he has not scolded anyone like how he did with her. In fact, this is the first time something like this happened for Sathya. No one can beat Sathya's dedication, but right now she's tired both mentally and physically.

Sathya was someone who's confidently tough but gentle by heart. She never fought with anyone except Raghu and her parents. If someone treats her badly she just ignores instead of getting angry on them.

Now she wanted to get out of this place, she badly wants to but she couldn't. This work is important right now; she can't leave this job when she has no other means to survive; this is the final hope in her life. She can't ask money to Raghu. She doesn't want to depend on anyone, especially Raghu.

If he was the same compassionate Raghu, he would have asked her to resign this job and even fought with the chef but now if Sathya tells him about this he will smile like how those two guys did, she knows it well and it hurts so much to take it.

Sathya eventually forgets everything in the work and it ended late since there are two parties organized in the hotel. When she was walking to the entrance,

"Sathya?" someone called her.

She turned to see Madhav, one of her colleagues. He smiled and came to Sathya. "Are you going on the bus?" he asked.

"Yes, Anna," she nodded.

"Let's go out, I want to tell you something," he told, Sathya was confused. He never talked to her after coming out of the kitchen.

As they came out, Sathya curiously looked at him and he started. "Today the chef purposely scolded you, actually the customer told that the salt is little high they didn't yell at him. I was there with him too," he revealed and she isn't affected by that because she knows that already.

"You better look for some other place Sathya, he's waiting for a perfect chance to fire you. It's my advice because you have talent don't waste it here," he told.

"Right now I can't shift to any other job," she replied with a smile.

"Why?"

Sathya hesitantly replied. "Some personal issues,"

"Oh okay,"

"Where you're staying?" he asked

"Near Thiruvanmaiyur," she replied.

"My house is also in the same area," he replied.

"It will take one hour to reach home right? And it's already late now. I will drop you, Sathya," he said in a concerned tone.

"No no, I will go in the bus," she regretted telling that she's going by bus priorly or else she would have told that Raghu is coming to take her. Madhav pleased her to come with him. Either it's genuine or something behind it Sathya tried her best level to avoid.