ISLANDER

Chapter 1

Emma was serving her somewhat twentieth customer that morning. She was still feeling weak and sick from her recent flu and her back was sore. She felt a rush of temperature from time to time but she couldn't go home, not yet. She still had three more hours to push through before her shift was over. The noise in the coffee shop was intrusive. A symphony of cups and spoons, opening and shutting doors, squeaking of chairs, talking and laughing, the cash desk and the coffee machines. She had only started two hours ago but the smell of coffee was already starting to make her nauseous. The old-looking diner successfully turned into a coffee shop that drained many young customers because of the overall cheap drinks and hip names.

"Miss, miss, did you take my order down, I'm in a hurry here, could you speed it up a little?" The bitchy woman's voice echoed in her sore head and muscles.

Emma smiled back politely and assured it was on its way, her hands clutching the notepad tightly to control her temper.

"It's about time," the woman muttered back.

Emma now bit her tongue to contain her growing annoyance. She had to smile, always be extra nice and polite to each customer no matter how rude they were. Work policy. It was hard on her, containing herself like that. She took a break and went to the restroom. She stopped and stared into the mirror. She was horrified, she looked horrible. Her face was yellow and swollen. Her eyes were red and bloated and her hair was already greasy. She was now even more depressed. She tried to repair her appearance by splashing cold water on her eyes and cheeks so that she would look fresh, she re-organized her hair into a tight ponytail. She rummaged through her bag for powder and eyeliner. Once she was satisfied with her reflection she went back to work. The noise and smell aggressed her immediately. She wished she could just evaporate and disappear from the room. Every day she thought of quitting but she needed the job, she needed the money. Emma had been in Los Angeles for over a year and she was still struggling. She had moved there with her boyfriend. He had always wanted to move there for his music career and he made them both apply for the green card lottery. Turned out Emma won, he didn't. They decided to leave London together, he would follow her while she settled down seeing how he could find a way to stay. Things didn't go all that well for the least.

She had nothing to lose in London. She had no family left and her job as a teacher had become a nuisance. She wasn't made for authority. She felt oppressed and the hate of hierarchy got to a point she could not fight any longer. It wasn't in her nature to do things she did not believe in. Her values were simple but strong. Each time she had to transgress them, she suffered deeply. When she won the lottery, at first, she didn't think much of it. It was vague and far from her priorities. If it weren't for her boyfriend she would probably have completely ignored it. Until that clash at work. She stood up against the authority who blamed one of her students for something he had not done. It was too much for her to ignore. She finally let it all out and she was kindly asked to gather her things and leave. She did not think twice, she gathered her things and said goodbye to her students. When she got home, the letter for the green card was on her table. She remembered looking at it and for the first time seeing the possibility of moving. When she told her boyfriend she had been dismissed he said it was a sign, he persuaded her they had to go, they had to take that chance. He, of course, wanted to go to Hollywood, where the music scene was. She on the other hand did not have a particular place in mind. She didn't know what she could do there professionally speaking. The only experience she'd had was teaching. But she'd have to start everything over. And she wasn't sure she wanted to start teaching again. The weeks after that passed by rather fast and before she knew it, they were sitting on the plane. They had only packed two suitcases. There was nothing more she needed to take along with her. She didn't know what to expect. She had never left Europe. The United States scared her by its size and by its history or non-history. As the flight attendants explained the security procedures, Emma sunk back into her seat watching every face around her. The parents whose kid wouldn't stop hitting the seat in front of them, the man in front of them getting tired and growing impatient but still holding back his anger for the moment. After the security announcement the stewardess stopped to talk to the kid, the intimidation worked and he calmed down instantly. The flight was endless, the longest one she had ever taken. The seats were tiny with no legroom. Her neck ached with each position she tried to snuggle in to fall asleep. Sleep was impossible and when they landed she felt exhausted and swollen. Getting off the plane was not as smooth as she had imagined it would be. When they passed immigration she was surprised how cold the agents were. The first contact was not the best one. It caught her off guard. The first night they spent in one of the airport hotels. The cheapest they could find. From then on everything was downhill. She felt every day was a struggle. Getting around was difficult, finding a place to live, finding a job, finding friends. All of that seemed impossible. The pressure kept rising and the final straw was when her boyfriend had to go back to England when his three-month tourist VISA expired. There she was alone to face it all. He never came back. All the glitter he had had in his eyes had evaporated and he gave up wanting to stay there with her. She had three different jobs, waitressing at a cafe in Burbank, babysitting for a family in the valley, and proofreading texts for websites online from her home.