Piece Of Mind

Chapter 1

F I V E    Y E A R S
L A T E R

Zara looked up for the millionth time at the clock right above her work station at the Genesis restaurant where she worked the night shift as one of the caterers at the front line of the food court. She let out a groan wondering why for as many times she had looked up at that clock the hands still stayed stuck at the roman numeral ten. Maybe it's broken. Her shift was to end in ten minutes and her body desperately cried for sleep. She doubt she would need any effort to shut her eyes, it was only work and being reprimanded that stopped her from doing so right now.

Could I maybe get a good hour rest before the day work, she thought as she looked at the clock once more to see that it had moved only a minute. For a shift ending at 7am and knowing fully well it would take her thirty minutes or less to get back home so that she could get on to her day job as a seamstress at 8am, she began rethinking the said issue of a good rest that was sure wouldn't even take up to twenty minutes since she would have to rush back. She let's out an exasperated sigh feeling the weight of the reality sink heavily upon her shoulders.

As a...well.... half educated individual who never made it to the university but only managed to survive through secondary school by the skin of her teeth, struggling two jobs for everyday of her miserable life was something she had to work with if she was going to pay off rents and medical bills. Right now she had a four month rent debt and she was sure her landlord was already at the edge of his patience. Worst part, for all the hardwork she did, she wasn't paid by the hour. She was paid by salary. Very meager salary. Not even the tips given to her by customers amounted actual worth. It was bound to be gone in one part of a day's meal.

"Zee, are you okay?" Omolara says with a bit of concern as she stared at her work partner whose black hair was now all messy and tangled from the company face cap she wore and the dark bags underneath the brown skin of her eyes were very much evident. Zara lets out a croak of a laugh as she waves her off dismissively before voicing to her.

"Why wouldn't I be?..." She tries to sound cheerful but even the tone sounded strange to her own ears. Well if she couldn't be it, she would just have to act it. Feeling her choice of words were rather rude, she quickly adds.

"Well working two jobs isn't easy at all and I'm bound to look this way but all in all I'm very okay"

"Mm hmm" Omolara only hums as she shakes her head and not in the least convinced with what she had heard.

Omolara decides not to prod any further since she already knew Zara was the reserved kind but she still gave her the benefit of a doubt which her face showcased. Zara smiles faintly and turns just in time to come face to face with hopefully her last customer since five minutes of her shift was now left.

"Good morning, welcome to Genesis. What would you like to order this beautiful morning?"

Her voice was cheerful enough to make the elderly lady smile warmly back at her but Zara knew without a doubt it was all a facade. Her insides were poisoned towards anyone no matter who or what they were hence the reason she always kept her space and hid in her little burrow of hurt. She didn't have friends but she had work partners and took them as nothing but that.

"A snack for lunch time" the woman dressed in a plaid grey suit says as she looked down at the various delicacies in dishing pans that were hooded by the transparent see through glass. Zara's smile is feign as she picks up her dishing spoon and places the woman's order in a rectangular plastic takeaway plate as she pointed at what she wanted. After packaging the supposed lunch meal for her customer and getting the bill, she bids the lady a good day and literally sprints towards the locker room as she loosened the straps of her white apron. She needed to get out of here. She had been here long enough. The air was getting too dense.