Chapter 2 A New Life

"Betty, listen up! Today, we're short-staffed, and I need you to cover three tables at once. No mistakes, or you're out," Betty's manager, Mr. Johnson, a stern man with a perpetual scowl, instructed her. This was Betty's second week working at Fort Club after losing her parents. She was 33 and had no family except Lisa. Her work was the only hope she had to survive and get Lisa out of the hospital.

Betty nodded, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched her order pad. She couldn't afford to lose this job; it was her lifeline. Mr. Johnson handed her a tray laden with dishes and pointed to her first table, a group of impatient businessmen.

"Start with them," he ordered. "They're in a hurry."

In the dimly lit, bustling diner, the clatter of dishes and the hum of conversation filled the air as Betty approached the tables Mr Johnson had instructed her to serve, her heart pounding. She greeted the men with a forced smile, but her inexperience showed as she fumbled with the menus. This made the businessmen exchange annoyed glances.

As the orders piled up, Betty rushed from table to table, desperately trying to keep up with the demands of impatient customers.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she approached the fourth table, clutching the tray of steaming hot plates. She attempted to place a plate of spaghetti in front of the suited man on the left but ended up sloshing the sauce onto his crisp white shirt.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Betty stammered, her face turning crimson as the man's scowl deepened. Sauce dripped from his shirt onto the tablecloth.

Mr. Johnson, who had been observing from the corner of the diner, swiftly approached with a stern glare. "Betty," he hissed through gritted teeth, "how many times have I told you to be careful? This is a restaurant, not a circus!"

"I'm... I'm sorry," Betty's voice quivered as she frantically grabbed a napkin to dab at the sauce-stained customer. The man, clearly irate, muttered something under his breath.

At the seventh table, Betty's hands trembled as she poured a glass of red wine for a couple celebrating their anniversary. Her hand wavered, and a crimson river of wine cascaded onto the pristine white tablecloth.

The couple exchanged incredulous looks, and Mr. Johnson's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Betty, I can't believe this!" he snapped. "Do you want to ruin this restaurant?"

Tears welled up in Betty's eyes as she stammered another apology, her voice barely audible over the clatter of dishes and the murmur of disgruntled patrons.

"Betty, you're a mistake! We can't keep you here any longer. You're fired!" Mr Johnson yelled.

Betty's face turned a deep shade of crimson, her eyes welling with tears as she remembered her sister's hospital bills which she was yet to pay. This was the fifth job she would do in two months!

In those two months, she had desperately tried to hold onto any job she could find, a lifeline in the chaos of her grief. But her emotional turmoil had betrayed her, leading to her rapid departure from five different workplaces! She found it difficult to recover from the tragic loss of her parents.

Mr Johnson's voice was a cold blade slicing through her fragile composure. Tears streamed down Betty's cheeks, her vision blurred as she struggled to maintain her dignity. She felt the weight of her parents' absence and her sister's sickness crushing her soul, and now, this latest rejection threatened to shatter her completely. She had fought so hard to keep going, to pretend that life could be normal again, but each firing felt like another nail in the coffin of her dreams.

With a trembling voice, she choked out a plea, "Please, I need this job. I don't know what I'll do without it." But her manager's resolve remained unyielding, the decision final. Betty crumpled to her knees, her sobs echoing through the restaurant, a poignant symphony of grief and despair.

After a while, she emerged from the restaurant with her eyes swollen with tears. The words of her manager kept on echoing in her mind, "We can't keep you here any longer." She felt sad that her emotional instability had cost her yet another job, and despair gnawed at her heart.

With each step she took away from the restaurant, her world felt bleaker. As she walked down the busy sidewalk, her vision blurred through the tears, and then a voice called out to her from behind. "Hey, wait up!"

Betty turned to see a middle-aged man in his forties hurrying toward her. His concerned expression was framed by salt-and-pepper hair, and his eyes held a genuine kindness that instantly drew her attention.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, genuine concern etched on his face.

Betty hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond to a stranger's inquiry. But something about his demeanour and the empathy in his eyes made her feel like she could trust him. She wiped away her tears and managed to utter, "I just got fired from my job."

The man's brow furrowed as he nodded. "I'm really sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Betty's voice quivered as she explained her predicament. "You see, I lost my parents two months ago and I have a sister in the hospital whose bills I'm yet to settle. I've been struggling to hold onto jobs ever since. I don't have anyone to fall back on, and each firing pushes me deeper into despair."

The man's eyes softened with understanding, and he reached out a hand to gently pat her shoulder. "I'm truly sorry for your loss, Miss. It must be incredibly tough for you. But don't lose hope. Sometimes, life has a way of surprising us when we least expect it."

Betty appreciated his kind words but couldn't help feeling a sense of hopelessness that had become all too familiar in recent months. She looked down at the sidewalk, her voice barely a whisper. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't know how things will ever get better for me."

The man smiled at her. "I have an offer for you. Let us find somewhere to sit and talk." He said as he led Betty to a nearby coffee shop. They sat in a corner when the man finally broached the subject he wanted to talk about. " I'm not pleased with your situation, and I want to offer you a solution."

Betty looked at him with curiosity, her brow furrowing slightly. "A solution? What do you mean?"

The man cleared his throat, his gaze focused intently on her. " I've been fortunate in my business endeavours, and I have the means to help you. I'll give you a good job and settle your sister's hospital bills."

Betty's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "That's an incredibly generous offer, but it's an enormous amount of money. It costs $10000. I can't accept that kind of help from a stranger."

The man burst into laughter. "$10000 is no money, my Angel. I can take care of it and do much more if you grant my request."

Betty's heart raced as she wondered what the man was about to ask of her. "What kind of request is it?"

The man's voice was gentle but firm as he explained, "I'd like you to marry me. It's not just about the hospital bills; I promise to care for you deeply, and I believe we could build a future together. I'm ready to provide for both you and your sister, to give you a stable and secure life."