The First Tiring Day

The next day, Amanda woke up early and cleaned herself up, getting ready to start her new job. She cooked eggs and bacon for breakfast, she couldn't really cook, so she looked for something easy to cook.

Finished with her breakfast, at half past eight, Amanda went straight to Jhon's cafe. The journey only took 15 minutes by walking.

Upon arrival, Amanda saw Jhon behind the counter, counting his money. She knocked on the door and went inside.

"Jhon? Sorry I came too early,"

"No problem, that's good. I have a few things to explain to you before you start tidying up the cafe. Follow me." Jhon took Amanda to the staff lockers.

There Amanda was given a locker to put her belongings. He also gave Amanda a brown apron to wear while working, with a nametag Amanda had made.

"Look, I want you to keep this nametag on so the customers can call you nicely. Then at eight o'clock you have to start tidying the chairs, wiping down the tables and windows, and the cash register," explained Jhon.

"The cooking and cashiering will be handled by me. Don't forget you also have to offer coffee to the customers when there are no orders. It's a free extra for them, you understand?" he continued to explain.

Amanda nodded her head, understanding every word from Jhon. Assuming she understood everything, Jhon told Amanda to start her work. She took a cloth and cleaning spray from another locker and started cleaning the cafe tables.

She sprayed the cleaning liquid and then wiped the table clean. Not only the table, but she also cleaned the chairs as Jhon said. After cleaning the tables and windows, Amanda took a mop and mopped the floor.

Everything still felt so easy to her because she was used to doing it at home. Amanda thought her first day of work would be easy, she just needed to take down the orders and then bring them to the customers.

But things weren't so easy when she was pregnant. Even though she was three weeks along, Amanda still sometimes couldn't stand smells or was too tired. But she couldn't let that stop her from doing her job. She had to do it for the sake of her child.

'I will do my best so that you can go to school well and become a successful and happy child in your own way,' she thought at the time.

Another hour passed, Amanda had done all her work and now it was time for the cafe to open. She flipped the sign from closed to open, waiting for customers to enter their cafe.

It didn't take long for the cafe to fill up with people. From locals to tourists on vacation. Amanda began her main job, taking down every order.

"I want a chessburger with fries, then a strawberry milkshake," said one female customer.

"Chessburger, fries and strawberry milkshake. Okay, we'll prepare it right away," Amanda replied kindly.

"Excuse me! We'd like to order!" called another customer.

"Okay!" Amanda rushed to the customer who called her and took down their order and gave it to Jhon.

The later it got, the more crowded it became, as many of them were having lunch at the cafe. Jhon's cafe had a large menu like a simple restaurant, but for some reason he called it a cafe.

When there were no orders, Amanda took the coffee pot from the coffee maker and went around offering coffee.

"Hello good afternoon, would you like your coffee refilled?" Amanda asked.

"Sure, are you new here?" a male customer asked Amanda.

She replied that she was new there and it was her first day on the job. The man looked at the nametag on Amanda's chest.

"Amanda? You look very pretty for a waitress," the man said.

Hearing that, Amanda smiled kindly as she put back the coffee cup she had filled and went over to the other customers.

"Hello... Want me to refill your coffee?" Amanda asked.

"Oh no, I don't really like black coffee..." refused the female customer.

"Okay, then I'll leave."

Just as Amanda was about to leave to serve another customer, the woman called her back. Amanda turned around, asking if there was anything the woman needed. But the woman said she was just curious about Amanda as the new waitress at the cafe.

"Aren't you afraid of working for Jhon? He's a very fierce man... Even though the food is very good."

"I don't feel scared at all. Everyone has different traits, no matter who they are, we have to accept them. Besides, I don't think Jhon is that bad," Amanda replied kindly.

"Amanda! Bring this food to table number 12!" Jhon exclaimed loudly.

Amanda rushed to the counter and took the food that Jhon had cooked and delivered it to the customer at table number 12.

"Here's your food, sir. Enjoy," Amanda said as she placed the food on the table.

"Oh thank you," said the young man who ordered the food. "Hmn... Amanda? Have a nice day,"

"Thank you, you too." Amanda smiled and went back to take another order.

Amanda continued to work until eight o'clock in the evening. She worked at the cafe for almost 12 hours a day and there were a lot of customers. It was exhausting for her, but Amanda also enjoyed meeting new people who were friendly to her.

Although there are some customers who are very ignorant and some even tease her, Amanda doesn't really care about them. She just focused on her work and tried to be nice to them.

After finishing turning the chairs over to the table, Jhon allowed Amanda to go home.

"Thank you for today," Amanda said.

"That should have been my sentence. Here, take this home with you." Jhon placed a small bag on the table in front of Amanda.

"What is this?"

Jhon said it was the leftover cake that wasn't finished today, and instead of throwing it away, he gave it to Amanda. Amanda was very happy to be able to bring the cake from the cafe, she saw that it was very good and didn't have time to buy it herself. But it turned out that Jhon gave it to her for free.

"Then hurry home! It's late and I need to lock up the cafe," said Jhon.

"Sure, thanks again!" Amanda left the cafe and headed home.

On the street some shops were about to close, it was already nine o'clock at night. The streets that were only lit by a few lights looked rather dark plus the quiet streets, making a different horror feel in the city.

Usually during the day it looks crowded and so lively, at night it is 180 degrees different. However, for Amanda it was not a problem at all. She was used to walking around in such dark and shady conditions. She didn't feel scared or disturbed.

Instead, it always reminded her of her previous job. Through the darkness of the night, accompanied by a brief chat between herself and William about their mission.

Amanda stopped her steps, turning her head towards the ocean on the other side of the road. Her gaze was so empty, depicting the longing and sadness she had. The image of William appeared in her mind. She wondered, what is William doing right now?

Is he looking for her?

Or is he just staying focused on his work?

She didn't know. Amanda touched her stomach, and tried to let go of all her longing for him by thinking that someday her life would be much better after her child was born.

"Everything will be okay. I'm sure of it."