1 Life … feels like Sh*t.

Shatter

"Oh, sh*t!

Alex paled, watching the plate fall to the ground, breaking into countless pieces.

At the same time, Mrs. Brown, with her whale-like body, came striding in with ground-shaking steps.

When her eyes fell on the shattered ceramic pieces on the ground, her already ugly face turned much more hideous.

"AlllleeeeXXXX!!! What did you break this time!?"

She walked towards him, her heavy steps making it feel like the ground shook a little.

Alex felt weak in his knees as he saw the woman heading towards him.

He worked as a dishwasher in this little eatery at the side of the road near his house. This place was the only option for 18-year-old Alex to work.

He had tried applying to other places, but his qualifications were always insufficient, no matter the job he applied for.

And the formidable woman standing in front of him, glaring as if she could kill him any second, was the owner of this little eatery.

"That, I just accidentally broke a plate. It really just slipped from my hands..."

The nervousness over the prospect of losing his job made Alex stutter.

The woman continued staring at Alex for three more seconds, then said,

"One more chance, I will be giving you one more chance, Alex. This will be the last time. If you ever make a mistake like this again… I will truly fire you that time!"

Then she turned back and left Alex alone.

"Yes, Ma'am! Thank you very much!" A smile was plastered on Alex's face as if he had been granted amnesty by an executioner.

Alex breathed out a sigh of relief after the owner left.

Then he felt cold on his back, realizing his back was covered in cold sweat.

He sat down on the floor for a bit to calm down his rapidly beating heart, which was nervous at the thought of being fired.

Alex was the sole provider for his family, consisting of just his little sister and him.

Three years ago, Alex's parents were tragically killed in a truck accident, leaving him and his sister in this world without anyone to support them.

Since then, he had been working tirelessly to provide for his sister, struggling every day just to put food on the table.

At the age of 13, when he should have been studying and enjoying time with friends, he matured quickly due to the hardships he faced.

Now, at 18 years old, he was in the last year of high school, and his sister was 16 years old, needing nutrition for healthy growth.

Because of this, Alex had taken on various jobs over the past three years - a waiter, dishwasher, parking attendant, selling cigarettes by the roadside, selling food inside buses, and more.

His dishwashing job was one of the higher-paying ones, and Alex couldn't afford to lose it.

So, it only took a few seconds for Alex to calm his heart before he started washing the plates again.

….

The day passed without any more interruptions for Alex.

It was already 5 pm, time for him to leave work.

As he was about to leave the establishment, a colleague called out to him.

"Alex! Mrs. Brown is calling for you?"

Alex turned to look at who called him – a man wearing glasses with a somewhat handsome face.

"Oh, Peter, did she tell you why she is calling for me?"

Peter looked at Alex for a bit, his expression somewhat strange, but sadness was visible on his face.

"She didn't disclose the reason to me, but I have a hunch, especially considering she called me a little while ago…"

Alex frowned when he saw how Peter was acting,

"Why then?" He urged,

"Well… I just got fired…" Peter did not continue anymore, but that was enough for Alex to understand what he meant.

After nodding at Peter, Alex hurriedly walked towards Mrs. Brown.

After knocking on the office door, it only took a few seconds for the voice of the fierce woman from this afternoon, Mrs. Brown, to respond.

"Come in."

Alex entered the office and saw that Mrs. Brown was facing a few papers.

She looked up and saw Alex,

"You're here, I won't beat around the bushes, you're fired." She said, before looking back at the paper in front of her.

She reached down and grabbed an envelope from the drawer below her.

"Here is the compensation for all the days that you worked that still haven't been paid."

She extended her hands while holding the envelope.

Alex unconsciously took it, then he remembered, he couldn't lose this job.

"Uhm.. Mrs. Brown, can I please-"

As he was talking, the phone beside Brown rang, interrupting him.

"Yes, hello?"

As Brown answered the call, she gestured for Alex to leave.

With no other option, he left the office, head bowed down.

He knew that this was the end of this job. This was the last time he would be working here, losing this high-paying job that paid 200 dollar a day, which was a big help to him.

Alex felt hopeless in this life like everything had suddenly crashed down on his thin body, burying him under tons of problems.

He had no idea how he made it home, but he simply lay down on the old, decaying wooden sofa

He closed his eyes and covered them with his arm.

His heart was aching badly, but he did not cry… at least that's how it seemed on the outside.

"Life… feels like sh*t." He mumbled.

Alex knew that his sister might be watching him, and that was the reason he did not cry.