Chapter 9
“I'm sorry Alice, you're a good girl, but I have no place for you now.”
I couldn't believe I was stooping to this, standing there and begging for my old job back. God this was embarrassing - I hope no one from college can see me.
“Please Mr Asim, I'll work harder, I won't be late again, I promise.”
“Look, I wish I could help you but we're fully staffed now. I'm sure there are plenty of other restaurants that will hire you.” He looked at my desperate face with pitiful eyes. “Tell you what, I'll let you know if anything comes up. There's really nothing else I can do Alice, except give you a reference if you need one.”
A reference? I needed a miracle. It had been the same story all week. We're fully staffed, we have no work, there's no space at the f*cking inn.
Nothing was fitting together. I'd found a couple of jobs going in shops but they were either full time, or part time on days where I needed to be in class. The odd shift at the weekend wasn't going to be enough - I needed an evening job, something where I'd be able to work most nights for a decent wage.
But no. No waitressing jobs, no bar jobs, nothing. I couldn't even get work in the cloakroom. Seriously, what was the deal.
I returned to my car, parked in a multi-storey, stuck my key in the lock, opened it fast, got in, and slammed the door hard. The noise echoed around the parking lot like a gunshot. It was dark now, the snow once more beginning to cascade from the sky and settle on the road outside.
I shoved my key into the lock and turned it. The engine chugged and coughed. NO NO NO! NOT NOW!
I turned it again and it continued to groan like a distressed and dying rhino. Great, just great. I laughed out loud in the car. I really should have seen this coming.
“I mean are you f*cking kidding me,” I shouted, looking up to the roof, my hands banging down on the wheel. I turned the key again and again, the dying sounds of my car shattering the silence of the car park.
My nightmare was complete.
I stuck my hand into my purse and dragged out my phone. I dialed and it rang several times before clicking to life.
“Babe what's up?”
“Car's packed up,” I said blankly. I was too drained to go off on a rant.
“Nooo! Where are you?”
“That multi-storey near Clifton.”
“All right, stay put, I'll come get you.”
Su-f*cking-perb. I'd just have to hope that it's out of fuel or something, nothing major. Frankly I had less than no idea about cars, so it could have been anything. Please don't by anything major. Please.
….
By the time Tess drove us back into the dorm I needed a drink and I needed one bad. I almost froze my ass off waiting in that tin shell as she drove to me, my heart throbbing from anxiety, my head spinning like a ballerina.
“Come on hun, let's get you to the bar,” Tess told me. “It's all right,” she said, seeing my “I can't afford” it huff of the shoulders, “I'm buying.”
We sat in the bar and gulped down a bottle of wine. Twenty dollars and she didn't even batter an eyelid. Then another bottle, another twenty bucks and it meant nothing to her. After the day I'd had, the week I'd had, I couldn't help but feel green with envy. I wish I had it that easy.
“Well look who it is.” Great, just what I needed. “If it isn't Bambi. How you doing Al, haven't seen you since my party.” He didn't say it like that - he actually spelled out the word “party”. So cringe.
“Hey Tom,” Tess piped up, suddenly going all coy as she always did around him. I wonder if she'd still like him as much if she knew how he'd come on to me that night. I wonder if he knew himself - he was pretty wasted and was only going to get more drunk.
“Ah hey...er...”
“Tess,” I whispered through gritted teeth, jabbing him in the gut.
“...hey Tess, you girls on a girly night?”
“No no, you can join us if you want?” Tess said quickly. That bottle of wine she'd drunk was all over her face, her eyes looking at him longingly. She had no idea how to keep her emotions in check.
“Can't stop, gotta meet the BOYS,” he said, bellowing the last word like a chant. “You girls have fun drowning your sorrows.” He winked at me with his final words, as if he knew my life was as shit as it was. I guess it was written all over my face.
“That guy is a nightmare,” I said to Tess as he walked away, her eyes following in his wake. “Tess, are you listening to me?”
She turned back to me, a dreamy look in her eyes.
“Seriously, what do you see in him? He's such an air-head.”
She shrugged her shoulders lightly and smiled. It was as if she didn't even care that he didn't know her name. Did she even notice?
“Erm, he's hot, he's rich, he's captain of the football team, and did I mention he's HOT!” she said, leaning in towards me.
“OK, fine for a fling, but can you actually imagine being in a relationship with him! He'd go on about football all night. Does he even study here or is he literally just here on scholarship?”
“Errr, who cares Alice. I revert to my original reasoning - he's HOT, and rich.”
I could see there was no convincing her, not after a couple of bottles of sauvignon blanc. I knew she wasn't that vacuous really, but hell was she doing a good impression. Just another one of Tom's groupies.