She stood frozen as she felt her heart racing faster and faster. She could hear the blood pumping in her ears. Her head seemingly felt dizzy for a second and her palms sweaty. She gulped down hard. She couldn't afford to be nervous now. She had to be bold. She had to get this job. She needed it.

She noticed the man sitting behind the table a few steps away from where she stood. He hardly took a look at her. He had his head bent and his eyes glued to sheets of paper in front of him. She couldn't get a clear look at him. She'd found no spare time to properly Google him so she had no idea what exactly he looked like, but from where she stood, he seemed okay. She put on the smile she had practiced several times in front of her mirror. A wide ear-to-ear smile, one that told him she was confident and at the same time, happy.

"Do you need a parade to walk you down here?" he asked in a calm, deep voice without taking a look at her.

She quickly snapped herself out of her thoughts and rushed down to where he sat. She stood in front of his table patiently.

"Sit," he ordered her, and she did as she tried to keep her nervousness on check. There was silence for about a second before he spoke up.

"Name," he demanded.

"Emerson," she stated faintly, unable to recognise her own voice. She hoped he heard her and she didn't blow this up.

"Name," he repeated with the same tone and without looking up at her.

This time she spoke up a bit without wiping her smile off her face.

"Emerson... Oh, I-I mean Emerson Kachi Joy Smith, but you can call me Ema, everyone does. I could go on, sir, but I'm sure you don't need all that," she chatted on nervously before managing to come to an stop.

She bit her lower lip at her inability to control her excessive chatting. Yes, she talked a lot but it got worse anytime she felt nervous.

She watched him tiredly and silently exhale as he shut his eyes for a split second before finally raising them up to meet hers.

"When I ask a question, I need a simple answer... What I don't need is a chipmunk."

Did he just call me a chipmunk? she rhetorically asked herself.

"Do we understand each other, Miss Smith?" he demanded once again but this time in a very unfriendly tone, not that it was before, but it was better and less scary.

She quickly nodded.

"Use your words," he demanded again, and quickly she searched for the word in her mind.

"Yes, sir," she answered as she looked away from his belittling green eyes and down at her hands on her lap.

There was another strange silence before she heard his voice again.

"What are your qualifications?" he posed the question to her and she searched calmly in her mind for an answer. She had rehearsed several times what she would say.

"Uh, I worked as a clerk for about a year at a small company until it ran out of money and I worked as a salesgirl in one of the shops at the mall. I used to be a waitress. I..."

"Why do you think you are capable of working here?" he interrupted her with another question.

"I... I'm good with business..."

"What position, exactly, do you know you're up for?" he interrupted her, looking nonchalant at his interruption.

Everything was making her more nervous.

"A P.A."

"What does a P.A. do?"

"Um...assist in every aspect..."

"Do you think you're capable of being my P.A.? A waitress like you?" She felt more nervous and broken now. She could slowly see where he was heading and it scared her.

"I'm good with errands and..."

"You're a college drop-out. You have no degree. It's right here in your résumé."

"That's true, sir, but I'm very much qualified to work here. I'm good with business. I can run errands. I can..."

"Why were you late, Miss Smith?" he asked calmly as he relaxed back in his seat and stared at her as he waited for a reply.

She sighed before gulping down hard, then looked up at him. Her smile had long varnished. She was treading on thin ice here.

"I woke up late because I slept late," she explained truthfully before biting on her lower lip.

"I didn't plan to. It was just my work that kept me up till early this morning. I can do this, Mr Hendrix. Please give me a chance. I really and truly need this job. I am loyal, worthy, peaceful, hardworking, and honest. Please...I really need this job," she pleaded as she stared directly at him. She tried hard not to get teary and weep. That would be a whole different story. He might think of her as a cry-baby. A weak person.

"People with college and master's degree applied but didn't get the job. You have no qualifications. It will be best if you keep waiting tables. Show yourself out," he told her coldly without caring about the sad expression on her face before returning back to what he was doing.

She sat still for a second, unable to understand what had just happened. She'd tried her best. She'd tried with the questions, her résumé, and yet...nothing had happened. She was nearly on the verge of crying. She gently rose to her feet to walk away. She suddenly stopped just as she was close to the door. She turned back to him.

"I may not have the papers with my name written as graduate but I'm well qualified for this job and I won't wait table for the rest of my life. I promise you that, Mr Hendrix," she stated boldly as soon as she caught his attention before she turned and walked out of the office with pride.

As soon as she was out of there, she slumped her shoulders and felt miserable again. She didn't get the job. She was back to square one in her life. She buried her face in her palms as she got into the elevator and felt miserable about herself.

* * * * * *

"Just rest," he told the elderly-looking man who laid on his bed while a nurse helped tuck him in.

"I'm not sleepy. Lucas, come closer," the elderly man complained just as the nurse was done and left the room.

Lucas took a few steps closer to the bed and stood staring at the old man.

"You don't have to be stubborn all the time," Lucas told him and the old man smiled.

"What can I do? This is the only way I get to see my grandson. Work takes up all your time."

"You're just being silly. Make sure to take your medication and stop doing things you're asked not to do," Lucas warned him as he turned and walked towards the door.

"Lucas!" the man called him to a halt.

Lucas stopped halfway out of the room and turned back to his grandfather.

His grandfather tapped on an empty space on the bed beside him. Lucas sighed frustratedly before walking back to him. He took a seat in the empty space and waited silently for him to speak up.

"I could give up any minute of the day but I would die a happy man knowing you're not alone..."

"You're not going to die, so please stop talking rubbish and rest," Lucas declared as he stood up on his feet.

"Sit!" his grandfather ordered and Lucas reluctantly did.

"I need to see the woman you're going to spend the rest of your life with. I need to make sure she's always going to be there. I can't leave you in the hands of your..."

"I don't need any help," Lucas declared as he got back up to his feet.

"I can deal with her. I've done that since I was a child. Stop worrying about me and just rest," Lucas explained before he turned and walked out of the room, ignoring his grandfather's expression.

He was not surprised by his grandson's attitude. He had always been a person who had great difficulty expressing his feelings. He could see the worry in his grandson's eyes, but he tried so hard to seem strong. Nothing would make him happier than to find out that his grandson would be safe in the hands of another as he lived in this world. He couldn't afford to leave Lucas behind all on his own.

* * * * *

"You're early tonight," a young woman in a red and white striped uniform told Ema as soon as she walked into the restaurant and headed to the counter.

"Well, apparently the universe wasn't with me on my plans, so here I am," Ema explained before walking into the kitchen, leaving the woman confused.

The young brunette woman with the bob haircut took her last order from a customer before running to meet up with Ema in the kitchen. Ema had already changed into her own uniform.

"What happened? Did you get the job?"

"Get the job? No, no, I didn't, and he insulted me. He told me to wait tables for the rest of my life. He practically cursed me," Ema complained frustratedly as she tried hard to stop herself from getting teary. It really couldn't be helped.

"I thought you had this?"

"I did. He said I wasn't qualified enough just because I have no paper that states I'm a graduate. I pleaded and told him just how hardworking I am, but he wouldn't buy it. He was mean," Ema complained, and soon enough the tears started rolling down her cheeks and she face-palmed herself.

This wasn't how she'd planned everything. Everything was supposed to go perfectly, smoothly, and beautifully so she could return with a smile and climb the next ladder in her life. Things were not supposed to turn out this way. She really thought she had everything just the way it was supposed to be.

She felt her friend soothe her back to calm her down.

"You should go home and rest. You're in no state to work."

"I can't. I need the money and besides, tonight is my shift. I can't afford to get a second strike from Mr Alex..."

"Don't worry about all that. I'll cover for you tonight. Just go home and rest," her friend persisted and Ema looked up to her.

"No, no, I can't make you do that for me. I'm okay. I can manage. It's life, after all," Ema consoled herself as she sniffed and wiped her face.

"Ema, go home! Now!" the young lady ordered her, knowing just how stubborn her friend was.

Ema sighed as she stared at her. She was really nice to her and someday she hoped to repay her kindness.

"Thank you so much," Ema stated as she hugged her.

"I promise you, this will never happen again," she promised, and the young woman just nodded with a smile as she patted her back.

Ema walked out of the restaurant and took in the chilly, fresh air of the night that slapped her face. She felt really horrible to put her friend, Rosy, in such a situation. Rosy had always been nice to her since she'd started working here about a year ago. She had to get over her moping and face the next day with a happy face and new, positive vibes. After trekking for a few minutes to the traffic light, she decided to cross the road to the other side after making sure it was safe.

She took in a deep breath and stepped onto the road as she walked and looked ahead. Suddenly, she heard a screeching sound and turned her head to the source of the sound. A black car approached her at a fast speed as the driver tried their best to stop before getting closer. As shock took over her. She just stood frozen, staring at the fast-approaching car.

She couldn't believe she was going to meet her parents so soon.