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Touched by the note, she carefully folded it and placed it into her back pocket along with the money he’d left for her. Three hundred dollars was far too much, but she didn’t feel as though he were trying to impress her with the amount. A small smile flashed across her face, and she finished the rest of her shift without further problems. She couldn’t get the mysterious man she’d embarrassed herself in front of out of her mind as she hopped from table to table while recounting how nice he had been.
“Eva, I need to speak with you,” Mr. Jameson stopped her on her way out the door. The tone of his voice implied that she was in trouble, and her heart sunk with the realization of what was coming. She debated just running out the restaurant to avoid hearing the words, but reluctantly followed him back to his office where they both sat staring at each other for a moment.
“I’ll keep this short and sweet,” he began with a sigh. “You’re fired. I have dozens of reasons for letting you go, but I’ll just use the fiasco this morning. You’re lucky that man didn’t bill me for his clothes. I also gave him his meal for free, and that cost me money.”
“He told me he paid for it,” Eva fired back. She could tell by the look on Mr. Jameson’s face that she’d caught him in a lie. He hadn’t anticipated her knowing the man had in fact paid for his breakfast in full.
“Look,” he said sternly. “The truth is… I just flat-out don’t like you. You’re great on the floor, yeah, but you have a shitty attitude,” he pointed towards the dining room, “when you’re not out there.”
“What are you talking about? That’s not true and you know it. Everyone here loves me,” she protested in anger.
“Well I don’t, and that’s all that matters. You’re a good kid I guess, but you’ve been late three times in the last month and you embarrassed me today. You’re done. I’m sorry, but you’re done.”
“I embarrassed you?” Eva shot out of her seat, outraged by his remark. “I’m the one who was embarrassed. You know what? Fuck you.”
With that, she threw her apron on his desk and stormed out of the building. Her adrenaline was pumping from her confrontation with Mr. Jameson; something she had seen coming for weeks. Telling him off had felt amazing, but with her heart rate returning to normal the severity of her situation began to sink in. She now had no income, and rent was due in two short weeks. Between her final paycheck and the three hundred bucks in her back pocket, she might be able to swing it but she needed a new job and fast.
Chapter Two
Knowing she’d need every dime she had, Eva opted to walk home instead of paying for her usual bus. It was a good thirty minute trek, but she wasn’t about to hang around in hopes of a coworker giving her a ride. She started on her way, and the closer she got to her seedy neighborhood the more unsettling the walk became. She was only three blocks from her apartment building when a questionable man she’d seen lingering just outside of an alleyway seconds earlier rushed to sidle up next to her. Her pace increased, as did his as he followed by her side.
“You going my way there, sister?” he asked, grinning wide and revealing his lack of oral hygiene in doing so. He may have been white, but his teeth were stained yellow and he reeked of nicotine and body odor. He wore a sideways baseball cap and the stubble peppering his face indicated that he hadn’t shaved in a few days. The degenerate appeared to be in his late twenties and wore clothes two sizes too big for him. His pants sagged low, and he’d tug at them as he trotted by her side while continuing to harass her.
“Oh, come on, baby. What’s a pretty little thing like you doing out here all alone? Ain‘t got no man? I‘ll be your man, baby.” The creep scanned the street up and down, making Eva even more nervous as she shuffled towards her apartment building. He looked as though he were checking to see if there would be a witnesses if he tried to pull something criminal.
“I’m not interested!” she snapped. The man suddenly grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him. “Don’t fucking touch me!” she yelled in anger and fear.
“I ain’t good enough for you, baby? What’s wrong with me? Guy like me would treat you real good,” he said, flicking his tongue in and out, a sexual gesture that made her cringe. She attempted to ignore him by marching onward towards her building.
“You uppity bitch!” he said in disgust, his face growing mean as his grip tightened on her arm. “You fuckin’ whore! You little tease! I seen you lookin’ at me and now you act like you’re better than me?”
“Please, just leave me alone,” she pleaded. Eva could hold her own, and having grown up in a lousy area similar to this one she had dealt with scumbags countless times. This guy was different, though. There was something in his dark, sunken eyes that told her he was dangerous.
“Don’t tell me what to do, slut!” he shouted. She averted her gaze, nervously looking ahead as she marched on. He took notice and grew more enraged, adding, “You look at me when I’m talking to you, bitch! I’ll make you respect me, you whore. You fuckin’ ni—”
“Excuse me, but you need to leave my friend alone!” A gruff voice from beside them interrupted with a loud, commanding tone. Both her and her would-be assailant had been so distracted that neither of them had heard the soft purr of the black limousine pulling up beside them.
She immediately recognized the man she’d spilled food all over. Devon, his name was, and she still had the note he’d written her in her back pocket. He’d changed into a gray suit, and he sat with the car’s window down looking at the thug with a no-nonsense expression on his face. His eyes were every bit as commanding as his voice, and as they locked onto the lowlife she felt his filthy hand release from her arm. The creep looked the limo up and down, then peered into the window and tried his hardest to keep up his tough guy façade.
“What are you going to do about it, motherfucka’?” he asked, throwing his hands up in an attempt to assert his dominance. An amused smile crossed Devon’s face as he casually stepped out of the limousine looking powerful and menacing. Seeing he was outmatched, the hoodlum backed down quickly while attempting to salvage his image.
“Shit, you ain’t even worth my time, man,” he said with a dismissive wave. He took off down the street as Devon watched him scurry away, the same amused smile still on his face.
“Are you okay?” he turned to Eva and asked. Before she got a chance to answer added, “Did you know that clown?”
“I’m fine. I have no idea who that was. I saw him hanging around an alley back there,” she motioned towards a series of nearby buildings, “and I made the mistake of making eye contact with him.”
“Crazy people everywhere these days,” Devon said sympathetically. There was a slight pause as Eva pondered what this handsome and clearly well-to-do man was doing driving through her neighborhood in a limousine.
“Not exactly the best part of town,” she pointed out. “Why are you even here?”
“Believe it or not, I have some business to conduct right around the corner. My real estate firm is contemplating buying a few buildings in this area,” he replied.
“Ah, real estate.” She hadd briefly wondered what type of business he was in, and now she knew. Looking around the neighborhood she added, “Dreams of being a slum lord, eh?”
He chuckled at her joke and replied, “Actually, no. We’re debating overhauling them. Renovating or outright rebuilding them so they’re actually worth living in.”
“They’d probably just attract the same losers,” she remarked pessimistically.
