Sold off

Another day, another tussle, Maisse thought as she dusted her coat and placed it on the book behind the door. This was the third month she was working for Ms. Simmons and she was already getting tired of her complains and naggings. Ms.Simmons was always complaining, Maisse figured out it was why her employees never lasted more than a month. It was always one thing or another.

"Maisse! You did not dust the trinket!" Ms.Simmons squeeky voice would be heard through her office door.

"Young girl, the books are not well arranged! And I need my coffee, right now." The voice would shout again.

Maisse was tired of being shouted at. She had wanted to quit within the first month but could not because of the situation at home. She needed the job for her family. Emily and Emmy, the twins, needed to stay in school and their father could not do that. In fact, he did not care about any of them. The last time Maisse had talked, really talked to her father was when they had bumped into each other at the funeral of Uncle Bob. Uncle Bob was her father's youngest brother.

They barely saw each other, Maisse and her dad. They never had any tangible relationship. Of note, the death of Maisse's mother cemented the distance between father and daughter. She knew her father loathed her because she had not been born a boy. Her father had wanted a son so much that Maisse spent the first three years of her life wearing only pants, this stopped only after she joined preschool. The few times he walked or spent time with her, he referred to her as 'My son'. He was in denial for some years but when the reality set in, he discarded her like some pesky fly. He never looked at her twice even when Maisse tried so hard to please him.

He hated his wife for giving him a girl for a first born. To avoid both Maisse and her mother, he began gambling and spending almost all his time in the pub. The twins were conceived as a result of one drunken night. When Maisse's mother broke the news to him, he was elated and started coming back home early. This ended when Maisse's mother gave birth to twin girls. He was not able to rant or hate on her because she died soon after birth.

Maisse shook her head to stop herself from thinking about her family. She needed to concentrate less she breaks something and loose her second job. The first one barely covered the rent and food. Her sisters were home alone since she could not afford a babysitter at the moment. She was proud to have completed her high school, it allowed her to get menial jobs. Even at twenty four, her dream of going back to school had not yet died. She wanted to pursue something in history. She had had to shell her dream to educate her sisters.

Her sisters believed in her, trusted her and looked upto her for everything. To them, she was the only one who could get them out of trouble or help them, she was their ride or die. And so she had to do everything right by them. They did not know their mother and barely saw their father, Maisse was all they knew.

She was so preoccupied with them that she did not have the time for a boyfriend. At her age she had never even gone on a single date. Boys in her high school barely talked to her. They considered her the opposite of a social butterfly. In school she was always reading, either in class or the school library. She never attended any party thrown by the popular clique in school, either because no one ever invited her or because she cared less about the parties and had no time to socialize with anybody apart from her little sisters.

It did not bother her though, relationship and love would come at their own time. Despite her parents rocky relationship, Maisse believed in love. She had read about great love stories in the library books. One day, she had promised herself, she would meet the love of her life, and they would live happily ever after. She would adopt her sisters as her own and they would be a great and happy family. For now she had to scrub a little harder, arrange everything in order to avoid being shouted at or chased or sacked.

Her first job was serving dinner at the small diner in the town square. It was really not a popular diner as most people preferred the other diners to this one. It was an old diner that served soup and bread mostly, most of the regular customers were old like the owner, Mr. Prisley. It seemed like they were either patronizing him because he was their long term friend or they were used to the routine. New diners had sprung up around the town and most young people preferred them.

Maisse loved working at the diner. Old Prisley allowed her to eat dinner for free. Sometimes she tagged along her sisters who were fond of him. He was like their grandfather, even Maisse loved him. His wife was the first person to ever gift Maisse and the twins on their birthday. They had been sad when she had gotten injured on a road trip and could barely move now. Maisse sometimes helped take care of Mrs. Prisley when her children were unavailable.

Maisse whistled as she continued working. She was anxious as Mr. Prisley had told her and another worker that he had some news to tell them today. She did not know what he was going to tell them and that made her worried. She just hoped that they were not going to be sacked, she really needed that job and Old Prisley was good to them.

Ms. Simmons entered just as Maisse was putting back the shiny globe.

"Don't let that fall, or I will have to deduct it from your salary." Ms.Simmons squeeked.

"Yes ma'am." Maisse replied as she righted it.

"Have you cleaned my office?"

"Yes ma'am." Maisse replied again. Those two words were the only words that never made Me. Simmons angry or agitated. When she had joined her, there had been two other girls working there. They were now off for college and that was why Ms. Simmons had needed a hand. The two girls barely spoke to her as Many. Simmons did not tolerate lazying around as she put it. The only thing they did was show her around the place. Massie quickly learned to mind her business and do her work. The wage was not that great but she had to manage. She would have gotten a third job if time permitted her, but she could only do too much within 24 hours. Ms. Simmons walked around and started supervising the area.

"Not that bad. Now be a good girl and go get my coffee." She said as she opened her office door.

"Yes ma'am." Maisse quickly wiped her wet hands on her coverall, took the coins Ms. Simmons had placed on the counter and went out. The streets were busy. She waved at the paperboy who sold old newspapers next door, smiled at the old watchman by the door of the coffee shop. He tipped his hat as a response. Maisse collected the coffee and headed back to the shop. Ms. Simmons was going through the record book.

"Have we had any customers?" Ms. Simmons asked as Maisse put her coffee on the table next to her glasses.

"No m'aam. No customers." Maisse replied.

"Okay, go make yourself busy. The sales have been low. Do something about it or I will have no choice but sack you." Ms. Simmons threatened.

"Yes ma'am." Maisse left. How was it her fault that the sales were low? She only sold what was on the shelves. Ms. Simmons had refused to stock citing that she was waiting for the thanksgiving holidays which was a month away.

Maisse sighed as she watched Mrs. Peppa enter. Mrs. Peppa was Ms. Simmons best friend and she had an ugly temper. If she was not complaining about her neighbors, she was badmouthing her in-laws. It was going to be a long day.