"Good morning! What can I get you?" Valerie asked, forcing a smile as she balanced a tray of mugs on one arm.
The man across the counter rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Just the usual, please. Extra cream."
"Got it," she said, turning toward the espresso machine. Steam hissed as she worked, the smell of roasted beans filling the air. Her apron was already stained with faint coffee marks, a quiet reminder that this was her life now.
Dropping out was the hardest thing she'd ever done. She could still remember the exact words her coach had said to her that day: "I'm sorry, Valerie, but there's nothing much I can do for you."
She had gone to him in desperation, hoping he might help her raise her fees, but it had been a futile effort.
They did lose a sponsor because of her. Turns out her coach still resents her for that particular night.
Walking out of her coach's office that day, Valerie had felt her whole life collapse around her. Her dreams, her future, the vision of herself as a professional basketballer, it all seemed to vanish in a moment. She had the talent, she had the determination, but she couldn't even make it through college. The universe, it seemed, had other plans.
"I know a coffee shop down the road," their neighbor, Mrs. Thompson, had suggested one evening. "I heard they're looking for a waitress. The pay isn't much, but it's a good place to start."
Valerie had taken the advice. She needed the money. Bills were piling up, and she had no means of sorting them.
Valerie's mother had once been the strongest woman she knew, working and cleaning from dawn till dusk. But an accident at the factory changed everything. The pain in her back never left, and she couldn't bend, couldn't lift, couldn't do anything that required physical strength. She couldn't stand long enough to earn a wage. With no school certificate to her name, office jobs were out of reach. Survival fell solely on Valerie's shoulders.
"You're Valerie, right?" Jeremy, the owner of the coffee shop asked as she sat nervously in his office.
"Yes, I am," she replied, fastening her handbag around her shoulder in an attempt to calm her nerves.
"Mrs Thompson already explained the situation to me," he said matter-of-factly. "She promised you wouldn't be a headache to me."
"No Sir, I won't," Valerie assured him quickly, making sure her voice carried the sincerity she felt. She needed this job badly. She wasn't going to let anything sabotage it.
Before the conversation could go any further, the door opened, and a young woman around Valerie's age walked in without knocking.
"Isabel, meet Valerie," the man introduced. "She's going to be working with us now. Valerie, this is Isabel, my sister."
Valerie's eyes flicked between them. That explains why she just strolled in here without knocking, she thought.
Isabel gave her a quick glance and scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
"Nice to meet you," Valerie offered politely, extending her hand for a handshake. But Isabel didn't take it. She didn't even seem to consider it.
Valerie studied her for a moment. They were strikingly similar, same height, long hair, oval faces with pointed noses. The only real difference was Isabel's fiery red hair compared to Valerie's jet black. They could almost have been mistaken for siblings.
If she doesn't like me, Valerie thought with a quiet chuckle, then she probably doesn't like herself either.
"What's funny?" Isabel snapped, narrowing her eyes.
"Nothing, ma'am," Valerie replied quickly. The word ma'am stung her pride, Isabel was her age, after all, but if that was what it took to keep this job, then so be it.
"Alright, Valerie," Jeremy, spoke up. "Isabel will brief you on everything you need to know. By the way, you can start tomorrow."
Valerie nodded.
"So this is it, the end of college, the end of basketball." The end of all the dreams she once thought were within her grasp. She hissed under her breath in disappointment, but then paused.
Maybe… just maybe this wasn't the end. Maybe, in its own way, this could be the beginning of something new.
—---------------------------------------------------------
The usual morning rush at the coffee shop was already building by the time Valerie arrived.
She was slowly getting accustomed to this life.
She quickly tied her apron and headed towards the counter. Just as she picked up the tray of mugs, Isabel's sharp voice cut across the room.
"Careful with that" she said , "can't risk having you break everything"
Oh she almost forgot…there was Isabel.
"I'm being careful," she muttered softly.
Isabel rolled her eyes as she wiped the counter with unnecessary force. "That's what you'll say now until you actually break something"
It was always like this, she never seemed to get anything right by Isabel, the mug was never properly cleaned, the coffee was either too strong or too weak, the foam was uneven. There had to be something she didn't do correctly.
The customers never complained which left Valerie wondering whether she actually got those things wrong or that Isabel just had a natural hatred for her.
Normal Valerie would have stood up for herself and shunned Isabel immediately but she feared losing her job which was hers and her mom's only means of survival. Isabel was her boss's sister anyways.
However, she learned to live through it and over time those complaints no longer bothered her.
However, something happened.
It was still half-dark outside when Valerie left for the coffee shop that morning. She didn't complete her record book the day before and she was hoping she'd do it that morning before customers start coming in.
As she got to the shop, she noticed something unusual, the door was slightly unlocked.
"Who could be here this early morning?" She wondered.
Her first thought was Jeremy? But he hardly ever showed up unless there was something urgent to announce, which was only on rare occasions. So who could it be?
Slowly, she pushed the door open. The air inside was quiet, almost too quiet, until she heard it, soft, muffled sobs, coming from behind the counter.
Valerie's brows furrowed. She stepped closer and froze when she saw who it was.
Isabel.
The same person who had made her first weeks of work a living nightmare, the same lady who never missed any opportunity to criticize or humiliate her, was crouched on the floor, shoulders shaking as tears ran down her face.
For a moment, Valerie stood still, torn. She could easily walk away. After all, Isabel wasn't particularly 'her friend'. As a matter of fact,Isabel would gloat if she saw Valerie in that same position… or so she thought.
Valerie made to leave. One step. Two steps. Three.
But her feet wouldn't carry her any further. Her conscience pulled hard at her chest. She took a deep breath and turned back. Slowly, she bent her knees, kneeling down beside Isabel and placing a hesitant arm around her shoulders as comfort.
"Isabel…" her voice was soft, almost unsure. "What happened?"
Isabel stiffened at her touch,and In the same minute, she lifted her tear-stained face,her eyes were red and swollen. She opened her mouth, her trembling lips parting as she spoke.
"Valerie," she muttered.
Suddenly, th
e front door creaked open behind them.
Both girls turned sharply toward the sound, wide eyed.
"Where is she?"