His Broken Plaything

kid!, we nee

on his shirt called out. Half drunk and half his sanity gone, he calle

min

tie on the table and jugged down the last drop of his previous drink. That was the fifth one already and the third order he was requesting. A

YL

s the crowd o

ten, four, and seven. Stop daydr

min

ple have homes or work to take care of? Taking the order for table ten, I faced the number of people occupying the pub. It

ner, and the low rumble of someone belting out old rock lyrics from the jukebox in the corner. Elbows brushing, bodies leaning over tables, clicking of glasses, chairs scraping floors, and an occasional "Yeahhhhh" or "Yooooo" was heard. It was chaoti

igue gnawing at my body. Noticing my expression, she raised her hand, relieving he

ginning to wonder if I did the right thing by accepting a full-time work offer here. I was adapting to the routine, but I

ght, am I

part-time employee like me, and m

taking

out a bit. I

especially Gwen. She'll chew you out

all by herself if she wanted to

for it, l

ain't righ

augh escape

t so

red my

ut of your paych

e me. You gonn

d pa

king turns dri

g out of both o

n anothe

. Wanna spli

ou damn s

back jo

loons, or friends to celebrate it. No embarrassing pictures or humiliating composed songs that dads make for their daughters. Just m

AAAAA

eard from

go. Gwen is o

in. A couple of arguments followed bef

you guys ma

up,

d. She

brother, I'll have to be disappointed in yo

l be disappointe

t's wrong

his head o

ythin

mediately before la

uc

ace in defeat befor

Aunt Maria said

oked at Gwen,

to speak to you urge

ee me in person. Maybe it's a customer that didn't like how I served them. Nonetheless

e first was the back door entrance, where we waiters changed for the day. Our stuff and clothes were all kept in our respective lockers. Next came the kitchen itself-the grills smoking, oil sizzling, ovens blazing a

r knocking twice and hearing a faint "Come in," I stepped inside, immediately catching a whiff of perfume I recognized but imm

y step mother sat cross-legged, facing away from Aunt Marie. Her gothic aesthetic perfectly embodied the image of a

na wore a tight crimson red dress that hugged her body, her curves aligning. Her collarbone, adorned with an emerald pendant necklace held by a silver chain, was sharp an

yl

t of my trance. She smiled so swe

s your mother. I thought

th moth

swallowing a

y," Romona chipped in, her v

to how I ate, greeted people, thought, and even slept. Everything had a flaw, a twist, or a mistake in her eyes. Her rain of criticism was endless. Breathing in my own home felt s

at y

led into a half-smile that felt more like a sneer. I held her gaze, unf

rather pal

, concerned. "A

's f

for me without

th my visit is al

ugh escaped

Marie? I have some family ma

desty that masked her true nature. Oblivious, Aunt Marie excitedly stoo

my childhood. For a minute, Romona simply stared, analyzing me from head to toe. When she rolled her eyes and stood, I fli

ou held out for

rking at the eye bags I'd developed.

leaner as well

sitting down. I gulped, trying to rid the lump

to those dresses I

d, looki

asked, my voice steady. Her sharp e

ou find me

avely waiting f

eople's lives whenever you please. If you're

th mine, and I kne

and all the manners I taught

well enough. That will chang

Romona. You have n

tort

imy old witch like her. Her cunning smile widened, and h

ure enough to understan

ice dripping wit

plenty, thanks to the six

y patience r

to deal with the tough parts, and I did great. So please,

le and menacing. Her next words h

ur father