LA A

ith a vacuum and a cup of coffee-no, it's the "left-in-an-orphanage-at-two-ye

, and a constant feeling of being... left behind. Whether it was my mother or

ere just eleven of us. But even in that tiny group, I didn't exactly fit in. They

f I cried myself to sleep. She's always been my anchor. Now in her seventies, she still walks around like she's thirty, full o

One by one, they left with new parents and shiny suitcases, and Nanny was always smiling for them. She wan

idn't want a new famil

a house that once echoed with eleven childr

til

always a little sticky and the customers think they're entitled to a golden throne just because they bought a mu

e full of energy, but when you're five hours into a shift with the smell of bu

tching-my favorite k

just whispered a secret. His brows were furrow

You can't help," my cons

f pancakes, eggs, and bacon... untouched. His eyes were fixed on

f him, and he's drooling o

pping his hands as his babyccino arr

meone's havin

g his fork into a perfectly layered choco

a cake, not an

oesn't murder it, h

oblem," I t

worked hard on that cake. My

hen she w

the world owes her a standing ovation. She marched up to the coun

ping out of my m

today?" I said, voice sweet and polite-the kind of

ino," she

ayed calm. "Ho

iotic question ever. "Do you see anyone else with me? Are you d

her heel and wa

it

ism first, murder

am, perfect temperature, just the right bitterness. I plac

took

spat

all this coffee? Th

ked. Ex

hought. "Your sense of

n told it's the only thing that wak

another one,

that," I said, turning back toward the counter. I

over. "Here

taste

at it o

she shouted. Heads turned. She stood up, red-faced, voice

r do you just stand around starin

stunned. Anger boi

cuse

a hearing problem too?" sh

cause you are a customer, but y

shove

ar

at'

plate still had one last slice on it. Without th

. Ever

oed. Her e

-who's trash?" I sai

me, screaming

d her. "Don't even try it. It's not m

forward and

AHH

here?" came a voi

art dr

man

rned

screamed, pointing at her frosting-

anager asked,

ant to-but she-"

t customers this

ted me. She

tify your behavior

control

're f

art st

Wh

d me. Get

even look a

atening to surface but refusing to fall. As I passed

pau

fired no

're not playin

her table, grabbed the fresh cappucci

nice da

that, I

e manager apologizing. I kept walking, wind

was on the couch, a pape

my knees in front of

a lega

the h

said, barely above a whisper. "My son... he gamb

with tears. My

figure something out, Nanny. I

ay what I was r

t lost

y have

o idea what I

thing's

t let h

-