Do you know how that looked?" "“I was helping a customer.”" "You were making a scene. You sat down at a guest's table. You hand-fed him like a child. I’ve already had two complaints about it being uncomfortable to watch." Amara felt heat rising in her face. "“He was hungry.
He couldn’t eat by himself.”" "Then he shouldn't have come here." Marcus leaned against his desk, arms crossed. "“Look, I get it. You wanted to help, but we have standards here. Protocol. You broke protocol.”" "“Protocol doesn’t matter more than people.”" "“In this restaurant, it does.”" He sighed.
"“Go home. I’ll call you tomorrow.”" "“Are you firing me?”" "I’m sending you home. We'll discuss it tomorrow." Amara untied her apron slowly. Her hands were steady, even though her heart was racing. "“I’d do it again.”" "““I know.” That’s the problem.”" She walked out through the dining room.
The old man was gone. His table had been cleared. She wondered if he’d finished his meal, if he’d been asked to leave, if he’d felt ashamed all over again. On the bus ride home, she stared out the window and thought about her mother, about all the times strangers had looked away when she struggled, about all the times no one had offered help. Her phone buzzed the next morning while she was making coffee.
"Miss Williams, this is Marcus from the Meridian. I’m calling to inform you that your employment has been terminated, effective immediately. You violated restaurant policy and negatively impacted the dining experience of other guests. Your final check will be mailed to you." The line went dead. Amara set the phone down carefully.
She looked at her mother’s photograph on the nightstand. "“I’d do it again.”" she whispered. The rejection emails came in steady like rain. "Thank you for your interest in the position at Henderson and Associates. Unfortunately, we've decided to move forward with other candidates.
We appreciate you taking the time to apply for the role of assistant manager at Riverside Bistro. While your qualifications are impressive, we don’t feel you’re the right fit for our team at this time. Dear Ms. Williams, after careful consideration, we regret to inform you. Amara sat at her kitchen table with her laptop, scrolling through job boards.
It had been two weeks since the Meridian fired her. two weeks of applications, phone calls, and interviews that led nowhere. She’d started with restaurants similar to the Meridian, upscale places where her experience would matter, but word traveled fast in the industry. Wasn't she the one who got fired for sitting with a customer? Made other guests uncomfortable, I heard.
Liability issue. So, she’d move down the ladder, mid-range restaurants, then casual dining chains, then diners. Her phone rang. A number she didn’t recognize. “Hello?” “Hi.