Then
I worked at the Italian restaurant for three months. My tips were fantastic. I had no clue what I was going to do to make it financially, but I had to find something else. The doctor told me waitressing was a risk to the baby. Nothing else mattered. Just my baby. Couldn’t even entertain the thought of losing another.
I imagined holding a tiny bundle in my arms so many times. Smelling sweet baby hair, learning to nurse, rocking and humming to the little one, giving the baby a first taste of real food. My imagination would run until tears streamed down my face.
Jack was always a part of those imaginings, but not anymore.
Bitter, angry tears. Sad tears. Hopeful tears. All I did was cry.
I swiped my eyes dry before knocking on my GM’s office door.
“Yep!”
I poked my head in. “Hey, Chris.”
“Miranda, come in.”
I shut the door behind me.
Chris was busy at his computer but swiveled his chair around. “What can I do for you?”
“Um, I hate to say this, but I need to quit.”
His eyebrows raised in surprise. “Oh? You just started with us. It takes a lot of money to train new employees.”
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing about the work environment here, is it?”
I shook my head, feeling fresh tears gather. “Not in the slightest. I actually love it here.”
He cocked his head to the side, listening.
“It’s just—just a personal thing.”
He nodded slowly. I always thought Chris was quite handsome. He had a dashing smile, light brown hair, and chocolate brown eyes. He was young to be a general manager and was very good at his job. Most everyone blindly followed him due to his charisma and leadership skills.
“You’re providing a two week notice?”
I took a deep breath. “No, I can’t.”
He spoke gently. “And that’s because…”
A tear leaked out. I was so afraid. What would I do without a job?
I wiped it away as fast as I could.
“Hey, hey.” Chris leaned forward, his eyebrows knit with concern. “It’s okay. Just take a deep breath.”
I took one, willing myself to calm down.
“We can talk about this. What’s going on?”
“I’m pregnant,” I blurted. “I’ve lost a lot of pregnancies andthe doctor says I can’t be on my feet all day or I could lose this one too.”
Chris tsked in understanding. “Oh, I see. That must be so stressful.”
“It is. Waitressing is all I’ve ever done. To make it worse, I moved to Ohio only three months ago. I was rooming with an old friend of mine, but her fiancé proposed and she’s moving back home to be with him. So, I don’t have a place to live now either.” I sniffed, wiping a few more tears. Chris leaned forward, listening to my every word. “I know I can’t give you two more weeks, but if you would still give me a glowing recommendation to any potential employers, I’d really appreciate it.”
