Chapter 1

"Why are you late again, you nitwit?" Antonio, Jason's boss barked at him as he tried to meander his way unnoticed, through the back door of the restaurant.

His heart skipped a beat as he had not realized that Antonio, the stern large man that was his employer, stood there. It was as though he had been intentionally waiting on him to be late again for the third time in a row for the week.

"I had some family issues to settle, sir," he lied, trying hard not to stutter. He could not bring himself to tell his boss that he had been training to be a fashion designer for some months now.

He had been passionate about the fashion industry that he had opted to attend the early morning session rather than miss the opportunity altogether.

"Run along and do your work!" Antonio growled and Jason scampered off immediately, grateful that he had not threatened to deduct something from his salary this time.

Jason carried on with his work for the day. If he did not have to save up to start his fashion brand, he probably wouldn't have been working at a job he detested.

The only thing that interested him in the job was the fact that he got to meet new people every day.

Today was one of those days where he had unproblematic customers. It granted him a smooth shift.

Just when he was about to round up his shift for the day, Caleb, the cleaner, came up to him.

"I need you to help me cover my shift tonight," Caleb requested pleadingly.

"You know that's not possible," Jason replied with a sour expression as he arranged some dishes to send them to the kitchen.

"Besides, you know that I have that fashion class very early in the morning," he added in some form of a whisper.

"I know," Caleb was persistent. "It's just that I have a date tonight with my new girlfriend and this is special to me," he pleaded, making a face.

Jason looked at him for a while, thinking of what to say to him. He finally agreed to help him do his cleaning.

Cleaning did not seem like so much hard work for Jason as he did it that evening. The restaurant was almost empty, giving him the chance to do his work with much ease.

As he got to table five, he saw something flashy right under the table. He poked at it with the mop stick and when he could not fathom what it was, he reached under the table and grabbed it. It was a phone and his eyes widened in surprise.

A customer probably left and as much as he tried to recall, he could not point out the customer that sat on table five.

He thought of how he could return the phone to the rightful owner, but no idea seemed to come to mind. He waited patiently for at least a phone call on it, but none was forthcoming.

An idea soon clicked in his mind. Antonio had just left the restaurant barely a minute ago and had told him to lock up when he was done cleaning.

"He could not have gone far," Jason muttered to himself. "I could just give him the phone for safekeeping," he added and started to dash out of the restaurant.

"Sir," Jason should after the manager that was just some feet away, but he did not turn around.

"What are you doing with my phone?!" A voice asked sternly behind him. He turned around to see a young lady looking down at him.

"I'm sorry but you forgot this in our restaurant and I thought it would be a good idea to hand it over to my boss for safekeeping," he explained to her.

She looked on at him, her face contoured in recognition. He took a long look at her as she seemed familiar too. Then it clicked. He remembered her from senior year in high school.

It was their biology test and she had begged him for answers in the hall. He did not give a hoot about her and she ended up failing the test. She had to repeat the test the following term.

"You were about to run away with my phone. I saw you," she said to him, folding her arms before her.

Jason was already sensing a ploy for revenge from her, so he decided to keep his cool.

The last thing he wanted to do was to cause a scene and not one that would cause him to be labeled as a thief.

"I think there is a misunderstanding here ma'am," he said to her. "That is my manager over there," he said pointing to Antonio, who was waiting by the side of the road for a cab, just a few feet from the restaurant.

"I was only calling on him to give him the phone," Jason said, trying to placate her.

All his efforts seemed futile as she kept labeling him a thief with her voice elevated, causing heads to turn in their direction.

Antonio was not left out. He had seen what looked like an argument going on in front of his restaurant, between his staff and someone that seemed like a customer. He walked up to them immediately.

"What is going on here?" He asked as he got to where they were.

"Sir, this lady—"

"Your boy tried to steal my phone," the lady interrupted and snatched her phone from his hand, not waiting for him to say anything at all. She seemed insistent on getting back at him for something that happened long ago in school.

Jason opened his mouth to say something again but was interrupted by a hard slap across his face from Antonio. He staggered but maintained his stance.

"Not only do you come late to work or be clumsy at your job," Antonio began in a fit of vexation. "You also steal from my customers too?" He asked Jason, who still held his face, still in oblivion at what had just happened.

He nodded and tried to speak again, but Antonio stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"I think I have had enough of all your shenanigans here and I think it is time to relieve you of your duties," Antonio said.

The news hit Jason like a ton of bricks.  He needed the job desperately. The pay was what he struggled to survive on and it was difficult for one to see a good job at the moment.

"I'm sorry Sir. This is a misunderstanding," Jason pleaded, but Antonio was adamant.

"Just go in there, pack your things, and leave," Antonio growled this time.

Jason knew that there was no going back. Even if he pleaded, it would be to no avail.

As he entered the restaurant, the lady had a mock smile plastered to her face. He shot her a piercing look. This was just the beginning.