Kathrine: I’m An Orphan But I Won’t Do It – Episode 4
Sarah was shóçked to see me looking like tràsh, wearing a garment of téàrs and sànd, and seeming like a mààd girl. She sighed, gave me a comforting húg, and joined me in móúrnííng, gróànííng, and wailííng.
She tried so hàrd to cómfórt me, assuring me that I was no longer alóñe, saying, “I’m here, You’ve got me, we’ve got this, please stop cryíñg Kathrine, it’s okay.”
I asked her to bring an old bench from the back of the door so that we could sit down and perhaps discuss.
As she was trying to pull out the bench, a white envelope fell from the back pocket of the trousers she wore, but she didn’t notice it.
I picked it up and out of curiosity, decided to open it to see what was inside.
Lo and behold, it was my resígñatíón letter, written and signed by our manager at the hótél where we worked as cleaners.
I was puzzled and wondered what I had done wróñg. The day after my móm’s dééàth, I remembered calling him to seek permission and go on a 1-month leave for my móm’s búrííàl.
At first, he showed signs of dísagréément, but as I pleaded further, he agreed and asked me to be sure to resume work on the 1st of May.
That day was Sunday, and the next day, Monday, was 1st May. So I was cóñfused and tried to figure out why I was getting a sàçk letter a day before our agreement.
I stood in mystification trying to uncover the reason behind my dismíssal when Sarah brought the bench, turned, saw me with the white envelope, touched her back pocket, and was sàd that I knew even before she told me.
She quickly sñàtçhéd the letter from me and pleaded that I should not let it dístúrb me. She asked me to pretend I never saw it, but guess it was easier said than done.
She expressed her régrét in keeping the letter caréléssly, thereby informing me too early. She said she had intended to inform me the next morning when the weight of my búrdéñ should already be minimal.
Hót téàrs of pàííñ, àñgúíísh, and sóórrów began streaming down my eyes, as I started connecting the dots.
I began to think about what would’ve become of me if my móm never left something for me to hold onto.
I drifted back in thoughts and became so wórrííéd and sçààred over what would’ve been my fàté if my mom left nothing for me, and I finished cleaning up the house, hoping to resume work on Monday and Sarah arrived with this bààd news.
I frózé in shóçk and thoughts. I was jàdéd and tàppéd out, not knowing if I should thank God that my móm left something tangible behind to help me stay alíve, or if I should qúéstííóñ Gód that, supposing my móm had left nothing, was this what was awaiting me?
I turned to Sarah and asked her why. “Why was I dismísséd? Why did the manager dismíss me?” I grílléd.
“Kathrine, you need to çàlm down. You could go çrààzy tonight if you continue like this. Please çàlm down. We can talk about this tomorrow. Please çàlm down,” she said, holding my hands and cryííñg.
“Añswér mé, Sarah! I sàíd añswér mé. You múst añswér mé. Tell me why! I sàíd, tell mé why!” I púmpéd at her, bréàthíñg héàvííly like I was goíñg to pààss óút.
“You’re not ready. You don’t want to know why, but since you persist, I’m going to tell you,” she said.
“Every single fémà|é wórkér in that hótél, including me, have s|épt with the manager, and some with the boss. After you reached out to the manager to hélp you with some móñey to tréàt your móm of cancer, he requested to slééép with you, and you réfúséd.”
“He wasn’t hààppy about it. In fact, he’d spréàd the néws, and almost everyone knew that you turñéd the manager’s reqúést to slééép with you down.”
“Truth be told, even before your móm’s dééàth, he had wanted to dismííss you after you turñéd him dówñ.”
“Immediately you called him that your mom was dééàd, and you needed a one-month break for the búrííàl, he saw that as a very good opportunity to relíéve you of your duty.”
“He didn’t dísmíss you because you took a leave from work. He dísmíssed you because you réfúséd to slééép with him before he could assist you with the móñey for the tréàtméñt of your mom’s çàñçér.”
Before Sarah could even finish, I got up, ràñ to the kíítçhéñ to get a kñíífe, and stàààb mysélf, and she ràñ after me, as though she kñéw what I was going to do, to stóp me.
To be continued ✍️