Chapter Four

Chapter 4: Meeting Miss. Waitress

David's POV

She let out a little laugh as she looked away from me, continuously tugging her short wavy hair behind her ears.

"We are not ready to order anything." Cindy blurted out with annoyance written all over her face.

"Would you like to have lemonade for now? It's free." The waitress said sweetly, her voice came out smoothly with no hint of displeasure in it. She must have waited on a lot of people like Cindy.

"No!" Cindy suddenly slammed her hand on the table causing the brown haired lady to jump back. I simply closed my eyes and sighed.

"Dave, please tell her to leave. We don't have much time." Cindy tugged on my sleeves. I looked up at her; she was glaring at the waitress. She's easily annoyed by women.

"I'm sorry if I said anything wrong." The waitress apologized with a smile. She didn't look intimidated by Cindy's glare.

Impressed, I picked up the menu and glanced through it.

"I'll try the waffles and orange juice. Honey toppings though." I ordered and when she turned to me, I smiled at her.

She quickly looked away, hiding her face in her notepad and scribbling on it because it didn't look like she was composed. I looked at Cindy and then at her menu. She sighed and pouted.

"I'll have what he's having" She said with her arms folded looking out the glass.

"Two plates of waffles and orange juice coming right up." The waitress said and unexpectedly turned to me. She stared me for a while "You get a three out of ten" She smiled, retrieving the menus from the table.

"Who do you think you are?" Cindy stood up and yelled pointing at the waitress "I'd like to see your boss. No! Your boyfriend or husband or anything. A three?" She was aggravated…pissed out. Why? She's always in her world.

"Cindy!" I called out to her trying to caution her.

"We don't allow yelling here. Please leave before I call the police and charge you for psychological damages." A woman in her mid 40's said from the counter with a phone in her hand waved it at us and pointed to the security camera at the far end.

I simply closed my eyes and massaged my temples.

"Let's get out of here Dave. They are all poor and bullies." She whined like a four year old as she picked up her bag.

I slowly stood up and looked back at the waitress and the woman at the counter.

"What's your name?" I asked the waitress

She chuckled and tilted her head, her eyes moving from my head to toe. Tapping her legs continuously she suddenly snapped her fingers and pointed at me

"I don't tell strangers my identity." She smiled.

I calmly walked up to her and she widened her eyes in shock placing the menus above her chest.

"Don't take another step closer." She warned and I didn't listen.  A foot away from her, I stopped and took a glimpse of her name tag.

"Selena." I said and she looked at me confused. After a while she covered her name tag, closing her eyes and turning away.

Now, she looked and behaved familiar.

"Dave…. I only have an hour left." Cindy called out and we exited the eatery.

Inside the car, Cindy stared angrily at me.

"You picked the place so, I don't deserve that face."

"I didn't think it waitresses would be as arrogant and stupid as that woman earlier." She sighed resting on the chair.

"We could have talked in the car."

"It wouldn't have been enough. I know you more than anyone. You'd leave once you drop me off"

Anastasia Cindy Houston is a childhood friend. She's more than spoilt and arrogant but she knew when she was right or wrong. That's one of the reasons we are still on talking terms. Even though I knew she always puts on a pretense in front of me, I'll let her have her way as long she's not hurting anyone

"Why didn't you say anything earlier when she gave you a three? Why are you like this? I told you, I don't like it when you talk to any other lady apart from me and your mother. Why? Why? Why?" She said, flinging her bag to the other chair.

"You don't know how sad it is that I have to leave you for an entire year. Promise me you won't like any other girl but me" Her eyes filled with expectation she pleaded to me.

I knew she would have a major mental breakdown right now if I don't promise her. I simply sighed and looked away.

"Cindy—"

"You don't like me as much as I like you, I know. But… promise me this please."

"Cindy—"

My phone rang at the right moment because I didn't want to answer her question and not answer her question.

"Excuse me" I said and tapped the green button.

"Mr. Alokwe, your grandma left the center again. A bus station returned her purse to the hospital. " Dr. Paul's said and I quickly hung up. Opening the tracking app, I found my grandmother's position. She wasn't far away.

"Norman stop! Send Miss Houston to the airport for me." I ordered my secretary and he immediately pulled over.

"You promised me that you'll send me off," Cindy said alarmed , blocking me from getting off.

"It's an emergency Cindy." I said as I quickly gave her a kiss on her palm and left the car.

I scanned the surroundings looking for Tina's Café .

I ran a distance toward the direction of the café on the map and crossed the road without looking or thinking as soon as I spotted the café.

I walked in and searched every inch of the restaurant and didn't stop no matter how the waitresses and waiters kept asking for my attention.

After a while and no result, I turned to a waiter and asked.

"Did an old woman come by? Plump and black haired, it's long and packed to a ponytail. She wore a red wristband that beeps." I asked the closest waiter to me.

"You mean this?" A waitress said behind me holding the wrist band.

"Where did you get this from?" I said taking it from the waitress.

"The person you described came in about ten minutes ago and left this behind. She said she was waiting for someone. Then suddenly got up and exited the restaurant."

She was waiting for my dad!

"Thank you. What direction did she go please?" I asked

"Right." The waitress smiled as she licked her lips.

I nodded and quickly took a glance of her name on her name tag. I'll speak to her boss about her later.

Exiting the café, I walked quickly as I checked each store, restaurant or Café on the right. She had not entered any of them.

After checking the fifth building, I was now getting flustered and worried.

I got a call from an unknown number but I declined immediately. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone but I suddenly remembered her book, she carries everywhere and not many people have my private number. She must have dropped it somewhere like her wristband . I called the unknown number again and after the third ring the person finally picked up.

"I—" The call got disconnected before the person could say a word. I called again and again but there was no news. I was always sent to voicemail.

I have to track the number.

I quickly dialed Richard's number. He answered at the first ring

"This is Penelope; Mr. Woods is on his break. If you have anything to tell him, I'll make sure I relay it to him as quickly as possible."

"Penelope give the phone to Richard right now. It's an emergency."

"Mr. Alokwe?" Her high pitched voice almost deafening my right ear. 

"Yes! Now hurry."

Footsteps and a lot of doors opening and closing filled the speaker for a while.

"Dave?" Richard's voice came out of the phone's speaker and I had a little bit of my confidence back.

"Finally. I sent you a number just now. Track it for me and meet at the office by two this afternoon."

"Stay on the call. It should be easy."

"Okay…"

A while of silence mixed with click sounds from his side worsened my anxiety slowly

"She's using a really old fashioned phone."

"She? Wait. That's not what matters now. Who is she?"

"Selena Bianca Jones." He stated

"Okay. Where is she?"

"Just give me a minute." He said and I quickly opened my message box. "I've sent the address of the place she was last seen with her location on." I saw it before he even started talking.

"Her phone is really old fashioned , if it—"

"I'm not ready to hear any of those Richard."

"See you at two Dave." He said and hung up.

I ordered a cab and waited for about ten minutes till I finally got one. I read the address for the taxi driver. It was a five minutes drive thanks to the free lane. If I had known I could have walked.

"Cash or code?" The driver asked

I scanned the code and exited the cab. I looked at the address and at the building again. This is the place me and Cindy just exited.

Selena…. Of course. The waitress.

I walked into the building and scanned it. No sign of my grandma or Selena anywhere. Just, the lady at the counter.

I walked up to her.

"Why are you back?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Did an old woman come here earlier? It might be before I came or after I came."

"Both. She came in here and left an old green book before you came and some minutes ago, she came by and I had to pay her taxi fare. Are you related to her?"

"I'll refund the money but, do you know where she is?"

"Selena took her away because I don't want an old woman sitting all day in my eatery." She said and gave me a paper that contained her account number, the taxi fare and commission.

"Pay up before Friday." She gave me a quick smile before frowning and went back to counting her money.

"Do you know where Selena took her to?" I sighed

"Give me the paper" She stretched her hand. I handed it to her and she wrote the address in it, with a consultation fee of hundred dollars. I was relieved as I saw the address.

"Thank you." I left the eatery.

I hailed a cab and told the driver the address written on the paper.

About ten minutes later, which felt like ten days, I arrived in front of a café. Johnson's Café.

I rushed out without thinking.

"You haven't paid me sir." The driver called out. I turned back and quickly scanned the code

I opened the door of the Café and my grandmother's laughter travelled to my ears. I haven't heard her laugh in a long time.

I finally found her!

She was also smiling and her hair was loosened. She was carrying a little child on her lap.

What surprised me even further was the person combing her hair and possibly conversing with her.

  Selena, the waitress.