Sister

After the men left the restaurant, Tina pivoted sharply, her gaze locking onto Annalise as she strode toward her, grabbing Annalise by the ear.

Caught off guard, Annalise gasped in pain, "Ow, ow! You're hurting me!" Tina yanked her toward the corner.

Annalise waved Tina's hand dismissively before coming to rub her reddened ear.

Tina stood with her hands on her hips, fixing Annalise with a steely stare. "What was that about?" Annalise demanded.

"What do you mean? You chased away my customers, and now you're raising your voice at me? I should have known not to listen to your nonsense…" Tina shot back, frustration simmering.

"I'll pay for their meals," Annalise replied quickly, desperate to stop Tina's tirade.

"Pay with what? What do you have to offer?" Tina retorted sharply. "Do you have any idea why I'm doing all this?" Suddenly, her eyes misted, and Annalise was taken aback.

Tina had been shouting just moments ago, and now she looked on the verge of tears. Annalise was frozen. "I'm doing this to cover my son's medical bills! You just waltz in here and decide to ruin everything for me!" Tina continued, her voice rising. "Each customer's money counts! Do you even understand that!?"

Annalise flinched, "How am I supposed to know any of this?"

"Right, you wouldn't—I didn't expect you to. What could a rich kid like you possibly understand? I'm the one struggling here. If you knew what it meant to fight to get by, you wouldn't have caused me this loss!" Tina shot back.

"Don't act like you know my life! I'm struggling too. This is my first time doing anything like this!" Annalise fired back, both of them breathing heavily as they stood firm, staring each other down until their breaths finally slowed.

Tina took a deep breath and softened, "I'm sorry, I overreacted."

Annalise blinked, "I... I'm sorry too." She shrugged her shoulders, feeling the tension ease slightly.

"Just go find something else to do," Tina said, and Annalise nodded, acknowledging the change in tone. Now tasked with cleaning tables and sweeping floors, Annalise put in the effort, even if she wasn't meeting Tina's expectations. She had never experienced such stress before and was shocked by how exhausting cleaning could be. She lost count of how many times she wiped down tables and swept the floors, with customers streaming in and out. Starving and frazzled, she kept her frustrations to herself.

"I've set aside something for you," Tina said after sometime, approaching Annalise to take the brush from her hands.

Annalise nodded and went to a corner of the restaurant where she found a plate of rice and vegetables. Though it looked unappetizing to her, her stomach growled in protest, and she began to eat.

As she took a mouthful, she felt a tear escape her eye and quickly sniffled, whispering to herself, "It's alright." She was just trying to survive, clinging to the hope that things would eventually get better.

When night fell, exhaustion weighed heavily on Annalise as Tina closed the shop. She felt as if sleep would swallow her whole; she had never worked so hard in her life.

"Where are you planning to go now?" Tina asked as they stood outside the shuttered restaurant.

Annalise shrugged, "I don't know." She had thought of using her meager earnings to secure a small place of her own, but she felt lost, uncertain of her next steps. Before she earned that money, where was she going to even stay.

"Why don't you come stay with me?" Tina proposed. "If you work in the shop, consider it payment for your rent and meals. What do you think?"

Annalise narrowed her eyes, weighing Tina's offer. Trustworthy enough in her gut instinct, she answered decisively, "Okay." Tina nodded in agreement.

"You closed early today," Annalise noted as they started walking together.

"I usually do. I only stay late sometimes, like yesterday," Tina replied, and Annalise nodded.

Tina glanced toward the usual spot of the beggar, sighing before turning her attention back to Annalise. "You didn't say anything to her yesterday, right?"

"About what?" Annalise raised an eyebrow, and Tina shrugged in response.

Tina had heard Annalise dismiss the woman as someone who blabbed about nonsense. In her mind, Tina thought they might have exchanged a few words, which could explain the woman's absence. But she pushed those thoughts aside; maybe she was overthinking things. They hopped on the bike, with Tina taking the lead on the ride back to the apartment.

Arriving, Tina parked the bike. Annalise took a moment to absorb her surroundings; she couldn't quite believe she was back here again. This morning, she had left thinking she would never return, that she would keep wandering the streets. Yet, here she was.

"What are you staring at? Come inside," Tina said, breaking Annalise's reverie. She refocused her gaze on Tina and followed her into the house.

As Annalise stepped inside after Tina, she mirrored her action of placing her shoes aside. In the living room, she saw the boy from yesterday, who was now awake and eating.

"Mommy," he called out as soon as Tina entered, and she smiled warmly at him, moving quickly to hug him.

"Hey, how are you doing? Did mommy keep you waiting?" Tina asked, and he shook his head with a cheerful grin. But then his attention shifted to Annalise, and he asked, "Who is she?"

"Annalise. You can call her sister Annalise," Tina replied firmly.

"But I don't have a sister," the boy protested, frowning.

"I'm not saying she's your sister. It's just a sign of respect," Tina clarified.

"I'll just go inside," Annalise interjected, addressing Tina while she interacted with her son.

Tina nodded, and Annalise walked into the room she had occupied the previous night, closing the door behind her. She let out a sigh as she sank to the ground. Her eyes scanned the familiar environment, and she noticed her bag right where she had left it. It seemed the mouse had finally managed to escape from where it had been trapped.

Now that she was left alone, she could release all of her frustrations in this small place.