The Summer Bride (TSBS-1) COMPLETED

Chapter Three

You make a first impression and people never forget it. If people want to think of me as the wacky 'Juno' lady forever, I could think of worse ways to be labeled.
- Diablo Cody

Claire Bishop

"What?! You can't do this." I shouted at Tom, my boss at the diner.

The moment I walked in the diner, Tom appeared in front of me, telling me to follow him to his office. The office where I had never set foot onto after I was informed I got the job. It was quite a shock to be in there because I had been doing my job without any tardiness as far as I could see. I had never missed a day at work, never been late at work, never caused any ruckus with the customers.

So, yeah it came out of nowhere when he informed the reason I was in that office. And currently after realising my situation, I was shouting at him and pleading him in the same breath to not be unfair.

"I can and I just did. Some of you are going to my other diner to work and others are getting fired. And you just happen to be in the other one." Tom informed me once again in his tight voice and I still couldn't grasp the news. He rubbed his forehead as if talking to me was giving him a headache. Well, he was about to get a bigger headache if he wouldn't give me a proper reason behind my firing.

I stood up straight and looked him straight at his eyes to emphasise my point. "But why? I never missed a day. I don't come in late either. Then why?" I asked him desperately. I couldn't be fired. Not when I needed the money most. I just couldn't get fired.

Oh, god. What would I do? I knew today was a bad day when I found the bank's final notice in my mailbox. They wanted my loan to be cleared within a week. Where would I get that much money within a week? As far as I could see, I lost my current job too.

Tom's rough voice brought me to back to the hell of a reality. "I don't have a choice, Claire. I had to cut out few people since I need to get this place cleared out before Mr. Sanders get this building wiped out. I need to close the diner in a day or two. I have lot of things to do Claire. Please take your things and leave."

The tone he used, the extended hand in the direction of the door showed his final decision. He wanted me to walk out, walk out of the place which was the source of my daily income but now, no longer because a Mr. Sanders stumbled upon this diner out of nowhere. Why this diner? Why not the other shops on the same street? Hell, why anything on this deserted street?

I sighed, when I realised thinking about why and standing before Tom wouldn't get me anywhere. With shaky hands, I picked up my leftover dignity with my bag from the back room and walked out of the diner without a backward glance.

After coming out, I found myself at an odd situation. Where would I go? What would I do? Everything seemed blank to me. All doors seemed closed on me. I was standing outside the diner, pitying my life. Money problems were not rare for the people in lower manhattan. Everyone had worries about their financial state and so had I.

It wasn't just the student loan though, I had a lot of due rents for the apartment I had been barely able to hold onto. If I didn't pay the rent in one month then it would be gone, vanished and then another door would be slammed onto me, closing the last hope and making me homeless.

One thing for me was clear, my life sucked big time at this moment.

Since I was busy glaring at the world beneath my feet, I failed to notice a man walking toward me until his shiny black shoes stood a few feet away from my own.

"Ms. Bishop?"

A man said. A man who had a pure manly voice with a slightly deep tone, whose voice I hadn't heard before. It sounded very appealing.