Chapter 9

The unbearable long wait paid off. I was excited about the new chapter. I still had to go through the interview with the head of admissions. Aldo Friedrieksen.

I said his surname out loud a few times to familiarise myself with it. I didn't want to get tongue-tied in front of the man that held my future in his hands. I puffed my cheeks, angst quickly crept into my heart. What if I couldn't keep it together and my ditsiness would shine through at the worst possible moment?

The all too familiar marking between Morston and the quarter dragged me back to reality. It was a painful sight. Each time, I crossed over onto the dark side, as Louis liked to call it, it pained me. I wanted to do more than just scoop food onto a plate to help. I sighed, as I pulled in front of the soup kitchen. My hands were tied. The quarter needed a massive infusion of capital to take it out of the dark ages. I didn't have that kind of money. And the foundation that funded the kitchen only held the gala once every two years.

There had to be another solution other than just getting by. Opening the car door, I stepped out of the car and leaned against it, staring at the sign. I wanted to be a teacher. Maybe, I needed something else. Hiding had been my escape from the outside world. I needed to change tactics if I were to make a difference.

Soulful, I pushed myself off the car and made my way with heavy steps towards the shabby build. A strong gust of wind would bring that thing down like it never existed.

Pushing the door, I was greeted with the same old pile of dirty plates, grubby floors and tables. I usually left before the kitchen closed.

" Ellie, " I called as I picked up things on my way to the kitchen. She was in there. I could hear the pans banging, trying to stuff them in the dishwasher.

Placing a tray of dirty plates on the kitchen counter, I watched Ellie leading a futile battle with the machine. It was amusing to watch. The machine always won. She usually gave up and asked me or David to have a go at it.

" Want some help?" I amusedly asked, making her aware of my presence.

" Finally," Ellie exclaimed, a little exasperated " Thank goodness that you're here. I've been trying to work it out for the past 20 minutes. The damn thing won't close," Ellie vented, waving her hands in the air.

" One of those days, huh?" I casually said and made my way to the dishwasher. After a glance inside, one of the panhandles was stuck at the back.

I fiddled with it for a bit, to rearrange the pan and closed it " Done," I said full of pride. I wouldn't have known where to even begin a year ago to deal with that kind of stuff.

" Thank you," Ellie said, relieved and returned to scrapping more leftovers into a bin.

" How are you today?" I asked, a little worried. Ellie was the heart and soul of the soup kitchen. No matter how hard things were, she was always there.

" A little tired. Cole is ill," Ellie sighed " He had a high fever last night and didn't sleep very well," Ellie replied looking over her shoulder.

" Do you want to go home?" I worriedly asked. Her son was the only person that kept her going.

" No, he will be alright. He was better this morning. One of our neighbours is keeping him company." Ellie turned around to wipe her hands.

I picked up my apron, " Alright, but if you need to go, I will be fine," I firmly said, or at least I tried to be. I wasn't sure if I could handle all of it on my own.

" Maybe after we get this place cleaned up," She turned her attention onto the pots on the stove.

" In the meantime, I'll get this place cleaned up," I said as I made my way out of the kitchen with the trolley to collect whatever was left laying around.

Time flew by, and with so many things to do and with Cole being ill, I refrained from giving her the good news. It could wait. Although, I did look forward to dinner. Mason wasn't often home for dinner, and that in itself was reason enough to celebrate.

And just like that my thoughts went to him whenever I was by myself. I glanced around at the room filled with tables and chairs. It wasn't much, but it was clean.

Making my way towards the kitchen, my eyes fell on the clock. I knew that in less than twenty minutes that very same room would be turned upside down. It was a never-ending cycle. Things had to change. Maybe if I went and studied something else instead, I would be able to change how things were done.

Mason's words played in my head. A business degree would be a valuable asset. It would give me access to another world and people who had financial resources to revamp the quarter. And with that, a new goal came to life.

The light chatter from the mess hall broke my thoughts. Time was up. I looked around the kitchen. Ellie had gotten everything ready while, I had an existential crisis.

I made my way into the mess hall and took my position next to Ellie while the children presented themselves with plates ready to be filled.

" Mama," A little boy called, waving his hand and I instantly knew that soft voice. It belonged to her son.

" Cole," Ellie exclaimed, handed me the ladle and stepped from behind the table and made her way to the little boy.

I tried my best to smile at the little children parading in front of me, but I couldn't keep the sorrow from creeping into my heart. I briefly wondered if Mason could help but I didn't even know how to even broach the topic with him. I knew he was involved somehow with the foundation, but I had no idea as to what extent.