CHANGE OF MIND

The sun shimmered brightly through the slightly opened glass window, parting away from the glimsey white curtains. The keen rays full of luminosity hit the puffy eyes of Elvira.

She groaned, wanting to sleep more, rubbing her swollen eyelids. She was wide awake the whole night watching the series of heartbroken Korean dramas to relieve her pain.

The alarm clock started jeering into her ears. She sat up straight without opening her eyes and wiping her greasy mouth. Slightly opening one eye she saw outside and sighed.

She slowly rolled out of the bed, making her way to wash up and do the usual morning routine. Mornings in Breemank Vale are nothing compared to any other city. Loud yet cheering.

Elvira specifically hated waking up every day to the sound of a junk truck outside her apartment. But today was Saturday and the truck would come on late hours, fortunately, when Elvira would be out or fully awake to bear its grumbling shrieks.

She took a quick shower to fade away the reeking smell of cheap beer she drank last night in order to forget what happened earlier in the day. Woefully, her theories weren't valid. Those ads she watched of these beers which say they will take all your emptiness away were all lies.

She knew it but somehow last night she didn't want to believe the knowledge based on scientific facts. Earlier yesterday she quit her job out of anger which she was regretting gravely. Grinding her skin with a scrubbing brush, mercilessly.

'I'm so stupid!' She yelled, banging her fist into the wall.

She was stupid to quit her exclusive job where she was a head chef, a chief in command to others. She is not used to making rash decisions but after the heart reckoning incident, she just lost her mind.

She rubbed the body oil with the executive odor of lilies and wet sand, on her burning skin. Looking at her face in the mirror she denied herself.

'Am I not that beautiful?'

Of course, she was a complete beauty. Her deadly green eyes with little freckles on her cheeks, those plump glossy lips, and that jawline weren't sufficient to make men lose their brains. She got those little curls in her ginger-shaded hairs. How could she think she wasn't enough with those extravagant features?

With those insecure thoughts in mind, she left the bathroom. Looking around the messy apartment, she cursed herself under her breath before she actually started sweeping away the trash.

"What is this?" She asked herself, scanning a courier with elegant folding.

"Oh, it's that job offer." She suddenly remembered, opening the letter inside.

It was a special offer for her after the CEO of Adkins Hotel Chain tasted her dishes personally. She got the offer almost a month ago but she rejected it without thinking twice about the joy of her future. Which is now so obviously shattered.

"Maybe I should ask them if they still provide me the job. But the place is really far." She sighed looking at the location of the hotel. Rochguay Coast at Lower North Glirbiac Boulevard, practically fourteen hours away from where she was actually living.

She sighed and looked at the album full of contended memories in front of her. "I do need a break from this place." She convinced herself and dialed the number given in the letter.

"Oh hello, Am I speaking to Adkins Hotel staff?" Elvira spoke fluently.

"Yes Mam, may I assist you with anything?" The elegant young voice supported the other side of the line.

"Yes. Actually, I'm Elvira Pearce. I got a job offer a month ago for the head chef for Adkins Hotel at Rouchguay Coast. I would like to know if this offer is still valid." Elvira detailed her concern.

"Would you please give me a minute Mam, I would confirm with the HR manager?" The receiver girl said putting Elvira on hold.

The time started ticking making Elvira more anxious about the answer. 'What if it is closed? I would be unemployed. How am I gonna pay my bills and rent?'

"Hello, Mam. Are you there?" The girl spoke exactly after a minute.

"Yes," Elvira said, straightening her back.

"I'm really sorry to tell you that your offer for a head chef has been closed as we were in a hurry and there were other candidates in line." She said the words Elvira was scared to hear the most at the moment. For the moment Elvira lost all her hopes until the girl spoke again.

"But the HR manager has provided another option for you. Would you like to join as an assistant head chef?" She said being a light in the intense dark life of Elvira.

A glimpse of joy jolted her mind after going through a lot, she finally smiled.

"Yes. I would love to." Elvira's excitement was far too good as imagined. She is a critical thinker. For her, anything is better than nothing.

"Great, then the HR team will be in contact with you. They will fill you in with all the details and formalities." The girl returned the same vibe of joy to Elvira. Making her think the staff is nice to newcomers.

But is it really the case?

Elvira got the job and was asked to join a day later after she arrived at the hotel. Because she lived far from the beach, she was provided a room in the hotel under special staff requirements by the HR team.

She packed her bags and called her parents. Telling them she was moving away for a more stable and worthy job. Her parents weren't in sync with her moving to another side of the country for a mere job offer. But their daughter's happiness comes first for them.

Elvira got on the plane, murmuring the last goodbye to her painful life in Breemank Vale. She once loved that life but after March 21st she was exhausted and heartbroken.

"Hello, my new life." She inhaled deeply the rustic air of Rouchguay Coast. Her first step on this land was to welcome the storms ahead in her new life.