A lodger

Kendra quickly recovered from what the lodger said and proceeded to the kitchen but to her surprise, Elena was not there yet so there was no meal to serve the lodgers. Kendra took her phone from the little bag she was carrying and dialed Elena's number but she wasn't picking up. Kendra became more restless as she began to pace around the kitchen and trying Elena's number.

The door flung open, startling and jolting Kendra to reality. A short slim man in black suit and a black pair of shoes, stood at the door, enraged. He is the General Manager of the hotel, his name is Flint.

"Where is Elena? Why are the lodgers complaining of no food?" he asked as he approached me as if I was Elena.

He stopped right in front of me, we were less than an inch apart. "Where is Elena?" his unpleasant deep voice let out a yell.

"I don't know, sir. I also just be in and I've been trying her number, she's not........... "

Elena barged in, sweating and panting profusely with a big gray bag hang and secures with one of her hand on her shoulder. Her short hair was a mess and her eyes looked like she cried all night. Kendra rushed to her side and helped her with the bag as she leads her to sit on a beach.

"Don't I deserve an explanation why there's no food for the lodgers by this time of the day?" Flint asked emotionless.

Kendra stood up and moved closer to Flint, enraged, "Don't you have feelings? Elena has never been late as far as I know, this is her first time. She came in looking like this and all you could care about is why there's no food yet?" she continued before he could utter a word.

"You don't deserve a worker like her, Flint. You're an animal" she said while Elena was pulling her clothes to stop her but she wouldn't.

Flint chuckled softly and turned to Elena, "I want the meals ready as soon as possible"

"Sure, sir"

Flint took another look at Kendra, chuckled again and left the kitchen. Kendra sat beside Elena, patting her back.

"You know, you really didn't have to do that. It was my fault and I wasn't going to deny that"

"Here we go again, Elena. Can you for once fight for yourself? Look at you, you look like a crazy fellow but he doesn't care what happens to you and you still chose to be calm?"

Kendra sighed and cursed under her breath.

"What happened to you? Why are you looking this way?" Kendra asked as she tries to remove some dirt from Elena's hair.

"I'll explain that to you later. I have to cook now" she said and stood up to get an apron.

"Cook? In this condition? No, Elena. Go freshen up, I'll start the cooking"

"Thanks, buddy. I appreciate" Elena said, placing a kiss on her cheek and went to the bathroom.

Kendra took the apron, set the fire and began to cook while she was also trying to get the breakfast buffet ready. Her phone rang, she rushed to the wall which she hang the bag and brought out the phone but the card the lodger face her fell off. She bent over to pick it, staring at it, his voice echoed.

"Let's meet over the weekend and I'll let you know how you can repay my kindness"

His voice echoed repeated in her hand but she shook it off after some seconds.

"I think it would be better to meet up with him rather than my mom, that way I'll be able to keep my job"

She went back to the cooking, stirred the stew she's cooking. Elena walked in from a corner of the kitchen, water dripping down her body. She pat her hair with a towel as she approaches Kendra.

"Thanks for your help, babe. I really appreciate"

"It's nothing. Give me a hand so things can be faster"

They finished preparing the meal, Kendra changed into her uniform and went to distribute the food to the lodgers and went back to the kitchen. She said Elena, leaning against the wall but she seems lost in thought, she went closer and tap her shoulder.

"What is the problem? What are you thinking about? And you're yet to explain to me why you looked like that" she said, her hand still on her shoulder but rather than replying, Elena burst into tears and threw herself into Kendra's open arms.

"It's fine, it's fine if it hurts and you don't want to say it. I just need you to be strong." Kendra said as she patted Elena's back and fighting the tears threatening to roll down her eyes.

They both sat on a bench while Kendra tried her best to make her smile. Kendra's phone rang, she rushed to get her back and went back to sit beside Elena. She brought out the phone but the card dropped again.

She cursed under her breath as Elena picked it up. She looked as the phone, it was Camellia calling, she picked.

"Aren't you going to say anything to me?" Camellia asked after some seconds silence.

"What do you expect me to say? You made me lose a friend and you want me to be happy? C'mon, Camellia, there are better ways to go about this, not chasing him away."

"I told you I don't feel anything for him, it wasn't my fault"

"Sure, it really wasn't your fault." she said and hanged up before Camellia could reply.

She hissed and dropped the phone on the table in front of her.

"What's this?" Elena asked her eyes still transfixed on the card.

Kendra looked at her to know what she's talking about, "That? It's from the guy I met yesterday, he saved my ass today and wants me to compensate him for it"

"But do you have money to compensate him? And who is this guy?"

"A lodger"

"I knew it looked familiar"

Elena sighed.