Chapter 10 Everything Depends on Her
“Come back by tomorrow morning, around 9:30 a.m. The ring will show up then,” Tess said calmly.
Jessie, worn out from a long day of searching, felt her hope rekindle at Tess’s quiet confidence.
“Are you sure?‘
She looked Tess up and down. She wore a cleaner’s uniform and carried a baby in her arms.
She was a single mom sweeping the streets. Clearly, she was dirt poor.
And yet, there was something in her bearing that didn’t match her appearance at all.
Jessie grew suspicious. Could this woman have found the ring and hidden it?
“You swear? If I come tomorrow, I’ll get it back?”
)-Yes;
“Yes,” Tess guaranteed confidently.
“What’s your last name, young lady?”
“Ember.”
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Jessie nodded. “Alright, Ms. Ember. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt–for your baby’s sake. But if that ring doesn’t turn up, you won’t get away with this.”
She stood up from the bench with a bodyguard’s help.
When Jessie left, Tess glanced at the cleaner resting nearby. Carl was a typical young man with no family to lean on. He lived off scraps from distant relatives.
His cart lay abandoned by the walkway while he lounged across a bench near the greenery with his head buried under his jacket, napping.
Carl was Esther’s nephew.
Tess’s thought of Esther, who framed her and had her wages docked for no reason.
This time, she was taking a gamble.
By dusk, the fading sky grew darker, and the world slipped into the shadows. The streetlights flickered on one by one.
Underneath one of those lights, a slim figure was working hard on the sidewalk.
Tess had already cleaned most of the block. Just a few more minutes and she could take Layla home.
She was sweeping the last few leaves when a voice rang out behind her–loud, arrogant, and unmistakably bossy.
“Hey, you! You’re the one with the baby! Get over here and clean up my side foo! You hear me?”
A flurry of pistachio shells littered the ground at her feet.
Across the strip of greenery that was dividing the street, Tess saw Carl lounging with a self–satisfied grin. His clothes were spotless despite the surrounding filth. He sat slouched on a bench with his legs spread. There was a nearly empty bag of pistachios beside him.
Tess blinked innocently and called out, “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
Carl scowled and sneered, “Esther Frost–she’s my aunt. Ring a bell now?”
He shoved a broom toward her with his foot. “Go clean this whole area. When you’re done, let me know, If I catch you slacking off, I’ll have my aunt fire you on the spot.
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Chapter 10 Everything Depends on Her
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With that, he picked up his phone and started scrolling through videos, smiling lewdly at a livestream of some girl dancing
on screen.
Tess caught a glimpse of his username. He was the top tipper in that stream.
Tess picked up the broom and started cleaning the street.
Her time in prison had taught her one thing–obedience was survival. If she did what she was told and didn’t talk back, there was a chance she wouldn’t get hurt.
And so, at Carl’s command, Tess bowed her head and started sweeping without daring to pause or breathe wrong. She feared that any hesitation would bring his fist crashing down on her like a thunderstorm.
But after a few minutes, something inside her cracked. What was she doing?
She was out now. She was free. And yet people like Carl and Esther could still stomp on her like she was nothing.
Her throat burned from thirst.
She opened her bag and pulled out a bottle of water to moisten her throat.
Just as she unscrewed the cap, a hand snatched the bottle from her. Carl took a long swig, chugging half of it before wiping
his mouth on his sleeve.
“What are you drinking for? And what are you staring at? The sooner you finish sweeping, the sooner I can clock out, got it? You’re making me miss my livestream! Now, get back to work!”
Carl tossed the pistachios into his mouth, one after another, washing them down with the water he’d snatched from Tess. As the sky darkened and the air grew colder, Tess looked at him with eyes full of restrained hatred.
But she didn’t dare fight back. This man was tall and strong. She was holding the six–month–old Layla. If things turned violent, she would end up as a punching bag.
Carl drained the bottle and flicked the empty plastic bottle at her feet, then turned back to his phone. He muttered crude comments at the girls dancing on screen.
Tess’s expression didn’t change. Her gaze stayed calm, almost icy, as she held Layla close.
She couldn’t do anything–not yet. But maybe tomorrow, if that elderly lady kept her word, Carl would finally get what he deserved.
Suddenly, Carl sat up straighter, his face twisting in discomfort.
“Ugh, what the heck? Why now?! Did you do something to me?” He growled, clutching his stomach as a loud gurgling noise erupted from deep within. He tightened his legs together in a panic, clearly on the brink of losing control.
Tess was shocked. She hadn’t done anything!
Carl sneered, breathing heavily, “Hmph. Figured you didn’t have the guts. It’s probably that lunch. I knew something was off about that pasta place, but I still kept going back. Stupid cravings!”
Before stumbling away, legs still clenched tight, he snapped over his shoulder, “You’d better still be here when I get back! If you’re gone just wait and see what I do to you!”
Tess dipped her head and nodded like an obedient child.
Only after he turned the corner did she lift her face.
She stared at his retreating figure as he hurried to the public restroom, her eyes full of disbelief.
Under the lamplight, Tess caught sight of something in the dustpan–a crumpled water bottle. The expiration date stamped on the label showed yesterday’s date.
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Chapter 10 Everything Depends on Her
So, that’s what happened…
She let out a quiet laugh–short and sharp.
Not long after, she was nearly done sweeping.
Sweat drenched her forehead, soaking through her clothes. Each step forward was slow and dragging, her legs barely obeying
her.
From time to time, she would pause to massage the spot where her thigh met her calf. She had once broken a bone there. Now, with every step, it throbbed like tiny needles jabbing into her flesh.
In her arms, Layla stirred and let out a soft, whimpering cry. It was as if she were asking, “Mommy, where’s my milk?”
Tess glanced at the last patch of sidewalk still left unswept. Then, she looked at Layla. And that was that. She clenched her jaw
and left.
Nothing was more important than her baby.
Much later, Carl finally emerged from the public restroom, his steps wobbly and his face pale.
“Finally! Time to head home and get some real sleep,” he muttered with a smug grin.
But when he returned to the bench…
“What the—where’d she go?”
The street stretched before him, nearly spotless–except for the last hundred feet that were littered with dry leaves, wrappers, and trash. His discarded pistachio shells still sat there, exactly where he’d left them, almost like a message.
“She just left?”
A cold wind swept through the empty street, rustling the leaves. He was alone.
Carl’s smugness vanished, and his expression darkened. He snatched up the broom and began sweeping, furious. But no matter how hard he worked, the difference was obvious. Just across the divider, the street Tess had cleaned glowed under the lights–neat, polished, and perfect.
His section looked like a trash heap. As he kicked aside another pistachio shell, he ground his teeth. “Bitch! Just wait till tomorrow. I’ll make sure she regrets it.”
When Tess got back to the dorm, Bessie came out to meet her, taking Layla’gently into her arms.
“Did Esther’s nephew mess with you again?” she asked quietly.
No.”
Tess paused, then said, “No.”
But pain flickered across her face. She sat on the edge of the bed and rolled up her pant leg. The skin around her shin was swollen, red, and bruised.
“So, you’re still lying to,me?” Bessie snapped, her voice shaking with anger. “I knew he’s been bullying the other cleaners, but I didn’t think he’d go after a single mother like you. Lord have mercy! When will someone put a stop to that scumbag?”
Tess didn’t answer. She lowered her pant leg, gently placed Layla on the bed, and began changing her diaper. But Bessie’s words stirred something deep in her chest–a ripple of emotion she couldn’t quite name.
She told herself that what happened next would depend on that elderly lady tomorrow.
Tess lowered her head and gently brushed her delicate, upturned nose against Layla’s soft, rosy cheek. In her heart, she whispered a silent prayer.
The next morning, before Tess could even leave the dorm, she was met with chaos. Esther stormed in through the door with two other workers in tow.
“Tess!” she barked. “You swept your trash into someone else’s section last night! Does that seem like proper behavior to
to you 4
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Chapter 10 Everything Depends on Her
Get over there and apologize to Carl!”
Today was Tess’s daytime shift. She didn’t have to leave early like usual.
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She stood calmly at the door, cradling Layla in her arms. She looked up just in time to see Esther’s self–righteous expression -like she was catching Tess red–handed in some shameful crime.
Faced with Esther’s aggression, she didn’t waste her breath arguing. Instead, she went along with the conversation, letting Esther think she had the upper hand.
She simply said, “I’m happy to apologize–but only after I’ve seen the street for myself. I want to make sure that trash actually came from my section.”
She stood there with quiet resolve, holding Layla firmly in her arms.
Layla blinked up at the angry woman before them with wide, curious eyes, her little face full of innocence.
“Trash is trash,” Esther scoffed. “You think you can recognize your trash?”
Exactly,” Tess replied evenly. “If even I can’t tell, then how did Carl figure out the trash came from my street in the first place?”
“You” Esther’s voice caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected Tess to push back–let alone make sense.
A few nearby workers began to gather, whispering among themselves. “Esther’s bullying the single mom again. Where’s her conscience?”
Since public opinion had turned on her, Esther huffed and finally snapped, “Fine! You want to go look, so let’s go look. But if you can’t prove that trash isn’t yours, you’ll pay for it out of your own pocket. Or else you can pack up and get out of here.”
“I don’t have the money,” Tess said plainly.
“Then we’ll dock it from your paycheck!”
Tess froze. Dock my paycheck again?
