章 2: "You're fired!"

"I'm off to work now. Breakfast is on the table!" Lia said as she sat down and put on her red sneakers, seven in the morning. "I'll be home late, okay?"

"Okay, sis. Lemmon and I have online classes so we'll just stay at home." Lorus, a 20-year-old History and Literature student in his 3rd year, replied to his sister as he sat down on the sofa. "I have so many e-books to read.."

"Same, bro. Can I stop studying and just help you make money, sis?" Lemmon said. He's an 18-year-old Computer Programming student.

"No, I will make sure you all finish your studies. Don't be lazy like me. When I was 18, I stopped studying Biology and had a lot of online part-time jobs." Lia responded, reminiscing the past. "If only I knew that mom will be missing and dad will get into an accident, I-"

A sudden silence made Lia and her brothers remember how happy they were two years ago before the accident happened. During that time, Lia had two online part-time jobs, one being a grade school science tutor and the other one being a typist. She remembered that she was often scolded by her parents about how she wasn't motivated in her studies. She didn't have a goal in life. All she wanted to do was to play online games, eat, sleep, and join her friends in the mall.

Realizing that she already spent too much time idling, she stood up and bid goodbye to her brothers. In just two blocks away from their house, she would arrive at the e-bus station.

It was 25 years ago when the Philippian Archipelago had adapted to the renewable energy set-up. Gasoline stations were replaced with electricity charging stations, and Lia had her job in one of those as a cashier for 5 months already. She had been riding the e-bus to work, listening to music using her wireless earphones, playing electronica, and pop songs from a playlist she named "My E-Bus Journey".

Fifteen minutes had passed, and she arrived at her morning part-time job, "E-charge Station".

"Good morning Mr. Dane!" Lia greeted her boss.

"Beautiful morning Ms. Brentvale. Ready for another day at work?" replied Matthew Dane, a manager at the station.

"Yes, sir!" Lia happily said. She wore her light blue vest with bold letters saying "E-charge station staff".

Compared with years ago, the advancement in technology had taken the next step. Integrated scientific (I.S.) codes, which were developed in 2038, were upgraded versions of the Q.R. codes. These I.S. codes had links to each person's databases kept by the government. Aside from bank accounts, these codes were linked to one's fingerprint records, blood type information, and DNA profile and sequence records. These were updated and verified every two years at accredited hospitals.

I.S. codes were being used in every transaction. To have a successful payment, a person had to show an I.S. code image or provide fingerprint/palmprint scans.

"Thank you!" Lia told the customer using the microphone. The set-up of the e-charging station was like a drive-thru at a fast-food restaurant. An I.S. code image was scanned at the top part of the e-car's windshield.

It was already noon, and it was time for a lunch break for Lia. "I'll go have lunch now," Lia told Jade Miller, the one who was assigned from 12 noon to 2 in the afternoon shift.

"Yeah, go now. I'll take over," Jade said coldly. Her working at the charging station for 3 years did not matter much, because not once did their manager Matthew notice her. Lia, on the other hand, had only worked for 5 months, but the young manager had been praising her for her hard work and had been giving her the monthly Best Employee Award.

Lia removed her employee vest and put it in her locker. She then headed out to her favorite restaurant, "Grilled Fish and Others". Lia entered the small restaurant and greeted Mrs. Vayneseed, the owner and cashier.

"You're here again, Lia," Mrs. Vayneseed smiled sweetly at the frequent customer and her son's friend. "Grilled fish or fish fillet?" she asked her. These two dishes were Lia's favorites.

"I'll have grilled fish today, ma'am." Lia politely replied.

"Aren't you getting tired of my dishes?" a blonde young man, who had similar hair color as Mrs. Vayneseed, stepped out of the kitchen. He's Leo Vayneseed, her son, and his green, round eyes stared at Lia with excitement. His black face mask had covered half of the lower part of his face, and he wore a plain white shirt, blue jeans, and a striped apron. Assigned to the kitchen, he was the one who makes the recipes and prepares the food. Their small restaurant has been going on for 2 years, but they have known each other since they were kids.

"Hey yo, Leo!" Lia exclaimed. "I'm so hungry, add some extra rice, okay?"

"Really, Lia? Seriously?" Leo commented jokingly. "You should have applied here instead of the charging station. I would have cooked for you every day."

"Then I'll become a cute, fat lady."

"I don't know about the cute, but fat, yes."

With little force, Lia pushed Leo back to the kitchen. "Go and cook my food!"

Lia's parents and Leo's mother became neighborhood friends 25 years ago. Lia and Leo shared the same birth date and were born in the same hospital. In their elementary and high school days, Leo was homeschooled, so Lia always came to the Vayneseed residence after her classes to talk to him.

After a while, Leo served Lia's order. "Here's your grilled fish, fried rice with bacon strips, and.. an extra cup of rice for free." He uttered as he sat beside Lia.

"You're a really good friend, you know," Lia said, grinning widely as she smelled the free extra rice.

After seeing his friend take a few bites, he asked her, "Is it delicious?"

"You've been asking that ever since this restaurant started. Well, of course, Mr. Vayneseed. You're the best cook... Especially when you give me free rice."

Leo chuckled, "Eat up, I have a lot of fried rice in the kitchen for you."

"Thanks, Leo. You're the best!" Lia exclaimed. She continued eating, thinking that she needed to return to the charging station before 2 in the afternoon.

Lia finished eating and chatted with Leo and his mom for a while, as there was no other customer after 1 in the afternoon. After 40 minutes, she headed back to the charging station.

To her surprise, her employee vest, which was previously well-ironed and clean, was found lying on the dirty ground. "Uhm... Why-"

"You're fired," Matthew said coldly.

"I'm sorry, what did I do?" Lia asked, confused as she looked at her colleagues.

"You stole 10,000 digital cash," he said. "Jade said she saw the list of transactions. Other employees were also witnesses. I am very disappointed in you, Lia."

"It's not true! Please don't fire me!" Lia pleaded and pleaded, hoping that her boss could change his mind.

"Then are you saying that everyone in here is a liar?" Jade said, raising her eyebrows. "Everyone saw, Lia. Everyone has witnessed your crime."

Lia saw how her co-employees glared at her and badmouthed her. She was innocent, but somehow she lacked the evidence to prove herself to them.

Matthew explained, "I know your family situation, but please, leave. I will overlook the digital cash, but don't come back..." The manager liked Lia so much as an employee as she was such a positive thinker. He knew that Lia wouldn't do such a thing, but at that time, it seemed like Jade had somehow gathered their co-employees to make him fire Lia. Matthew knew that if he took Lia's side at that moment, it would affect his position as a manager, and the ruckus would just worsen. Overlooking the said stolen digital cash was the only one he can do for the poor employee.

Disappointment displayed on Lia's face. She glared at Jade, knowing that she had been envious of her having the favor of the manager Matthew, but she didn't know how evil she could be.

All the energy she got from eating her favorites hadn't helped her at all. Feeling down like a puppy in the rain, she went to the nearest park to calm herself. She laid down on a grassy spot underneath a big tree. The stress within her slowly subsided and she closed her eyes, taking a nap until 5 in the afternoon.

"Oh no, I have to go!" Lia panicked, thinking about her next job in 30 minutes.

A bar called "VIP Blitz Bar" entertains VIPs exclusively - politicians, celebrities, famous vloggers, and other rich people. Lia had been working there for 2 years. The interior of the bar is classy, with a billiards table positioned at the center. Different kinds of liquor were displayed behind the bartender's table, including the imported ones.

That day, Lia cursed destiny. Aside from her missing mother and her comatose father, they're poor, her brothers were not eligible for scholarships because of an unknown reason, and the latest bad luck - she was fired from her day job. She thought about it while wiping one of the low tables, and she accidentally knocked over a glass of red wine into a customer.

"My god!" The woman in a white, luxury dress, exclaimed. "My dress! This is very expensive! This is a Ricci brand!"

Lia saw the mess she did, and as she saw the wine drip from the bottom of her dress, she told her, "I'm so sorry ma'am! I'm sorry-"

The furious woman slapped Lia. "I want you fired!"

Her slap left her cheek awfully red and it stung her, "Please ma'am don't... I'm so sorry, I-" Lia pleaded while crying, kneeling in front of her.

Seeing the commotion, the supervisor shoved the people in the crowd and asked, "What happened here?"

"Fire this waitress." The rich woman said while wiping her Ricci dress. "If you don't fire her, I will call your boss!"

"Mrs. Hiddleworth, we're so sorry, I'll handle this," the supervisor said.

"Please don't fire me!" Lia pleaded, once again. She remembered the humiliation she had that morning, and she couldn't believe the moment was being repeated. She held the rich woman's foot. "Ma'am, I'm begging you!"

"Stop it, Lia! I'll talk to you in the pantry!" the supervisor shouted, panicking.

Mrs. Hiddleworth, annoyed with Lia's actions, kicked her face giving her a nosebleed. Even if she saw the waitress' nose she shouted angrily, "Get out of my sight!!!"

The supervisor led Lia to the back room. He gave Lia some tissues for her nosebleed.

"I'm sorry, Lia, I couldn't do anything. That was Mrs. Hiddleworth. She's a famous ex-politician, and also a politician's wife now. They're friends with the owner of the bar." he said, trying to explain the situation. "I'll give you your severance pay, okay?"

"I just got fired this morning, and now I've been fired again. How unlucky." Lia said, crying, and at the same time wiping her bloody nose. "I spaced out a while ago.."

"Rest here for a while, okay? I'll transfer your severance pay to your bank account." the supervisor said. He then went to the main computer to finish the transaction.

After receiving the severance pay, Lia decided to go home. She needed a long rest, and recharge herself after the stressful day. She sighed, looking at the city lights and night sky, which were the only beautiful things she saw that night. She continued walking until she arrived at the e-bus stop.

She didn't know what kind of unluckiness she had that day. Was it because she wore those red sneakers? Was it because she ordered grilled fish? She was finding the reasons why everything happened on that single day, but she never found the answer.

Lia knew that she couldn't afford a day without work. She needed a job badly. She then looked at the side of the e-bus stop, hoping to see some advertisements.

There were advertisements for being an online tutor like her previous jobs, but she couldn't afford another computer as the two computers were being used by her brother for their studies. She needed to find a job that pays well, and aside from this, something that she believed she could be good at, even if she didn't finish college.

Out of all the advertisements, there was one that piqued Lia's interest. It was the one saying, "Caretakers wanted. High-paying, negotiable contract terms. Contact #: 009-2929-0982".

Caretaker. High-paying. Negotiable contract. It looked like a scam, but she was desperate.