Page 66 of The Guru: Shadow

“You are Julie Regan. You are a ray of sunshine, having people fall for you just by walking by, you will get over him pretty fast I believe,” she said with a forced chuckle.

Julie laughed.

“Thanks, Em. How are you?”

“Thriving in chaos, you know me.” She tried to drive her away as she had absolutely no intention to dive into what happened.

“Give me a call if you need anything.”

“Sure, thanks.”

Pretty sure she would never, she stuffed her phone aside.

So, something happened with Carl. It must’ve been Deis. Must.

With a quick glance at her watch, she saw it was already 7.30 a.m., and in about an hour her shift at the diner would start. It was a job she had taken on just for the sake of having some income and getting her mind off things, her heart wasn’t in there at all. It would be a long and exhausting day. For a moment, she thought about going back to the apartment and taking the rest of the jay to get herself through the day and quieten the pain in her, but then she didn’t want to set foot in the apartment right now.

As she walked up 10th Avenue turning for 34th St., a bit later, she still fumed inside, bathing in a toxic cocktail of her emotions ranging from anger to shame. When she finally reached the diner on the corner of 9th Avenue a familiar deep exhaust sound trailed into her ears. And undoubtedly, when she glanced behind her up 9th Avenue, there it was: the black G-Class. The daring he had turning up here.

How does he even know where I work?

She hadn’t told anyone. So, he must have her under more surveillance than just the cameras. Just thinking of it made her anger double. Except for a tiny, tiny part of her that found his possessiveness quite enchanting.

I told you to leave

Deis

You shouldn’t be working

Unlike you, some people have to make a living

You won’t make it in a diner, you’re better than that

Fuck off, classist asshole

She loathed people who judged people by their jobs and, even worse, who thought some jobs were less worthy. The job she has had at the agency for a few months was recognized and paid well, but it was the worst job of her life. While the library one not well paid and awfully boring, it was still considered valuable. Working at a diner, however, always made people turn up their noses or even worse, look down on her with pity in their eyes, considering her less – at least in the circle around Julie and Chris.Urgh.

The finest people she had ever met weren’t the ones at Stone’s or down at Wall Street like Chris, dealing with the big money, but the ones waiting tables, cleaning, protecting the park, driving cabs.

The High Line staff member, for example. Will has worked there for years now, and every day she came there, he’d greet her with a big smile, and she’d greet him back. Until they started talking, and she brought him a coffee one day.

He had been thankful and told her about his family, how they immigrated in the 50s in the hopes of a better life. About how he worked three jobs at sixty-nine and usually skipped two meals so his granddaughter could go to university. Since then, she would always get him a coffee or a sandwich when she visited. And it was Will, who was one of the few people who really wanted to hear how she was, not the platonic “I’m fine.” He was the one who listened to her, asked questions, and always had great life advice for her.

And then there was Deis, sitting on his money in his luxury car, telling people at his events how they can achieve anything if they just believe in themselves. Or telling her she was better than working at a diner while he exploited people and their hopes for fun.

Gods, the injustice of it!

Did she have dreams of earning more money? Sure. But not at the cost of others.

Right now, the diner was fine. It was just exciting enough to keep her interested, keep her mind occupied, and she had at least some money. Not enough to fully pay for her apartment now that Chris moved out, but she would find a solution for it. For now it was Julie.

So, without another glance at him, she went inside, said hi to the others as if nothing happened, changed into the white blouse and black pants, stuffed away not only her things but also her social anxiety, and started her shift.

Although, a packed diner would’ve kept her mind busy from rambling about everything that happened this weekend, a little less frequented day would not overwhelm her that much after all that happened.

As a first action, she made herself a much-needed coffee. Just when her coffee cup was almost full, she heard the vibrations of a voice behind her, shattering through her bones.

“What would you recommend?”