When I left my stepfamily, I went to the next town and found myself in front of this pub. It was evening, and no one was outside. Luckily, the pub's owner, Mr. Jerry, went out to take out the trash and saw me lying beside the entrance.
He quickly got me inside and gave me something to eat. I thought all people were bad, just like my stepmother and stepsisters. But Mr. Jerry proved to me that everyone can be kind if they choose to be. He took care of me while I was in my vulnerable state. He fed me, bought me clothes, and gave me money to buy my needs.
"Why are you so kind to me?" I said one day.
He smiled sweetly, like a father looking out for his daughter. "You're reminding me of my dead daughter. She was just your age when she was stolen from me because of her illness."
To repay his kindness, I worked for his pub. I became a waitress. Customers, regular or not, treated me kindly, and I never experienced harassment.
In this town, the people are friendly, warm, and respectful. Now I see why they are really supporting the reign of Alpha Luis in the country, because he is also like them: friendly, warm, respectful, and born in this town.
So, when they knew that he was searching for his mate for many full moons, they helped in the search, too. They searched by interrogating young ladies who attended the party and relaying the message to the pack's council.
But for whatever reason, they didn't ask anything from me. Maybe because I was from a different town, so they thought I was out of the equation? But still, I was puzzled and glad at the same time. I'm trying to get my life together, and this normalcy is what I wanted, not unnecessary attention.
When my shift was over and I returned to my small room on the second floor of the pub, I dreamed of him again. Most importantly, I dreamed about the time we spent at the party.
Morning came. As usual, I started mopping the floor and cleaning the windows.
"You don't have to do that, Cindy," Mr. Jerry said when he entered the pub and found me wiping the tables.
"It's the least I can do for your kindness to me."
Again, he let me do what I wanted. The two other workers entered after a minute, and then the number of customers who came inside slowly increased. For a short period, the bar was full of customers, even though it was still afternoon.