Chapter 3
The year after I tore up my acceptance letter, I left the village with some other folks and headed to the city.
My first job was washing dishes in the back of a restaurant.
My hands were soaked in greasy dishwater all day, and by the time I clocked out, my knuckles were swollen and sore.
I made one hundred dollars a month. I kept 20 for myself to get by, and sent the other 80 back home to my family.
In my letters, I always asked, [How's Annie doing?]
My mom wrote back, [She's doing fine, but she's always sitting by the door, waiting for you to come home.]
Later, the restaurant went out of business.
I started looking for work again.
At the labor market, I bumped into Victor Reed.
He wasn't there looking for a job; he was actually hiring.
His company needed someone to help out in the office.
They wanted someone with at least a high school diploma and basic computer skills.
I had exactly what they needed.
Victor was rocking a crisp white shirt that day, standing out like a sore thumb in the middle of all those dusty, tired workers.
He glanced at my resume, just one page, nothing fancy.
He asked, "Why didn't you go to college?"
I paused for a second, then said, "My family's poor."
He gave me a gentle look.
"We provide housing. During the probation period, it's 4 hundred dollars a month. Once you're permanent, it'll be 5 hundred. How does that sound?" he said.
I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
"Yes! Of course!" I blurted out.
And just like that, I became an office clerk at Victor's company.
I picked things up fast, printing, copying, making spreadsheets. It didn't take me long to get the hang of it.
Victor was the boss, but he was nothing like those typical bosses.
He'd show me how to use all sorts of office tools, and if I had to work late, he'd give me a ride back to the dorm.
The other employees would joke, "Looks like the boss has a thing for you."
I'd blush, but deep down, I felt a warm sweetness inside.
He started asking me out to dinner and movies.
He remembered I didn't like spicy food, and always picked comedies because he knew I loved them.
He'd tell me all about his journey, how he started out as a small-time designer and built his own company from scratch, and how tough it was every step of the way.
Whenever Victor was around, it felt like he lit up the whole room.
Six months later, he finally told me how he felt.
It happened in the park right outside our office.
He stood there with a bunch of roses in his hands, looking kind of nervous.
"Susan, I really like you. Will you be my girlfriend?" Victor said.
My mind went completely blank.
Me? Just some country girl who washed dishes for a living. Was someone like me really good enough for him?
I whispered, "I...I have a little sister at home."
"I know," he said.
"She's not like other kids. She's got some mental issues," I said, looking down at my shoes.
"Susan, that doesn't matter," he said, pulling me up and making me look him in the eye. "I like you, and I'll treat your family like my own."
At that moment, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
I brought Victor home to meet my family.
My parents were so nervous, they didn't even know what to do with their hands.
But Victor was totally at ease.
He treated my dad like an old friend, offering him a cigarette, and kept saying my mom's cooking was even better than any restaurant's.
He brought Annie a huge, beautiful doll.
When Annie saw the doll, her first reaction was to hide behind me.
Victor didn't even blink.
He crouched down and put the doll on the floor, making sure it was far from Annie.
He smiled at Annie. "Hi, I'm Victor, your sister's boyfriend."
Annie looked at him, silent.
Victor stayed crouched, waiting patiently.
After a while, Annie slowly stepped out from behind me, walked up to the doll, and gently touched the doll's dress with her finger.
My parents watched, their eyes growing misty with emotion.