13. Theresa
Desperate times called for desperate measures. Right? Sitting face-to-face with someone who’d hated her would be worth it. It had to be. Besides, this wouldn’t be the first time, or the last, that she’d have to talk to someone who hated her. Most people ended up hating her. It shouldn’t be something that bothered her, after a lifetime of people turning their backs on her.
Keeping the soup kitchen open would be worth the small sacrifice she needed to make this morning. Worth swallowing her pride and sitting down with someone who was like everyone else, someone who laughed at her, purposefully excluded her, gossiped about her behind her back.
After staring at her apartment walls for the past two weeks, she’d had more than enough time to think of all possible solutions for the soup kitchen’s need for donations.
The best solution involved Ashley, her former co-worker. While Theresa was a nurse, Ashley cleaned. They both developed crushes on the same guy, Michael, before Theresa realized that she needed a man with more money. But before she realized that, Michael and Ashley accused her of getting Ashley fired. The truth was completely different.
Yes, Theresa wanted to date Michael, but she also had her eye on three other men. Yes, she might have been less than kind to Ashley, but dating wasn’t a game. At least not to her.
Besides, why bother trying to be friends with someone who was after the same guy? Especially when people like her weren’t meant to have friends?
Did she get Ashley fired? Not intentionally. Yes, she filed a complaint about Ashley, but not because she dated Michael. She’d lost that fight and moved on. But sometimes, people would rather believe the truth they imagined instead of letting her explain that she hadn’t known Ashley would get fired. Even after Ashley and Michael ruined her chances to find her sister, getting Ashley fired wouldn’t solve anything. But no one would believe her, so she hadn’t bothered trying to explain anything when Michael filed his own complaint and got her transferred to a different section of the hospital.
But now, with no restaurants or grocery stores willing to donate more food, she needed to use every connection she had. Unfortunately, Ashley was the only connection she had with any local restaurant, as she’d left her job cleaning the hospital to pursue a career in cooking. And, as Emily’s cousin, she was able to convince the three of them to meet up at a bakery that morning.
“So, as you can see, donations have been down across the city, not just at this soup kitchen, but at these others as well.” Theresa tilted the computer screen in front of her to let both Emily and Ashely have a better view of the PowerPoint presentation she”d put together. “If each of the restaurants on this list donated their excess food, it would make a significant impact. Further, if each restaurant asked patrons for a one-dollar donation at the end of their meal, the impact would be huge.”
Ashley didn”t look convinced. “I don”t know about all the restaurants on this list, but I know the one I work at, Harvest House, operates on a lean budget. There isn”t much left over at the end of the month, even though it”s a high-end restaurant. And the head chef has worked hard to reduce the amount of food waste at the end of each night. We”d barely have enough leftover food to serve ten meals, and he uses the leftover supply on the lunch menu the following day.” She shook her head. “I really don”t see what we could do to help.”
Theresa flipped to another screen on the presentation. “If each table donates an extra dollar to support the local soup kitchens?—”
Ashley shook her head. “They tried something like that a few years ago. Tips for the serving staff went down.”
“We have to do something.” Theresa tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She and Ashley had never been friends, but this issue was about more than their lack of friendship. “Could you at least talk with the owner of the restaurant about it?”
Ashley looked at Emily, and the two of them shared some silent communication.
It was Emily who spoke next. “Even if we don”t come up with a solution right now, we can all think about this some more.”
Theresa shook her head. “There are people in our community who need food tonight. They don”t have anywhere warm to be, and the temperature is going to be below freezing at night next week. They can”t wait.”
Ashley pushed back in her chair, clearly done with the conversation. “Well, I can”t help you.”
“Wait!” Theresa reached out her hand to stop Ashley from getting up. “I know you don”t like me, but think of the people who need your help.”
Ashley narrowed her eyes at Theresa and said nothing.
“Ashley,” Emily said quietly, giving her a veiled warning.
Theresa tried again. “Do you have any idea what kinds of problems some people have to face? Daily? Never knowing where their next meal will come from or if they”ll have somewhere safe to spend the night?”
“Ashley knows. Let”s all think about this and see if we can come up with some type of plan in the next few weeks,” Emily said.
“That”s the problem. We don”t have a couple of weeks. The soup kitchen is reducing their hours starting tomorrow because they don”t have enough food. Ashely, can”t you at least think of the people who depend on them?”
Something Theresa said must have hit a nerve with Ashley, because her face grew red, and she sat straight up, pointing at Theresa. “You can”t be serious. Emily, is she serious? Did I actually hear her say that? Say that I don’t care about other people?”
“Ash, I”m sure that”s not what Theresa meant, right?”
“No, that”s what she implied.”
“If you won”t help—” Theresa started, but Ashley interrupted.
“Do you realize that I was this far”—she held up her hand, fingers a fraction of an inch apart—“from being homeless? From being one of the people who depended on the food kitchen for meals each day?”
“So then you know how much they need help?—”
“No. That”s not what I”m saying. You are the reason I was almost homeless. You got me fired from the hospital. You didn”t care that I was barely earning enough money to survive. You treated me like dirt daily and didn”t even care enough to have a conversation with me. Instead you acted like I wasn”t worthy enough to walk in the same hallway as you.”
Theresa’s mouth hung open. “I didn”t?—”
“You did. You acted like a high school bully. I did nothing mean to you, and then you got jealous when I started dating Michal and you got me fired. You complained and convinced my boss to fire me. I almost lost everything because of you!”
Theresa crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “First of all, there”s no rule that says I had to be friends with you just because we worked on the same floor in the hospital. You weren”t exactly nice to me either. You never invited me out when you made plans with everyone else. You always laughed when the patients complained about me. You know that no one likes me at work, and you didn”t care.”
“Why should I have cared? You were selfish and full of yourself. You hated it that I dated Michael. You wanted him for yourself!”
“Ashley, Theresa, we”re in a public place. Can”t you keep your voices down?” Emily scolded.
“I”d keep my voice down if Ashley wasn”t lying to me.”
“Everything I said was true.”
“But you conveniently left out the other half of the story, didn’t you?”
“What other half are you talking about?”
“The part where you found my sister and scared her away!”
“What are you even talking about?”
“Don”t pretend you don”t know. She looks exactly like me. You saw her—don”t deny it. You saw me sneak her into the clinic two years ago when she needed bandages. She told me you saw her in the parking lot a few times. And you ruined my last chance at finding her when you were making out in the stairway at work with Michael. She was waiting for me, and I didn”t get there in time because you two blocked the exit. She disappeared, and now I can”t find her anywhere!”
“So don”t go blaming me for your problems,” Theresa continued, not able to stop now that the words were flowing. “You were never going to be homeless, even if you lost your job. You have Emily. You have Michael. Who do I have? Who does my sister have? She”s living on the streets, not you.” Theresa spat out the words, her vision narrowed and her pulse pounding throughout her body. She grabbed her laptop and slammed it closed. “I”m done with this. Forget I asked you for anything. I”ll figure this out on my own.”
Theresa stormed out of the cafe clutching her computer. She didn”t need anyone. People were all the same. They”d only help if there was a reason for them to help, and they”d turn their back on anyone the instant they changed their minds.
It was better to be alone.