Chapter 4
Beth woke up, bathed, and went off to work. She hoped things were going well for Wilfred. It was dangerous in the mountains where the rebels ruled over the Viceroy's Palace area. She had worries of her own to deal with as well. Her boss had been even more testy than usual at work recently, and she was stressed out over her fiance's being gone. She hoped he came back soon, and successful in his quest for knowledge.
At work there was a nice-sized crowd staring at half-empty bottles of cheap local beer. Times were hard for everyone, and money was tight. She knew well, though, that even the poorest laborer saved up to drown his sorrows in cheap alcohol. She could barely pay the rent off of the measly tips that the patrons were giving, and her wages were too low to provide her with any material comfort. She could sympathize with the workers who spent their salaries on beer and whiskey and vodka so they could forget about the troubles of their lives for at least a few hours until the hangover. She wondered if they had wives at home that were nagging them about money. Money problems always caused trouble, even in the happiest of relationships.
Even her boss was probably stressing out over money. The property the tavern was on belonged to the Directrix, who was quite the businessman. Her boss had to pay monthly rent in order to avoid getting repossessed by the Imperial Guard. Beth gulped, the rent was due today. She hoped that she would not lose her job soon, because then she would lose her apartment soon thereafter, and where would she stay then?
Politicians and the wealthy often remarked that the plight of the working class was not the concern of government. Beth liked to do things herself, but when times were bad like they were now, and one did not have family to rely upon, there was no choice but to work for next to nothing or beg, or starve. She hoped the hard times would end soon, and hoped that Wilfred would find a good steady job so that she would not be in danger of being destitute. She would probably always work some because she wanted her own spending cash, but she did not want to have to work so hard and so long.
During the middle of her shift, her boss came up to her and handed her an envelope.
"What is this?" Beth asked.
"This is the rent. I want you to go across the street and give it to the Directrix or his wife, so that the troops do not come and chase us out. I would do it myself, but that palace gives me the creeps," her boss said.
"Alright," Beth gulped, "I will do it."
"See you shortly," her boss said.
Beth walked across the street to the palace, wondering why her boss had given her this most unpleasant of tasks to do. The palace door was closed, so she used the golden knocker to announce her presence. Though the day was warm, she was shivering when a teenage girl opened the door.
"Who are you?" Cherie asked.
"My name is Beth, and I am a waitress at the tavern next door. My boss sent me here to pay the rent for this month," Beth replied.
"Oh, I will tell the Directrix you are here," Cherie said happily as she ran back towards the library.
After a brief visit, the Directrix came out of the library with Cherie and headed for the door. Beth was still shivering. The Directrix motioned for Beth to come in, and she entered the palace and then closed the heavy solid wood door.
"You do not have to be frightened," Natonito said.
"I do not know why my boss did not come herself, but she sent me here with this envelope of rent," Beth said.
"Let us see if all the rent is in here," Natonito replied.
He opened the envelope and counted the money inside. As he finished counting he frowned and counted again. Beth grew more and more frightened as he counted.
"I know why your boss sent you here. The rent is short by a thousand freznics," Natonito said.
"I was afraid of that. Times have been rough recently and my boss has been really stressed out," Beth said.
"Yes, I know times have been rough. She is probably afraid that I will send over the guard to torture her until she gives up every last penny, but I hardly need the money. This table is worth more than the amount she owes me in back rent," Natonito replied.
"So you're not going to throw us out of the tavern?" Beth said in her squeakiest voice.
"No. I will not have to torture her. Her being in debt to me will drive her so mad that she will actually be a nice tenant to me in the future. I will just write her a little note telling her I understand how rough the times are and that I will not charge her the remaining money at this time. She knows that pity is worse than hate, so I will get my money back and she will learn a nice lesson about managing her money. That way I do not have to be overly nasty or unpleasant, and she will give me due deference when I need her to do a favor for me," Natonito replied.
"You are a clever man," Beth said.
"You don't get where I am unless you are clever," Natonito replied. "Have a good day yourself, and try not to feel frightened. After all, you are probably doing all you can. Do not worry about the fact that your boss has some bad spending habits. She will get what she deserves, and so you will, someday."
"Thank you for the compliment," Beth said.
"It is no problem. I am not in the business of terrorizing barmaids. I am the second most powerful person in the empire, and my job is to try to look out for the little people as much as possible," Natonito said. "They are often more loyal subjects than those who consider themselves important."
"I have to head back to work now," Beth said.
"Have a good day," Natonito replied.
"You too," Beth said with a relieved smile as she walked towards the door, which she opened and then gently closed behind her.
Beth then walked back across the street to work, and her boss was waiting for her at the door.
"What did he say to you?" her boss said.
"He just said that he understood that times are rough, so he will no require you to pay the full rent at this time," Beth replied.
"That is what he said to you?" her boss replied, "At this time?"
"Yes, that is what he said," Beth answered.
"He has a long memory too. I will have to pay him back for sure, to keep from being indebted to him. There is little I hate more than being in debt," her boss answered.
"Can I get back to work now?" Beth asked.
"Sure, go ahead. All the drunks are yours," her boss sarcastically answered.
Beth went back to work with a flourish, and when her shift was done she went back home to think about Wilfred. She hoped he was alright, and wished he was somewhere where he could contact her via SMS. Unfortunately, he was not. She went to sleep soon thereafter dreaming about kissing the scholarly young man once again and holding him in her arms.
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