“Come on, let me touch your face just a little,” he said.
Marie stepped back.
“No,” she answered firmly. “Don’t touch me.”
The man burst out laughing with his friends.
“Look at that! You’re this poor and you still won’t let anyone touch you? We give you the privilege and you refuse?”
Marie felt a chill run through her, but she held her head high. She kept working, refusing to give in to the provocation.
Every day, she endured mockery and inappropriate gestures.
Sometimes, she returned to her small apartment at night wondering, “Is all of this really worth it?”
She sat on her bed, tired, sometimes discouraged. Her hands were red from washing dishes. Her feet ached from standing for long hours.
But every evening, she repeated to herself:
“No, I can’t give up. I have to keep going. If I find a man who will love me for who I am, then every sacrifice will be worth it.”
She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and told herself she would keep going one more day.
Day after day, Marie woke early, put on her uniform, and returned to the restaurant. She learned to take orders faster and serve more efficiently. She learned to ignore the mockery and the inappropriate behavior.
Sometimes, kind customers offered small compliments.
“Thank you, you’re very quick today,” an elderly customer would say.
Those small kindnesses gave Marie the strength to go on.
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