22 Shelved Dreams

22 Shelved Dreams
22 Shelved Dreams

Five Years Later

The mall buzzed with life. Carts rolled across polished floors, children tugged at their parents’ hands, and clusters of shoppers filled the aisles with chatter that rose and fell like a tide. The air was laced with the scent of fried snacks from the food court and the faint, sterile chill of air conditioning.

Behind one of the counters stood Tessy, dressed in the mall’s uniform. The scanner beeped rhythmically in her hand as she swiped items across it, calling out totals with a tired but steady voice.

Exhaustion clung to her face, subtle lines of weariness softening her features, but her beauty hadn’t dimmed. Her wavy black hair was pulled into a practical ponytail, her ember-hued eyes catching the overhead light whenever she looked up. Her lips, small and quirked naturally at the edges, still held a kind of quiet grace.

She was no longer the girl she’d been years ago. She had grown into a striking young woman but her life circumstances hadn’t grown with her.

“That will be $142.75,” she said politely, sliding a man’s card through the machine. He nodded, collected his card, took his bagged goods, and shuffled away.

“Next customer,” Tessy called, her voice even, though fatigue pressed heavy against her chest.

A familiar woman stepped up, smiling warmly.
“How are you holding up, Tessy?” she asked as Tessy began scanning her items.

Tessy managed a grin. “I’m holding up pretty well. How are you today?”

“I’m fine.” The woman leaned in slightly, concern etching her tone. “But you don’t look too good.”

“I’ll be fine,” Tessy insisted with practiced ease, handing her card back.

The woman lowered her voice, her smile softening. “Don’t worry. When my son comes back from his business trip, you two should meet. He’s a nice man, Tessy. He could take you out of all this.”

Tessy forced another smile, nodded politely, and sent her off.

It wasn’t the first time. The woman was fond of playing matchmaker, convinced her son could “save” Tessy from her life. Sometimes, Tessy took the words as an insult, like being told her worth depended on a man swooping in. She knew the woman meant well, but Tessy wasn’t looking for any knight in shining armor. She wasn't a damsel in distress that needed saving.

She had her own dreams.

Dreams she’d put aside.

By now, she should have been in college, maybe even done with it. Finance fascinated her, the pulse of markets, the discipline of numbers. She read about it whenever she could, wishing she were in classrooms instead of checkout lines. She’d even earned a scholarship, an offer to attend New York University, one of the most prestigious schools in the country.

But she had turned it down.

Because Patricia and Bruno came first. If she left, Patricia’s schooling might have been derailed, and Tessy knew someone had to keep the money flowing. College would mean less income, and she couldn’t risk it. She told herself she’d try again once Patricia graduated.

But each year, life grew more expensive. And Tessy’s dreams stayed shelved.

Patricia had just finished high school. Grams had tried, more than once, to help financially, but Tessy always refused. Grams had already given them a house, already done more than enough. Tessy wouldn’t ask for more, not when her heart still bore scars from the past. From Ryan. From his words that had broken something inside her.

The memory was a wound she kept sealed, but the ache lingered.

The sharp beep of the time clock yanked her out of her thoughts. Her shift was over. She hurried to the staff locker room where Alex, her closest friend, was already pulling off her uniform.

“We have to be fast if we want to make it,” Alex muttered, stuffing her clothes into her bag. “The manager will chew us out again if we’re late.”

“Let’s move,” Tessy said quickly, changing into her café uniform.

The mall paid three times more than the café, but the café gave consistent hours. Juggling both jobs kept her afloat, but barely. It was exhausting, and their manager often complained about them being late to their shift, threatening to cut it close, he would fire them but he never followed through on his threats. Tessy and Alex were two of his best workers, and he knew it.

Minutes later, they were crammed onto a bus, the city blurring by. When they finally slipped into the café, the manager shot them his usual withering glare.

Tessy and Alex exchanged a quick look. Relief washed over them when he turned away without a word.

Grateful for the small mercy, they tied their aprons, joined the rest of their coworkers and got to work.

Tessy arrived home late, the night already settled over the streets. The long day clung to her body like a heavy coat, and she dragged her feet up the narrow lane. Since Bruno started his job at the mechanic’s shop, mostly selling spare parts and doing odd repairs, he no longer had the time to walk her home. Between that and his part-time economics program at college, he barely had hours to spare himself.

As she reached Grams’ apartment, the smell of dinner floated out into the night. Tessy’s shoulders relaxed, a tired smile pulling at her lips. After a day of endless work, nothing compared to knowing warmth, food, and family were waiting behind a door. For a moment, the weight on her chest lifted.

She’d once thought life would ease up once Patricia finished high school. She’d imagined she could finally breathe, maybe even start on her own dreams. But reality never paused. Now Patricia is done with high school and will soon set on college, and she has a deep interest in arts. And Tessy would never, could never let her sister’s dreams be dimmed.

“Tessy, you’re back!” Patricia jumped up from the couch the moment she walked in. She hurried over, taking the bag off her sister’s shoulder.

“You’re just in time for dinner. Come, sit,” she urged, her smile bright enough to melt the day’s fatigue.

Bruno glanced up from the table, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You look tired.”

Tessy dropped into the chair with a faint laugh. “Well, there’s no time to rest. I can’t afford a day off.”

Bruno’s jaw tightened. He said nothing more, focusing on his plate.