"You are a failure!"
That was the last thing her mother said to her. Bernie pondered as she stared at the picture on the wall. Her mother died 6 years ago. Now she was alone in the world and the world was unforgiving to orphans, hardly leaving them room to survive.
Many times she had been approached by extreme, people with fliers and an eager looks on their faces, to share of a benevolent God up in the sky who would grant you unspeakable riches and all your heart's desires— as long as you 'repent of your sins' and transform into some holy entity. They mostly never waited to help her when she shared her plight.
The other consisted of pimps and thugs who only tried to take advantage of her. Bernie was 17 years old, already blossoming into what could be deemed a fine woman. She learned to trust no man when she naively believed one of them. She hissed at the thought, scattering it before the wounds reopened again.
It was 6 AM in the morning, and Bernie didn't know where to start. She surveyed the empty room, with her few worldly possessions scattered about. She came to the same decision as she did every day.
'Loiter— and plunder when you can.'
***
In her shabby little town, she knew the places to avoid and the places to explore. There was this bakery where she got a little food for free. The owner of the bakery was a lovely woman but she wasn't Bernie's mother, and that was the truth. A little bread could stave off the hunger but for a few hours.
After a portion of her daily bread, she casually loitered the streets of the town, deftly avoiding security officers and thugs alike. One wanted to abuse her, the other wanted to send her to school. She dropped out when she was 15 and barely had anything in her head anymore. Life was pretty bleak.
Bernie noticed a building she had never seen before across the street, a goldsmith's shop. She was intrigued and for good reasons. She could get a lot of money if she plundered it once, and she wanted to see goldsmiths make jewellery.
Thus, the goldsmith's shop became the target of the week. Any intelligent person could tell that failing to prepare meant preparing to fail. She devised how she could get as much as she could, without becoming wanted by the entire police force of the country.
'Easy. I'll get close to them first, then rob them clean. ' She giggled.
She strode gingerly towards the shop, ensuring those who could recognise her weren't within range. After confirming that the perimeter was secure, she gently banged on the polished wooden door.
"Come in!" A crisp and clear male voice was projected from within.
'Ah... Another man. I'll rob you hard. ' Her lips curled in disgust. She had a deep-seated hatred for men and she was unrepentant about it. She particularly hated the ones with gentle voices and considered them demons.
She pushed open the door and was welcomed into a glorious sight. There was jewellery everywhere and the room was so clean, so breezy, so beautiful that she didn't notice the man walk up to her. She was taking it all in as if she had reached the third heavens.
"Good morning, miss. How may I serve you today?"
Bernie staggered back and missed her footing, she knew she was going to fall. But a calloused hand reached out and grabbed her gently, preventing a great fall. She looked up to see a very handsome man, with blue eyes that seemed to glow with kindness. He had a sorry look on his face that almost pricked Bernie's stony heart.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you. " He apologized profusely after setting her to her feet. She gawked for a few seconds, in shock at how her finely crafted plans nearly ended with her on the floor within a few minutes of arrival... No, the plan was dead on arrival.
She shook off the building emotions fearfully.
'This man is really dangerous! ' She thought. She had to leave, quickly. But then she looked around at all the fine jewellery that was displayed and remembered why she came in the first place. To plunder.
She finally regained her composure, pushing her eyebrows into a frown. She eyed the dangerous man with a little bit of shame, anger and embarrassment. She had a legitimate ground to siphon a little money out of him as punishment.
"I demand compensation for what just happened." She said with a pout.
The man's lips broke into an embarrassed smile. He probably wondered why this customer was so weird. He scratched the back of his head.
"What would you like as compensation then?" He asked gently.
The question stumped Bernie. She didn't know how to ask him for money, he looked like a very wealthy young man. She also couldn't ask for jewellery, because it would be clear she came to rob him. She needed more time and couldn't risk things going wrong.
She suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Give me a job here." Bernie demanded. Her eyes wavered as she asked that because she knew she was asking for too much. It wasn't even his fault she nearly fell and he even saved her from falling. She felt guilty for the first time in a long time.
But she got a response she didn't expect. The man laughed heartily as if he had heard some good news or something.
"Splendid! I was looking for a sales representative for a while now. People don't seem to notice my shop and I'd like to change that. You are young and beautiful and you fit the description I need. You're hired!" He replied with excitement.
Bernie thought there was something wrong with the world.
(End of part 1)
Ephesians 2:12
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Amazing and well-crafted story
Wow! This is a lovely story.