The bright fluorescent lights of the commercial kitchen hummed quietly above the stainless steel counter.
Greasy metal pans were stacked high near the deep sink while dirty water splashed onto the floor.
Elena wiped her weary forehead with the back of her wet arm and took a slow breath.
Her hands were red and sore from hours of scrubbing thick grease off heavy roasting pans.
She had taken this low job weeks ago to keep a very low profile in the city.
Nobody in the high-end banquet hall knew who she really was or where she had come from.
To the head chef and the wealthy guests upstairs, she was just an invisible kitchen maid.
She placed another clean pan onto the drying rack with a heavy, exhausted sigh.
Her little daughter, Maya, sat quietly on a wooden stool near the back supply room door.
The three-year-old girl held a small stuffed bear close to her chest and watched her mother work.
Maya: Mommy, are your hands hurting again?
Elena turned around quickly and offered her daughter a soft, comforting smile despite her painful tiredness.
Elena: I am fine, my sweet sweet girl.
Elena: We will be going home very soon, I promise.
The kitchen door swung open with a loud thud, letting in the muffled sound of classical music.
A woman in a sparkling sequined gown walked into the service room holding a silver tray.
Her name was Victoria, the glamorous event coordinator who loved to boss everyone around with harsh words.
She looked down her nose at Elena with pure disgust as she walked closer to the sink.
Victoria: Why are these dessert plates not ready for the main table yet?
Elena: I was told to finish scrubbing these heavy grease pans first, ma'am.
Victoria: I do not care what you were told by the line cook!
Victoria: Move faster right now or I will make sure you do not get paid tonight!
Maya shrank back against her stool, her small fingers clutching her cream dress tightly in fear.
Elena stepped between the angry woman and her little girl to shield Maya from the loud yelling.
Elena: Please do not raise your voice near my daughter, Victoria.
Victoria: You do not tell me what to do in this building, little maid!
Victoria slammed her silver tray onto the stainless steel table with a sharp, echoing metallic bang.
The sudden noise made several kitchen workers freeze in place and look over nervously.
Elena kept her calm demeanor, but her heart was pounding rapidly against her ribs.
She could endure the hard physical labor, but she would not let anyone terrify her child.
Elena: I will load the dessert plates immediately if that is what is needed upstairs.
Victoria: You should have done it twenty minutes ago without being asked!
Victoria stepped right into Elena's personal space, pointing a long manicured finger directly at her face.
Maya began to cry softly, hiding her face against Elena's beige cardigan apron.
Elena gently wrapped one arm around her weeping child while holding her ground firm and steady.
Maya: Mommy, tell her who daddy is!
Victoria burst into a cold, cruel laugh that echoed off the hard tiled kitchen walls.
Victoria: Who your daddy is?
Victoria: Your daddy is probably a nobody who left you both with nothing!
Elena's eyes flashed with a sudden, deep anger, but she kept her voice completely steady.
Elena: You know nothing about my family or my life, Victoria.
Victoria: I know you are washing dishes for minimum wage in my hall!
The kitchen door clicked open again, catching the attention of the surrounding kitchen staff.