Life is hard, they know that, but they also know that no one told them that it'd be easy. Life is hard and it just gets worse and worse, but they've opted for believing that while good things may come to those who wait, better things come to those who work.
They didn't know this then, but this principle would inspire what would be the biggest change in their lives by far.
During the day, Reyna was a full time waitress at a diner called blacktop. She figures that at some point in the diner's existence, the sign outside actually said blacktop, but ever since she started working there, a few letters have been missing from the sign. The inside of the diner looked worse; a few of the bar-stools and booth seats were worn so bad that there were cracks in the faux leather and the tiles weren't white and black anymore. The white was a dirty-looking ivory color and the black was so faded it looked gray.
Despite the stale appearance, the diner had a flourishing business. Its customers varied from the elderly couples to teenagers on their first or second date to the occasional tourist family and everything in between.
Reyna started her shift at 8 am and left to go home at 8 pm everyday except for Sundays. 4 out of the seven days of the week she has night classes at the state's university. She has an associates degree in political science and government and is currently going for a bachelors degree in education.
Usually, when she leaves school or work, she takes the train back to the studio apartment she shares with her fiance.
Leo has a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and while he works both his jobs on minimum wage, he loves what he does. For most of the day, he works in auto repair at some random-but-mainstream car company, but from 5 pm to 10 pm, he works part-time in a small, family owned workshop (they made the exception for him, since he's that good).
He drives a 1985 Chevy truck, which he nicknamed 'the Trashcan' for reasons more than just the random breakdowns.
On his way home one night, Leo was plagued with guilt tripping thoughts. He thought of his fiancee and how hard she works. She deserves the world and more and he really hates that he can't provide it to her.
Life is hard. Hell, it's the hardest thing anyone will ever have to do. They know that. The work hard to save enough money to finally get married, to pay tuition, and to pay the bills, Living off tips they both make, they hardly expected anything to change, but damn, hard work really pays off.
Today, Leo was given a break from the small workshop and instead of working, he spent the evening at his shared studio apartment. Everything was silent except for the small television in the living room, so when the phone rang at half-past-six, Leo jumped out of his skin.
It was Reyna. She seemed so shaken she could barely speak. Add that to the poor phone service and you get what Leo was hearing. The only thing he could make out was "can you pick me up from work" then the audible click told him that she had hung up.
Needless to say, Leo was worried sick. Was she okay? Why did she seem so hysterical? He couldn't help but think of the worst.
When he got to the small diner where Reyna worked, part of him was shocked to see her standing in the front, seemingly fine. The other part of him was both happy and relieved. She got in and he noticed she looked very excited. Glowing, even.
"Are you alright?" he asked
"I've never been better, actually," she replied.
He was silent for a moment. Almost as if she could sense the confusion she caused him, she spoke again.
"I quit my job," she blurted
"What?! Why?" He questioned. Then, in a quieter voice he continued speaking. "Reyna, I know it's tough working full time and going to school at the same time but we can't afford-"
"Hear me out, Leo," She interrupted. "I know I may sound a bit crazy, but do you remember the guy I told you about last week?"
He thought for a moment.
"The guy who was super determined to win the lottery?" He was still confused.
"Yes!" She verified.
He remember the story she told him last week. She told him with such a sadness in her eyes, he just had to go on another guilt trip. The look in her eyes now, well, lets just say she looks like a whole different person. He tried to remember in great detail the story she told him just the other day.
The man asked for a seat at the bar in the back of the diner where Reyna worked. He didn't want her specifically, just the cold glass of beer she could serve him. He was a man seemingly in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, and he was kind of handsome in a rugged way.
"What can I get you, sir?" Reyna asked.
"A better life and a glass of beer, thanks," he replied.
She looked at the man with pity in her eyes.
"I feel ya there," she muttered.
She thought she's said it low enough that he wouldn't hear, but he did. She walked to the back to grab his beer and when she got back, she noticed him staring at a slip of paper. One similar to the paper she has in her back pocket. Lottery numbers.
"So you played this evenin' too, huh" She attempted to lighten the mood. Her attempts, it seems, were not in vain, since he looked at her and smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but a smile nonetheless.
"Yeah, I could really use a couple million dollars right about now," he chuckled humorlessly as he finished speaking.
"Hmmph. Tell me about it," she too laughed bitterly. "Life has got me so fucked up right now."
"Tell ya what, darlin'. If I win, I'll split my prize with ya, half-n-half," the man promised.
Reyna denied his kind offer, but he insisted it was alright. He didn't need 10 million dollars to himself anyway. The she promised him the same. It was the least she could do.
She continued talking.
"Well the same man came back, and I noticed he seemed a lot happier that he did the other day. I took his order and it seemed like he didn't even remember me, so I decided to just forget about it, y'know?"
She stopped speaking as Leo parked his car across the street from the apartment building they lived in. They crossed the street after seeing no cars from either direction and she continued to speak as they ascended the stairs to their third floor apartment.
"I served him what he ordered like I normally would and all that jazz. Okay, so anyway, he left after I gave him the bill and as I'm checking for a tip, I don't see any money, but I do see a piece of paper."
She paused the retelling of her day because they reached the apartment door. Leo took out his keys, unlocked the door and held it open for her. She quickly thanked him and he locked the door behind them.
"The paper," she reached into her back pocket. "Is a check for- wait! Why don't you guess?"
He thought for a moment.
"Five hundred?" He guessed.
She smiled wide. "More."
He choked on air and attempted to breathe properly again.
"Five...thousand?" He didn't want to get his hopes up so high, but she was just so damn cute when she smiled that.
"Ugh! Dummy, he wrote me a check for five million dollars!" She screamed at him in an excited way.
Leo opened his mouth to speak, but he just couldn't form the words he wanted to say. She could finally stop saving her tips in the jar hidden behind all the spices in the kitchen cabinet. She could pay off her college tuition, quit her job and move into a better house while still having left over money. She could have everything she'd ever wanted. He's just disappointed in himself because he couldn't be the one to provide it to her.
He gave up on trying to form a sentence and say it coherently, so he ended up whispering her name in such a way that it sounded like he might have been offering up a prayer.
She walked up to him, put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him close. His hands instinctively planted themselves on her slim waist. They stared at each other, breathing in the others' scent until Reyna stood on the tips her toes and pressed her lips against his, firm, but still soft and feather-light.
He could swear that his heart was melting right through his rib cage. He felt that she pulled away much too soon and the kiss should've lasted much longer.
Reyna took a baby step back, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the worn out couch in their small living room. They sat on opposite sides of the couch- much like they usually do- and Leo realized that he had left the television on in his haste to help his queen when he'd originally thought she was in distress.
"You know," she started, fully gathering Leo's attention. "The first thing we're doing with that money is getting married."
Leo's face brightened as if someone had flipped a switch.
As Reyna rambled on and on about her plans for their future, he couldn't help but stare at her. Her excitement was super contagious and soon enough, Leo found himself smiling at the thought of spending the rest of his life with her.
He's ready for any challenges that life may throw at him as long as Reyna was by his side, just as she'd always been. He's ready for the future they'll have together.
Life may be hard, but it truly is a work of art. And just like art, life isn't supposed to be beautiful, it's supposed to make you feel something. While good things may sometimes come to those who wait, good things always comes to those who work hard for it and in the end, you'll look back and think of how the pain you once endured became the pleasure you constantly crave.
It seems that I've given them a southern American accent. I don't know why, but I live for the head canon in which Leo has a southern accent (since he's from texas)
But okay, this was fun to write. Please leave a review? Or don't, that's cool too.