"I... I... I just didn't meet the criteria," Ariel stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
The staff member's frown deepened. "Criteria? What kind of criteria? You're a young woman, you're practically built for cleaning...?" The staff said then stammered a bit because it almost look like an insult.
"Um... I'm sorry but I mean, you look fit, What else could he possibly need for just a cleaner?"
Ariel understood the confusion. She couldn't explain the real reason she didn't get the job. It was a secret she had to keep, a burden she carried alone.
"Well, it was the boss who mentioned the criteria," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I guess he has his reasons."
The staff member shrugged. "Well, I wish you luck finding a job somewhere else. You'll find a better place and a better job, I'm sure."
Ariel forced a smile and turned to leave, but a wave of despair washed over her. She had no money for food, no job, no hope. She felt like she was walking into a fiery abyss.
Then, a thought struck her. Maybe she could ask the staff member for some leftover food. Even scraps would be better than nothing. She had to survive. She certainly can't return back to her mother empty handed without food.
As she halted, she hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest, the problem is how she's going to request for it. How could she possibly ask for scraps? It was humiliating, degrading. But the gnawing emptiness in her stomach was a constant reminder of her desperate situation.
She couldn't let pride stand in the way of survival, her condition now is now very worst than that of Damian when he was with her. Damian, at least, had someone like her to provide for him. He had food, clothes, a roof over his head, he only get's maltreated, insulted and disrespected.  
But she...? she had nothing. This was rock bottom.
Taking a deep breath, she turned back, her eyes meeting the staff member's. She took all the courage that she's going to request for it along with the shame but she still couldn't bring herself to approach staff, not yet. The thought of begging for leftovers was almost unbearable. Maybe she could just turn around and leave, forget the whole thing.
She stood there, frozen, torn between her pride and her desperate need. The silence stretched on, each second a torment.
She stood still battling with her mind over and over again and at last she believed she can't ask for left over, instead she should go seek work somewhere else.
Knowing she couldn't bring herself to ask for leftovers, Ariel turned to leave. But as she started to walk away, a voice stopped her grabbing her hand.
"Hey! How can I help you?"
She turned to see the staff approaching her. It was obvious she had noticed Ariel's distress, her hesitant movements, her downcast gaze.
"Umm..." Ariel stammered, unable to meet the staff member's eyes.
"Come on, tell me what's wrong," the staff member said gently. "You look so bothered. Is it because of the job? because you didn't get the job?"
"No, it's not that, my problem is far from that," Ariel said, shaking her head.
"Then tell me," the staff member urged. "I can see you're upset. Maybe you don't trust me, but we can start trusting each other now. There's nothing to be afraid of, I'm someone who just loves to help people when they are I need as far as I can help. Tell me what's bothering you. My name is Melissa, by the way." She extended her hand, offering a warm smile.
"I'm Ariel," she replied, taking Melissa's hand in a shaky grip.
"Well, Ariel, please tell me what's wrong," Melissa said, her voice soft and reassuring. "You don't have to be ashamed or afraid. If it's something I can help with, I will."
Ariel hesitated, torn between her pride and her desperate need. She had to decide whether to reveal her secret, to trust this stranger with her vulnerability.
"Please, please help me, I'm almost at the end of my world, every minute I feel like I'm dying, I might look normal to you but I'm not normal, I swear, I'm going crazy, you have to help me any little you can" Ariel pleaded, her voice choked with emotion. "I'm desperate. I don't even know how to explain it." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away, trying to maintain her composure. She couldn't bear to be seen as weak, as someone who couldn't handle her own problems.
"My baby... she's hurt, badly hurt. She needs medical treatment, and I don't have the money. We need food, too. My mom and I haven't eaten since morning. We're all starving. no money to buy food which was why I came here looking for work in the first place hoping I would get little more money to add to the little one I have in other to get food for my mum and my daughter" She held up a food token, its meager value barely enough for a glass of water, let alone a meal.
"I was walking around to see I could see anything it could be enough to buy then I saw this place, the vacancy for job, I was hoping I could work and get more money for feeding but unfortunately I couldn't get it," 
"I can't return to my mum and daughter empty handed, they had put all their hope in me that if I'm returning I will bring them food so please... I thought maybe, just maybe, I could find something to eat. You can help me with anything eatable, even if it's leftovers. Please, please help me," she begged, her voice breaking. The shame she felt was overwhelming, but the need to feed her child, her mother, and herself was stronger.
Melissa's disgusted expression only added to Ariel's discomfort. She felt like a beggar, a burden, a failure. But she couldn't let her pride get in the way of her family's survival.