I still remember the exact weight of that tray in my hands—the way my fingers ached from balancing too many plates, the way my smile felt glued on after a twelve-hour shift that wasn’t even close to over.Back then, I was barely surviving. Rent swallowed most of my paycheck, and whatever was left depended entirely on tips—and tips were never guaranteed. Some nights, I went home counting coins, wondering how long I could keep pretending everything was fine.