I sifted through my purse for the few dollars it would cost me to buy a coffee. Or ten. I had the feeling today was going to be a long day. I got out of the car and stretched. Oh god that felt good. I zipped up my jacket, the cool wind hitting me in the face enough to jolt me fully awake. I crossed the road and approached the girl.
"Are you open?" I asked her.
She smiled at me and nodded. "Just."
"Can I get a coffee please?" I asked, handing her my money. I tried to ignore the glances she kept sneaking at me. Did I look that bad? I subtly wiped the edges of my mouth, wondering if I'd been drooling in my sleep again. Yeah, I did that sometimes. Okay, I did that often.
"Anything else?" I shook my head. My stomach rumbled loud enough that she just had to have heard. "No. Just coffee." I stood up and walked over to a table, taking a copy of the newspaper with me. I had no intentions of reading it; I just didn't want the awkwardness of having nowhere to look while I waited. I yawned, covering my mouth and trying to keep my eyelids from falling closed. I think I'd gotten three hours, which was better than nothing but nowhere near enough. I was nervous enough about my first shift tonight without having to add exhausted to the list of things I was feeling. Reaching up to my neck, I tried to rub some of the tension away.
"Here you go."
I jumped, not even aware that she'd walked over to me. She placed a coffee and a stack of pancakes in front of me. I looked up at her, ready to hand them back, even though my stomach was screaming for food.
"On the house." She smiled at me and just stood there, like she was trying to decide whether to say something. In the end, she slid into the seat opposite me. "What's your name?" she asked. Was she trying to hit on me?
"Rose," I said, shoveling a forkful of food into my mouth, pushing all my dignity aside. God, this tasted so good. I was so hungry that I was barely chewing it as it passed down my throat.
"Rose," she repeated. She bit her lip and eyed me hesitantly. The way she was looking at me made me nervous. No wonder this place was so empty, even if it was barely morning. Did she just stand there and stare at everyone? "I worked the late shift here last night...I saw you in your car. And then I arrive here to open and you're still there." Her voice was curt, almost as if she were accusing me of something. Okay, definitely not hitting on me.
I didn't answer. I just kept eating. Answering required energy, which I just didn't have a lot of right now. Besides, there was no point denying it, and I doubted she would believe I just fell asleep. Wait a minute, why did I even need to explain myself to her?
"It's a long story," I finally answered. I pushed the empty plate away from me and looked at her square in the eye. She couldn't have been any older than me. Her long straight black hair was dyed blue at the ends, and tattoos curled around her left arm, all the way up to her collarbone. Her tight black tee shirt and black pants showed off her tiny frame.
She glanced around the empty diner and laughed. "Trust me, I got time."
My eyes widened. She really couldn't take a hint, could she?
"My parents and I had a disagreement.
They kicked me out." I replied evenly, my eyes not leaving hers.
"Do you do drugs? Alcohol?"
"No," I scoffed. Who the fuck was this chick? And more importantly, did I really look like the type of person who was into drugs? Scratch that, right now I probably did.
"Look, my mom owns this place. Would you be interested in a couple of shifts?" I gaped at her. The last thing I’d expected was a job offer.
"Do you often accost your customers into working for you?" I asked dryly as my mind processed her offer. A second job. Not the worst idea in the world. If things didn't work out at one, then I'd still have the other. And there was also the fact that I felt better when I had things to do. If I was left alone with my own thoughts for too long, things went downhill quickly. Another reason I had to get out of that damn hospital.
She laughed. "Only the ones who look desperate enough to say yes," she shot back. "We've had a sign in the window for about a month, and an ad in the newspaper with no luck. You looked like someone who might say yes." She shrugged. “And frankly, until Ma finds someone, I'm stuck doing everything. I haven't seen my boyfriend in two weeks.” Ah. The truth was finally coming out. See? Nobody did anything without an agenda these days.
"Well, I can't do evenings. I'm starting another job tonight." I said, finishing off my coffee. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a hair tie. Gathering my hair into a ponytail, I looped the band around it a few times.
"That's cool. Mornings is when we get the most traffic." She saw me survey the empty diner and laughed. "Eight till twelve is our busy time." She stood up. "You'll need to meet Ma. She's out back." She nudged her head toward the back and stood up. I did too. We walked through the kitchen, and outside. Set back on the block was a brick house. It looked okay, much better than the drug den I was expecting. And cats. I have no idea why, but I’d been expecting lots of cats.
I timidly stepped through the front door arch with my new friend, whose name I didn't even know. I could hear a television playing cartoons, and the smell of eggs wafted through the house. Was it odd that cartoons and the smell of eggs lessened my anxiety? Of course that was odd. There had to be something in that for my psychiatrist.
"Ma!" the girl screeched. I jumped, instinctively wrapping my arms around myself. 'Ma' was a plump woman all of about five feet. She appeared from out of nowhere, glancing at me curiously. Her hair was the same dark shade as her daughters, only the roots were beginning to gray. She was still in her bathrobe, bright pink with blue flowers, which she pulled tightly around herself, readjusting the belt. Two little faces appeared from around the living room corner, both looking very intrigued.
"How many times have I told you not to yell, Reena?" She tilted her head as she continued to look me over, as if she were trying to decide whether or not I was a threat "Whose this?" she sniffed.
"Rose." I said, smiling, trying my best to look friendly.
"Rose is interested in filling the job," Reena announced.
"Do you have experience, Rose?" 'Ma' asked me, her arms crossed over her chest. Suddenly she didn't look so friendly.
"I've just started an evening job at 'The Chill Bar'” I said, in what I hoped was a confident voice. It didn't really answer the question, but I was going for the logic that if someone else had hired me I must be alright.