Looking for escape

The orders came thick and fast. Steve wanted a Western BBQ, the ghost a chicken sandwich, the mummy some wings. There were sides and appetisers, and a platter or two. Trish reeled out the orders for herself and Linda without looking up, and only just as Danny was moving on did she catch herself and ask how if he was okay. Danny paused at the question but was too distracted for anything other than an "I'm okay thanks." Trish looked at him curiously, glanced at the new nametag he wore, then nodded. With not much else to say, Danny asked the remaining people on the table for their orders, scribbling them down. He expected more comments, but the conversations had really started up so most of them only took the shortest break in their conversation to list their order.. Even Steve was now regaling mummy guy with the story of an epic prank he'd pulled off back in college. Danny felt like joining in to point out how the story had gained several embellishments since the last time he'd told it, but given his position he felt he was better off taking advantage of the fact that Steve was distracted and left the table without further comment.

It was harder punching in the order to the machine, one or two had modifications that Danny didn’t know how to make the machine understand. Danny gave a huff of frustration.

"Need help?" It was another Hooters waitress, standing right behind him, holding her own order pad. She seemed upbeat and genuinely considerate.

"Ugh, yeah, looking to put in these..."

The waitress slid up and pointed out the buttons for some of the menu options on the list. With her help, Danny got the order punched up.

The moment he did so, took over and punched her own order into the machine with practised speed.

"Thanks, ummm...." he read her nametag. "Rachel."

"No problem Danielle.” Danny glanced at his own name tag, people just took it for the truth. “Actually, if you could return the favour?”

“Oh sure!” Despite how he was dressed, Danny didn’t want to turn down an attractive woman asking for help.

“Great, I need help with a photo.”

“A photo op?”

“Right, you’re new at this?” Danny nodded, “So customers often ask for photos with us. While you can turn it down, it’s best to be friendly and accepting and by the way that’s the only time a customer can be allowed to hug or touch us. Anyway, there’s this regular named Roy who just really likes having a waitress on either side of him when he poses. It would just really help if you could join me.”

“Um…” Danny paused. He’d already refused a photo with Steve, and now was going to have some stranger photographing the way he was.

“Please, it really helps for tips, and trust me, you look great!”

“Oh… okay.” Danny felt he couldn’t turn her down.

Soon he was led to a table with a lean guy with a salt and pepper beard and a black baseball cap.

“Hello ladies,” he smiled with a twinkle in his eye. Danny felt himself shrink.

“This is my friend Danielle,” Rachel intoned, “When I told her about you she said she’d love to have her picture taken with you!”

“Wonderful,” he slapped both hands on the table at the same time. “Well, let's get started.”

He took out a digital camera from his pocket and gave it to a younger man at the table. Roy strode up between waitresses, and spun around, putting his arms around both of them.

Danny was taken aback by feeling a man suddenly have such close contact with him. He wasn’t sure what to do. He leaned forward and looked to Rachel for guidance. Rachel had wrapped an arm around the man’s torso and put her other hand on her hip in a nice pose with a bright smile that made the attractive girl appear as if she was truly happy.

Unsure, Danny approximated the same, feeling the man’s torso under his arm, trying to put his hand on his hip like a pinup pose, and smiling like this was the most natural thing in the world.

Click! Click! Click! Went the camera.

At one stage Roy turned his head towards Danny like he was going to kiss him on the side of the head. Danny braced himself but thankfully there was no contact.

A few more clicks, and they were released.

“Thanks girls, looking beautiful as ever.” He took his camera from his friend and turned back to them.

“Well, happy to pose with a handsome man like you!” Rachel said with confidence.

“That I am!” he smiled with practised swagger, he then looked towards Danny, “Haven't seen you before.”

“I’m very new.” Danny tried to keep that same smile on his face.

“It was actually her first photo here!” Rachel intoned.

“Oh,” said the man, raising his eyebrows, “Well, then you want to see how it turned out.” Roy rotated the camera to show Danny the display and flipped through the gallery.

There was Roy, and two very attractive Hooters waitresses posing on each side of him, each dressed in the white and orange uniform. Danny couldn’t believe that one of those waitresses was him. From the photo, it seemed the women were props that were framing and promoting the real star of the show. Danny suddenly didn’t know how to process this feeling, that his only purpose in a photo was to make somebody else look better. And yet, he was doing a surprisingly good job at doing that.

“Oh, you like it? I’ll send you a copy.”

“Ohhh, send it to me too, we can put it up on our board of our favourite customers!”

Roy gave a smile so winning it was like it was going to take home the gold. Rachel seemed to know just what to say to put him in the best mood.

Danny felt like he should contribute, but didn’t know anything about the situation, so just smiled and nodded along as Rachel continued to chat with Roy. It felt awkward, but Rachel and Roy were happy enough. Rachel asked a few questions to Roy, about his family and job, and at this point. Danny felt he shouldn’t be around for this point, and as he looked around looking for an excuse to leave he caught sight of… Steve.

“Excuse me.”

Steve was in a direct path for the toilet, Danny walked ahead and managed to intercept him right at an alcove that blocked the view of them from most of the restaurant.

“Steve!”

“Well hello Danielle,” he drew out the name with amusement, eyes clearly on the namepad.

“Very funny.”

“What’s so funny? I think you’re a genuinely good Hooters waitress.” Steven chuckled with mirth, his head leaning back. “I mean, I thought it would just be fun for a moment and it would all get settled, but you’re serving the whole table, taking orders, giving drinks and food. The whole shebang. It’s fantastic. This almost makes everything earlier totally worth it.”

“Well I’ve had enough of it, so I want you to end things.”

“End things? You walked into a Hooters restaurant dressed like a Hooters girl, nature took its course. Why should I interfere with that?”

“You lied to the manager about me not serving your table!”

“Well, you weren’t serving our table. Nobody was. After I complained we all got served by a diligent Hooters girl, so honestly I think I helped everybody out!”

“You didn’t tell the manager that I wasn’t a waitress.”

“Well that’s his job not mine. Not my fault he missed a few details.”

“DAMMIT STEVE, this isn’t funny!”

“Well, it is a little…. Actually, a lot. It’s a lot funny!”

Danny gritted his teeth. “Look, I know this started as a joke, but the manager is breathing down my neck about me doing my supposed ‘job’. I came here to eat with friends, chat, and have a good time. Instead I’m **** to walk around in a public place dressed up as a female waitress expected to do a job that I’m not even getting paid for.”

Steve paused, apparently mollified by Danny’s words. “Well, I suppose doing a job you’re not getting paid for does suck…”

“That’s your takeaway?” Danny grunted in anger. “Look, just talk to Tim, the manager. Tell him the truth. That I’m not a real waitress. That I came with you guys as friends and want to keep hanging out with you all. He won’t listen to me, but you’re a customer, he’ll listen to you.”

“Why not go along with it? At least until our table is served. I like the waitress we’ve got”

“Steve!” Danny’s look shot daggers at him.

“Everyone’s having fun, why spoil it?”

“Resolve this, NOW!”

“Okay, okay, if you’re really going to get your knickers in a twist over this.” Steve sighed, “I was going to go to the toilet, but I guess your problems are more important. You want me to speak to this…?”

“Tim.”

“Tim, and where can I find this Tim?”

“I dunno,” Danny looked around, “He’s usually there when I don’t want him.”

“Well in that case, I guess I will go to the toilet. I’m not searching for some guy with a full bladder.”

Steve pushed through the toilet door. With perfect timing, Tim appeared the moment the door swung closed.

“Danielle, there’s another table you need to take care of.”

“I….” Danny turned to face Tim’s firm expression. It was neutral enough but Danny knew better than to push things. “Is it a big table?” Danny hedged.

“Just a single person.”

Danny nodded in understanding, but Tim interpreted it as a gesture of acceptance, and instantly Danny found himself guided back into the main restaurant area and in front of a table with an elderly man.

Tim had taken a step back, but Danny could feel his eyes on him. With few options he pushed through. “Hello, my name is Danielle and I’ll be your… waitress today!”

“Well, hello young lady. Do you know it’s been over 20 years since I’ve been in a Hooters? I remember when Hooters first started. Well, maybe not exactly when it started but I had a friend, Allen was his name. One day he told me about this new place that had opened up. Started in Florida I believe. Anyway, I didn’t know what sort of a place it was but he was insistent….”