A weekend job

You wake up at 10 a.m. and groggily get up. While strolling to the kitchen to make yourself a quick breakfast, you notice that you haven’t seen or haven’t heard anything from Aubrey. You decide to search for her in the apartment but can’t find her. You have no phone thus you can’t text or call her.

You can’t sit at home all day to wait for her because you need to introduce yourself as the new weekend waiter at “John’s”. Remembering that you need to be there at around 3 p.m. and you have to walk there for about 45 minutes, you figure you have a few hours to relax and watch TV before you have to go.

It’s time to go a few episodes of a random sitcom later. Aubrey isn’t back as you get going but you hope she will be back when you get home later. You can easily exit the building on your own, but Aubrey didn’t give you a key, so you can’t enter it without her.

You have an uneventful walk to the Diner. You take a few deep breaths as you stand before the door hesitating to go in. It would be so much better if Aubrey would be here with you to calm your nerves. But you have to deal with this yourself, so you step through the door taking another deep breath.

The diner is well illuminated by several lights that hang from the ceiling. It looks a bit like a pub in a western film. Wood paneling on the walls, a wooden floor, a wooden counter, wooden chairs- well you get the idea. Everything is made of wood, even the “wait to be seated” sign is. You are a little confused because there are no people there, and no one is behind the counter. Nevertheless, you are on time. So, you take a seat at the closest table and wait for someone to show up.

“Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here? We open in half an hour”

It did take about 5 minutes that someone entered and shouted at you. You take a deep breath and turn around slowly- mentally preparing yourself to speak and not to do your signature move.

“Hi! My name is Simon Hughes. I am supposed to work here on the weekends. It’s my first day and I don’t really know this place and didn’t know if I should go to the kitchen, so I sat down and waited.”

The facial expression of the girl in front of you softens. “Ahhh, I see. It’s you Darren was talking about. Erm Darren is the owner and the cook”

“I’m Amanda, but you can call me Mandy. Come with me… I’ll show you our uniforms in the back and then I’ll introduce you to Darren.”

She guides you to the back room and shows you the uniforms. They are stereotypical and ugly; white with red vertical stripes. You check your uniform; you are not sure if it will fit but you guess you have to try. You don’t really want to change in front of Amanda, but you don’t want to be impolite and say she should wait outside, so you just look at her expectantly. To your surprise it is the same look that Amanda is throwing at you. But unsurprisingly she is the first to speak.

“Would you mind waiting outside? You can have this room once I’m finished.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll wait right outside.”

Amanda opens the door after a few minutes looking like the wet dream of every man. Her uniform is a tight but short dress with a low neckline. The dress highlights her best features. Her long, tanned legs, her narrow waist and the low neckline obviously highlights her huge tits. She apparently catched you stare at her outfit striking a pose with a teasing grin. A strand of her brown hair escapes her braid and falls in her face. She doesn’t bother to brush the strand back. Instead she winks at you and walks past you.

“What a flirtatious tease. But I can’t get lost in my thoughts again. I need to change.”

You change quickly and step outside of the room where Amanda awaits you with an expectant look. You don’t really know what she expects from you, but she starts to speak as you do nothing.

“Hmmm… I thought you would put on a show, too, but no worries. But to another topic: I know how this uniform looks and I know how you man are. You like to stare and let’s be honest, this dress is really short. But please keep it in your pants at work. I can tell you how this place is run, now this is out the way. … Darren owns the place and is the cook; a fantastic cook. I’m the only waitress. I take orders, I serve drinks, I flirt with the guests and I settle the bill. I also keep most of the tips; you get about 5 percent. I am at university, so I need the money and I show my body off in this ridiculous short and revealing dress, so I think I deserve it. However, we need someone to collect the dirty dishes and glasses and someone who cleans them in the kitchen. That’s where you come in. That will be your main job. Just focus on this for now and if guests need anything, tell me. Do you understand?”

“Clearing tables and washing the dirty dishes. And if a guest needs something- I’ll tell you… Yep, got it all.”

“Perfect. So, follow me! I’ll introduce you to Darren but be warned, he is not the most talkative person alive.”

You follow Amanda into the kitchen. The kitchen is smaller than you imagined it. A small aisle with a stove, an oven, and a giant sink; your workplace as you don’t notice a dishwasher. On the walls are a few cupboards where you figure will be the dishes. Right in the middle of the aisle is Darren -well, you suppose it’s him. Darren is a tall, bald, and fat guy wearing loose clothes and a white apron with several stains on it. All in all, he looks like the stereotypical perverted guy from porn games.

Even if he looks like a creep to you, he is your boss and you smile politely as you introduce yourself. You are a little taken aback by his voice. His voice is very deep and booming, pleasant for the ear if you will.

“Soooo, Simon. You are Aubrey’s little project. I see. I’m Darren. I bet Mandy already told you what your responsibilities are. That means I can cut the crap and come to the important stuff right away. You get minimum wage and dinner every day you work. You work on Saturdays and Sundays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. And you have to take your uniform home on Sundays, clean it and bring it back on Monday before we open.”

You simply nod hoping he will warm up to you as the day progresses. At first, you make yourself familiar with the soaps, gloves, and everything you need for doing the dishes like towels. You also search through the cupboards to get a grasp where you need to sort in the cleaned dishes later.

Darren turns the stereo on and proves a stereotype that his appearance brings wrong, as classical music comes from the stereo. You share a few weird minutes with Darren as you both just stand there, quietly; both of you have nothing to do. You thought about going to Amanda, but you don’t want to seem rude towards your boss. You send silent prayers up to the ceiling as Amanda’s head pops in and tells Darren the first order. The starting signal for an exhausting workday.

In a matter of minutes, a wonderful scent fills the air. Whatever Darren is cooking, it smells awesome. It doesn’t take long before Amanda pops in and tells you to clear a few tables; the starting signal for an exhausting 6 hours of work. You are constantly on the move between clearing tables and washing the dishes.

By the time your shift ends your arms are burning and your feet are tired. You get changed after your shift ends and then get your dinner after your shift ends. The dining room is almost empty at this time, so you decide to enjoy your meal there. Amanda keeps you company and starts talking about her studies at university. You try to listen but honestly you are really tired and hungry and just want to eat your food. You catch that she is a chemistry major and wants to pursue a career in pharmaceutics once she graduated; or something like that.

Once you finished your meal you washed your plate and sorted it back into the cupboard (like a pro; as if you have practiced it). You wish Amanda and Darren a good evening and make your way to Aubrey’s home.