It's Not Easy (NaNoWriMo!)

Don't Like Shrimp

Don't Like Shrimp

Soon I found myself walking through a blinding sheet of falling snow. Wind whipped my hair, which was already wet from my shower, and bite at my cheeks. I shivered as I walked into the back door of Macy's Cafe. I still wondered why it was called a cafe, when it seemed more like a 50's diner.

No matter what it was called, I was happy to step through its doors and stomp my boots off on the rug.

"Hello, how are you?" Liza smiled at me over a steaming pan.

"Cold," I shivered and walked to stand by the steaming pan. As quickly as I stepped forward, I stepped back; cringing at the smell of shrimp.

"Don't like my cooking?"

I laughed and replied, "Don't like shrimp."

"I see," she snorted.

I walked over to the hook and hung my coat to dry, replacing it with my apron.

"I talked to mom yesterday and you get the counter for the rest of the week," she laughed.

"Wait, do I work Christmas eve and Christmas?" I hissed.

"No, we are closed on holidays."

I let out a sigh of relieve and went around, to start at the counter. I spent the rest of the night taking orders and placing them on Liza's window. On occasion, I had to call to Liza to help with the cash register, but other then that the job wasn't as stressful as working on the floor. That is until I got an old man standing over me for five minutes starting at the menu as if it were written in Chinese.

"Sir?" I asked.

"One moment miss." I peered around the man to see the line was slowly getting longer. I tapped my foot and pondered on whether to tell the man to step as side, or give him a few more second.

"I think..." the man started. I leaned forward a little bit with my notepad and pen in hand.

"I think I will just have a coffee."

An angry shiver pivoted through my body as I wrote is order down and handed it to Liza through the window. The man moved aside to let a women step toward me. The women spit out her order as fast as she could and stepped to the side. The next few costumers did the same thing; the small pile of orders climbed and climbed. I could hear Liza mumbling under her breathe as she cooked, over the past little while I have noticed she doing that regularly. Finally, the last order was handed out and Liza and I both went out to help Macy clear tables.

"You did well today," Macy told Liza and me as we loaded the dishwasher. "No work tomorrow, since its Christmas Eve."

"Oh no," I hissed.

"What?" Liza asked as she placed the last few plates in the dishwasher and kicked it shut.

"I forgot to go Christmas shopping!" I threw my apron on the hook and sighed.

"And I forgot to give you your Christmas pay!" Macy shrieked. She quickly ran to her purse.

"I think the mall might be open," Liza thought aloud.

My shoulders slumped, "I can't get there without my family finding out."

"I'll take you!" Liza shouted as we took her cheque from her mom.

"Really, you will?"

"Why not, I still have to get a few things for Christmas dinner anyway," she laughed.

We made her way to Liza's little car and I crunched myself in.

"Bank first." she mumbled as she fired up her car. I nodded and ponder what to get everyone for Christmas.

Once at the bank, we stepped out into the frosty air and raced for the door. Once inside Liza walked toward the machine while I waited in the warmth of the lobby. Once it was my turn, I quickly cashed the cheque and we stepped outside again.

The mall was almost empty; our footsteps echoed through the large building while we raced to find a store were Blair would shop. We soon found one filled with everything Blair loved; black.

We surfed the store looking for something that wasn’t scary, gothic or downright scary.

“Ha!” Liza’s voice echoed through the empty store.

“What?” I asked standing on my tiptoes to see over the tops of the display.

“Found something.”

I weaved my way through the display shelves, until I found Liza hiding in the far corner of the store. She held up a shiny black purse, with straps that would hang down to Blair's waist.

"She'll love it!" I giggled, while I checked the price. "And I can afford it."

After paying for the bag, we found a toy store, then not long after found a dinosaur in a taxi man uniform. All that was left was Aunty Jane.

"I don't even know where to start looking," I sighed as we wondered through the mall with no specific store in mind. Liza tapped her index finger on her chin and grunted.

"We only have an hour until the mall closes."

After five minutes, Liza went to get the things she needed, while I turned into a store filled with Indian inspired clothing and jewellery. There I found a shawl that could be used as either a shawl or scarf. Hoping that my aunt would like it, I bought it.