Memory Lane

Chapter 21. Check Yes or NO

Desiree

The strong smell of sanitizer hit my nostrils as I wiped down tables. It was a busy day at the diner today and I was assigned waitress and busser due to the lack of staff. It was me, Sarah, Jennifer, and Corey on staff today and that still wasn't enough to tame the ongoing traffic. It was so busy that my manager Frank had to jump in the back and get on the grill to help the chef.

I didn't mind the fast-paced environment because it took me away from focusing on my personal life. I had no time to think about the club or Jax, and that is exactly what I needed right now. I was pleasantly surprised that no one was badgering me as of late about not coming around anymore. Well, everyone besides Gemma, who made it her personal responsibility to call me every Saturday at three o'clock. But even the queen of Charming couldn't get in my head when the diner was busy.

I enjoyed working here, for the most part, it wasn't anything fancy but the tips were good and the people were nice. It worked for now and it allowed me to put some money away so that I could finally live on my own. Wendy was great and her girlfriend was a nice enough lady, but I would much rather be living out on my own. Wendy was still tied to Jax and Samcro because of Abel, and she was adamant about being in his life. So, that means that I had to hear about every failed attempt that she had with Tara and Jax. I wanted to be understanding and compassionate, but the last thing I wanted to do was hear about my ex-husband and his new wife.

"Desiree, you've got company," I stopped wiping down the table and looked up to see Michael standing in the doorway. His eyes searched around the diner until he found me and smiled. He had his daughter with him at his side who waved to me with excitement. I plastered a smile on my face and waved to them before turning around to head to the back.

Michael had been coming to the diner ever since I started working here. At first, I didn't mind and was comforted at seeing a familiar face, but then it started to become a thing. He came nearly every day! Breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I knew his orders like the back of my hand, and he always requested me as his waitress. In the beginning, I figured he didn't know how to cook with him being a single father and all, but then the tips and the gifts started to roll in and so did my discomfort. He would write romantic compliments on his napkins as if saying them to me wasn't enough. He reeked of "I'm a nice guy" energy, to the point that it was suffocating. And one of the girls let me know that he'd been tipping the other waitresses to know what my schedule was. I was so close to just telling him off or ripping out what little of my hair was left!

I was not interested in Michael in that way and had tried to be as nice as possible when relaying this to him, but he just wouldn't quit and it was becoming concerning. I contemplated telling Opie and letting him handle it, but I knew that Opie would just tell Jax, and I didn't want things to get ugly. Michael may have been annoying but he was still a father, and Samantha didn't deserve a cold shoulder because of her father.

"Are you coming out?" I looked up to see Sarah standing in the doorway. Sarah and I weren't exactly friends more so because I had a feeling that she was the one telling Michael my schedule. "Yeah, I'll be out in a minute," I said grabbing a new notebook to take orders. "Okay, because Michael is requesting to sit in your station..." I outwardly groaned and took a deep breath, "no, sit him in your section. I just got rid of that family of six and I still have a crap ton of people in my section."

Sarah laughed, "you know he won't go for that. He'll probably ask if the floor in your section is free. C'mon, it's just the two of them!"

I rolled my eyes, "you have three empty tables! Jennifer has two! Either of you could take him and his daughter." Sarah looked at me with eyebrows raised at my outburst. She rolled her eyes and scoffed before leaving me alone. Corey came in shortly after she left from eavesdropping on the conversation. "Des, don't worry about her, she's just mad that she won't be getting her tip from him."

My eyebrows came together in confusion, "what are you talking about?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Corey tucked his pencil behind his ear, "well, Sarah has been purposely seating him in your area because Michael pays her too. I heard her bragging about it to Jennifer yesterday in the break room."

I tried to regulate my breathing and keep myself from going out there and wringing her neck! "Is everybody here accepting a wager at the expense of my comfort?"

"Don't look at me, I would be asking for a Benjamin, not a Jackson," Corey sassed as he made his way back out to the floor. I shook my head as I made my way back out to the dining room. To my distaste, Michael and Samantha were sitting in my section. I cut my eyes at Sarah who was sitting at one of her tables with her phone in hand, laughing away with the person on the receiving end. I wanted to shove that phone down her throat, but I really couldn't afford to lose my job and get sent to prison.

So, I did the mature thing and walked up to the table with the best attitude I could muster. "Hi guys, what can I get for you today?" Samantha was happy to see me as she waved at me aggressively. "Oh, we are not here to eat actually," Michael began as he looked over at his daughter. Samantha dug through her backpack and fished out a piece. "We have a quiz for you to do!" Samantha said excitedly. The smile on my face was on the verge of falling off, "I'm sorry guys, I'm so busy today. I don't have time to take the quiz," I tried to sound as sincere as possible.

Michael interrupted, "oh, Sarah said that'd she spare you a couple of minutes and take care of your tables."

My smile was becoming painful, "of course she did." I lowered myself into the seat across from them and took the piece of glittery and pink paper from Samantha. She handed me a purple pen with a fuzzy bottom and I smiled at her innocence. I looked down at her father's handwriting which was traced over with glue and glitter.

The first question read: 

Are you single? Check yes or no. 

Do you like me? Check yes or no. 

Would you like to go on a date? Check yes or no. 

After going over it, I wanted to physically recoil into myself. I was having a hard time believing that Samantha came up with the questionnaire and that she wasn't just a piece in Michael's game. I found it annoying that he even included her in this because she was just a child and he was stirring up emotions for her that he shouldn't have.

Michael laughed, "I know it seems kind of silly, but we thought this was a good way to get to know a new friend." I forced a smile on my face and looked over at Samantha, I wasn't even sure that she knew how to read.

"Do I have to fill it out now?" I asked innocently.

"Do you have something to do?" Michael asked. I looked past him to see Sarah struggling to keep my customers calm as well as hers. "Yeah, I got to get back to work, I'm sorry but I'll be sure to get this back to you. As always, it was so nice seeing you, Samantha." I got up from the table without another word and Michael reached for me. He grabbed my wrist with just enough force to make me jump. His hand was tight around my wrist and he slowly eased up when he noticed my reaction.

"Yeah, okay, I'll be back around for dinner and I can't wait to see the results." He finally let go of me and when he did, I made my way to the breakroom. Corey followed after me and looked at me in bewilderment. "Are you okay?" He looked down at my wrist which was slightly red from where Michael had grabbed me. I nodded my head reassuringly and grabbed an ice cube from the freezer to apply to the area. Corey looked over at the pink, glittery paper and noticed the questionnaire. "Well, you can go ahead and check no for all of that."