And There Were Wolves

thirty seven | where the spirit meets the bones

How's one to know? / I'd meet you where the spirit meets the bones / In a faith-forgotten land

Today, I began my work at 'Bean There Done That'. Considering it was the weekend, Dav accompanied me to work and even ordered a caramel latte. About twenty-five minutes later, her boyfriend picked her up, and she left with him. Although not before she made him bought an Americano in a to-go cup.

Lukas had been really helpful. He'd given me the menu and asked me to stand by the register with him. Whenever Caleb, the barista who was working right now, had done an order, Lukas would first tell me which coffee was which, and then after a few rounds, he would quiz me in order to help me memorize everything on the menu.

"You're not making the coffee but it's important for you to know the basics just in case a customer asks you something or would like your recommendation," said Lukas when there was no one queueing. "So how many espresso shots is a latte?"

"Two," I answered, recalling what he'd told me fifteen minutes ago.

The upward turn of his lips indicated that I had succeeded.

"That's right. How about a cappuccino?"

It took me two seconds to remember. "One."

Lukas bobbed his head. "If you're not lactose intolerant and are okay with caffeine, you can taste some of the drinks that you've never tried before during break. That way, you'll know how they taste, and next time a customer asks you, you'll have the answer."

"I can drink coffee," I told him, despite only having had it in the morning and it being past noon.

"Okay. Enough with the lesson. We're usually very busy in the morning and at lunchtime, which is between twelve to two PM. For now, I want you to help clean the tables, take the dishes to Felix at the back, and deliver coffees for the dine-in customers." Then he preceded by telling me the table number of each table and showed me where I needed to put the dishes at the back. He also introduced me to Felix, the dishwasher guy. "If Felix has too much in his hands, you need to help bring the clean cups and plates to Caleb. Especially cups because most folks come here for a cup of coffee or tea."

"Okay. I can do that."

"Good, good," said Lukas. He reached into his apron pocket and withdrew a name tag. "Oh right. I almost forgot. Here. Wear this. I've printed your name there, but if you want to change it to something else, just let me know."

"Why would I want to change it?" I asked curiously.

Lukas responded with a shrug. "People have their own reasons. I got an employee who likes to be called by their middle name, and some who prefer the name that they chose for themselves. Whatever it is, it's fine by me. Though I can't change the name written on your paycheck."

I couldn't resist laughing. "Okay. I'm good."

"Brilliant! I'll let you start now. Come find me if you need anything. I'll be behind the register." He pointed at the front. "Normally, I'm covering the tables, but since Denisa, our usual cashier, is taking a maternity leave, I'll be managing the register for the next two months." He saw a couple entering the cafe and hurried over to the front.

Following him to the front, I grabbed a tray and napkin from the island. I made my way to table number four near the window, which had some used dishes and cups on it, but the people who were sitting there were no longer there. I began picking up the dishes, putting them on the tray, then, after cleaning the table, I brought the dishes back to Felix. I repeated the same action for the next two tables. A lady at table number seven asked for another cup of cappuccino and after informing her that to Lukas, I waited for Caleb to make that order before serving the cappuccino. The lady handed me ten pounds after I gave it to Lukas. I returned it to her with her change, but she insisted that I kept it. I came back to Lukas and showed him the change. "What do I do with this?"