Little Things

Chapter 5

"Allyson! Table five!" Shirley yells across the diner.

I roll my eyes and quickly plaster a fake smile on my face as I step up to the table.

"Good morning, can I get you anything?" I ask the customers. It is a family with a young boy next to an even younger girl, and whom I assume to be their parents. What a happy family, I wonder what it would be like to grow up with people who actually wanted to be a part of your life.

After taking their order of two chocolate milks, a coffee and a tea, I make my way to the back of the restaurant and bring them their drinks as fast as I could.

Once their meals are ordered and cooked, I balance their dishes on two trays. This is a handful for me, since I am serving a family, but I've done it before. Countless times, it was my job to be partial acrobat.

As I am reaching the table, my co-worker Donovan who is assisting the table next to mine turns around and crashes into me.

One tray flies in front of me while the food goes airbourne. As for the other tray, I am currently wearing everything that once filled it.

The diner hushed to a dead silence as everyone looks at me like I am a circus clown.

"ALLYSON!" my manager yells, running up to me. I sigh, knowing exactly what I was in for.

Donovan steps in between Shirley and I. "Sorry, it was my fault I swear I didn't see her there I will pick it up-"

"No. This is Allyson's job to deal with," she snapped and turned to me again "Clean up. Now. And then work behind the bar, since you obviously can't handle walking."

Once she left, Donovan gives a smile of pity at me, and I shake my head, bending over to clean up the floor.

As I am placing everything back on the trays, Donovan comes over with a trash bag and starts to help me tidy up.

"Shirley's gonna kill you if you help me," I whisper to him.

He laughs quietly, "It's okay, you're the one she hates, not me," he jokes and I play-punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow, do you want me to help or not?"

I laugh, "Yes, now go quickly."

In a few minutes, broken glasses and food were thrown away and the tile floor was wiped clean.

I sigh and walk behind the counter, looking at the few customers.

There are two old men who come in daily to read the newspaper and drink coffee, and a boy in a hood, glasses and a hat sketchily eating away hash browns.

I grab the hot coffee pot and refill the customers, saving the mysterious man for last.

"Is there a reason for the glasses and hood? We are inside you know," I ask.

He doesn't answer me and continues shoveling the food down his throat.

Well there goes my idea of being a happy waitress. I take a few mugs off of the drying rack and start wiping them off with a towel.

"Could you change the channel?" one of the older men asks, gesturing to the television behind me.

"Preference to the channel?" I ask, looking around for the clicker.

"Any news station will do," he says politely and I smile at him. I love old people.

Once changing it to FOX News, I go back to drying dishes and mugs.

"Could I get some more potatoes?" the boy in the hood asks and I nearly drop the mug I was drying at the sound of his accent.

My eyes widen and I try to get a good look underneath the disguise to confirm my suspisions.

"Niall?" I half whisper, half wanting to shout, but knowing best to do otherwise.

He smirks and the familiar laugh that warmed my heart rose through the air and lifted my spirits.

"Hello love."