THE OTHER SIDE. aa

drei.

     you only had an hour and a half before your shift ends and customers were starting to leave. the kitchen was less busy and your co-workers filled their vacant time by cleaning the tables or talking to each other.

     "y/n, you got a customer on table six!"

     blinking, you scurried to your feet and left the employee's room where you were resting. you approached a foreign old couple, already seated with menus at hand. you took a deep breath and plastered on a smile, "hello. i'm y/n, your waiter for today. i-is everyone ready to order?"

     the couple nodded and they pointed to what they wanted, asking about the ingredients with broken english (not that you minded). once that was done and that you were sure that it was the correct food that they wanted, you hurried off to the kitchen and gave their order.

      ten minutes later, you held the tray with their orders. they didn't order much so you only held one tray with their food, plates, and utensils. you glanced around, noting how the foreign couple and a large family were the only ones dining. you looked at the clock, squinting your eyes to get a better look as you neared the table.

     "ow!" you hissed when your hip collided with the edge of the couple's table, your fingers slipping. the tray you held fell from your grasp and the hot soup splashed on the table and its occupants, before falling on the tiled ground. the porcelain bowl shattered to pieces in slow motion, your eyes growing wide by the second.

     you took a step back, avoiding the shards carefully. you looked at the couple; the woman's dress was now sticking to her lap, a frown on her face while the man was giving her napkins to wipe herself off. you squeaked and immediately apologized, your voice shaky while looking around the place in haste to avoid further embarrassment.

     the woman looked up and noticed the panic in your eyes, and you braced yourself for the lecture and humiliation that was about to come.

     "it's okay."

     you weren't expecting that.

     the gentleness on the woman's honey-like voice calmed you a little. she comforted you with a soothing asian voice and broken english, flashing you a small smile as she leaned over to place a hand on your arm. you were glad that she wasn't screaming and scolding you about the poor customer service, you'd be crying by then. her husband only smiled, helping you pick up the broken shards even if you insisted not to.

     the family that was eating and chattering stopped to look at the scene, your coworkers watching from the other side. you kept your head down, keeping your tears at bay while still apologizing. the couple tried to calm you down but you were still embarrassed at fucking up a simple thing. why can't a single nice thing happen today?

     "what's going on here?" your shoulders tensed at the sound of a grumpy voice, pair of footsteps stopping just behind you. you looked up from your kneeling position, eyes glossy as you watch the manager apologize to the couple, claiming that their meal was being made again and that it would be free.

     "y/n, stand up." the man in his late forties took your hand in his, pulling you up carefully. "don't worry, everything's okay."

     once everything was cleaned up and you apologized enough, your manager lead you to his office while he sorted out the mess with the couple. you sighed and buried your face in your hands, allowing the tears to finally spill out. the door opened and the manager stepped in carefully just as you wiped your tears away.

     you looked down and refused to make eye contact, you already knew your eyes would be puffy and bloodshot from all the tears you let out just moments ago. the manager sighed and sat behind his desk with his arms folded together, "y/n, it's okay. the couple's fine with it and i'm sure it was only a mistake."