“So, I have to come with you?” Hayley asks for the tenth time. I nod. We are almost out the door. “But, what am I supposed to do there?”
“Maybe you could read a book or—”
“Can I read the book in your room?”
“Yes, you can. Try to hurry, Hayley,” I say. We need to get moving. I couldn’t be late on my first day. While Hayley runs to grab the book, I massage my back and legs as best as I can. Sleeping on the couch had done a number on me.
I’d called Sweet Concoctions earlier in the morning and informed them of my decision. No one took it badly. Quite the opposite, actually. I was to pick up my final paycheck at the end of the day. What little there was of it.
Hayley returns, clutching the book. She’s reading the back and already seems interested. I look at the book again. Was it really appropriate? Then, I looked at my watch. Appropriate or not, we were leaving. Now.
As soon as Hayley is out the door, I lock it behind me and start walking down the street. “Where’s your car parked?” she asks me after a minute.
“I don’t have one.” My articulate response.
“Really?” she asks. Her voice is tinged with incredulity. “How can you not have a car?”
“Quite easily,” I say. “Shall we try going a bit faster?” I ask. Please let me be on time. Please let them let Hayley stay. Thankfully, we catch a bus. The two of us have to run, but we make it inside. Hayley grabs a seat and continues to study the book. I wonder if she will ever start reading it.
The bus ride doesn’t do anything good for my nerves. My feet tap nervously, and I check my watch compulsively every few seconds. At last, it pulls into the stop we need.
“Come on, Hayley. This is the stop.” Some instinct in me causes me to reach out for her hand. She looks at me and inches her hand away.
“I’m not five you know,” she mutters. That went well.
“Sorry,” I say. There’s not much else to do at that point. I set a brisk pace, making sure to keep a close eye on Hayley. She’s put the book away and is staring around with interest. I could understand her. The town was nothing like the city she was used to.
Soon, we’re standing outside of Felicitá. It’s two minutes to one. We are right on time.
“Well, are you going to open the door, or was this whole rush just for show?” Hayley asks. I push the door open. My uncertainties take this opportunity to flood through me, and by the time I’ve stepped into the restaurant, I’m sure that I made the wrong choice. Was it too late to go back to Sweet Concoctions?
The restaurant is in an open dining area style. It has an old Italian feel to it. There are off white table cloths and deep mahogany chairs and booths. The walls are decorated with old style paintings. The whole restaurant makes me feel as though I’ve stepped into a different era.
“Hello. Who might you be?” a silky voice asks me. I find myself facing a tall, attractive woman. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she’s wearing simple clothes, but I can sense her elegance.
“Melanie Fox,” I say. “I’m here about a new job.”
“Oh, Melanie! Mr. Sharpe told us you’d come by.” A young man comes up to me and holds out his hand. “I’m Derek,” he says. “Part-timer.” I shake his hand.
“What’s your name?” he asks Hayley. She looks him up and down, making no secret of the fact that she’s rating his significance.
“Hayley,” she finally says, holding out her hand. Derek shakes it seriously, but his eyes twinkle.
“Well, Hayley, what are you doing here?” he asks. She holds up her book. Derek looks at me. So does the beautiful woman.
“There’s no one available to take care of her right now. I was wondering if she could stay here for the day?” My request sounds so uncertain even I would refuse it.
Derek scratches his chin and glances at the woman. “What do you think, Belle? Can she stay?” Belle studies Hayley intently for a minute.
“As long as she can manage not to disrupt any of our work, I suppose she can stay for the day. Don’t let it become a habit.” The last sentence is directed at me.
“I’m right here, you know. You don’t need to talk about me like I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Hayley mutters. I freeze. Why did teenagers have to think of themselves as the center of the world? I read the expressions of the two coworkers whom I’ve just met.
Derek smiles down at Hayley. He doesn’t seem to be offended. Thankfully, neither does Belle. “So, can I sit over there?” asks Hayley. She points at a table in the corner. Belle nods.
“That’s fine,” she answers. Hayley makes her way to the table. I feel exposed now. Belle’s focus is now completely on me.
I’d been so worried about the job aspect of working here, that I’d forgotten about the other employees. Would they accept me or was I taking away some of the tables from which they got their income?
“Is she here?” a loud woman calls out. She hustles out of a door at the end of the restaurant. I mentally remind myself to figure out the layout as soon as possible.
“Yup. She just got in,” Derek informs her. The woman comes up to me gives me the once over.
“We are overworked here, newbie, and we could use your help.” She is shorter than I’d expect from such an overflowing personality. “I’m Paige the manager. Pleased to meet you, but we don’t have time for chit-chat.” She claps her hands twice. “Chop chop! Let’s start the training.”
I can see Hayley stare at Paige from the corner of my eyes. She seems to be in awe of the short manager. When she catches me watching her, Hayley buries her head in my book again.
“Hello? We have some serious work to do. If you can’t work, I don’t care if Sharpe recommended you. You will be out of here.”
“Her name is Melanie, Paige,” says Derek. He grins at me. I guess to tell me that Paige is always like this.
“Alright, Melanie, where did you work before here?” Paige asks as she walks over to a table in the center of the restaurant.
“Sweet Concoctions. It was a diner,” I answer.
“A self-serve diner?” she asks.
“No. I used to take orders and bring them to our customers.”
“Alright, then. You have some experience.” Paige nods and gestures to the table. There is a piece of paper lying on the table that shows the layout of the restaurant.
The room Paige had come in from was indeed the kitchen. The diagram also has lines separating the restaurant into sections.
“Now that you’re here, we have seven sections. The others will have five tables or ten people to take care of maximum. We’ll give you three tables for now.” I nod. That sounds about as much as I could handle right now. Not as much opportunity for tips, though. I’d have work on that.
“Here is our main menu. Today, you have to go through each of the items. I’ve added notes on the best drinks that go with each dish, so you should check those out as well. You won’t be waiting on anyone tonight. Tomorrow you can stay back there and observe.” Paige points to the door to the kitchen. It is slightly obscured from the rest of the dining area due to a wooden divider.
“Don’t worry,” Derek says. He’s standing a few tables over arranging the tables and getting everything ready for the evening. “It’s not as difficult as it sounds.”
“It’s not tough at all, Derek. If you have time to talk, then work faster,” Paige drawls. Derek gives her a mock salute and continues his job. “I’m amazed any work gets done here at all,” Paige says as she shakes her head, but she is smiling.
Paige turns her focus back to me. “Pretend I’m a diner,” she says suddenly. My mind goes blank.
“W-Welcome to Felicitá!” I say. The enthusiastic voice I used in Sweet Concoctions sounds cheesy and out of place in this room.
“Ms. Fox, do try to remember you have moved on to fine dining.” says a soft voice behind me. It’s Mr. Sharpe.
“Hello, Alex,” Paige says.
“Ms. Hillen,” Sharpe replies with a small inclination of his head. He then walks away to check on other parts of his restaurant.
“You call him Alex?” I ask incredulously. Paige laughs.
“He’s just a stick-in-the-mud. I’ve known him for a long time, and he never loosens up. My attempt to make him let loose is a contribution to society,” she says. “He really does love this restaurant, though. So, do a good job or else it’s money out of our pockets!”
“Of course,” I say. I would try my best.
“He was right, though. Keep your voice at a normal level, and make sure it stays modulated. There’s no need to throw away your enthusiasm. Just channel it into a smile and a pleasant voice.”
“Alright.” That sounded fine. It was easier than sounding insanely excited all the time.
“Now, let’s try that again.”
Paige trains me in all the matters of fine dining service. I learn how to welcome people, seat them, and take their orders. It is now almost five o’ clock, and my preparation is ending for the day.
My last task is to practice carrying the china that would contain the meals. It is proving to be harder than I expected. I am so used to balancing the light weight trays and plates at Sweet Concoctions that these heavy dishes have thrown off my skill.
I walk from the kitchen to a table Paige decides. My hands are trembling from the strain, and I can hear the slight shudder of the plates as they vibrate. There wasn’t even any food on them yet!
I hadn’t even considered plate balancing to be an obstacle. I am usually very good at it. Was this it? The task that would prove that I was not fit to work here?
Throughout the afternoon, I’d muddled through all the duties assigned to me. I’d even managed to remember parts of the menu. Now, this simple task threatens to end the day’s efforts. I should have known I wasn’t fit to do this.
Still, I continue to walk to the table. It’s not like I can just dump the china on the floor and walk out. It’s while I’m contemplating this that I notice Hayley.
She spent the whole afternoon sitting quietly and reading. Now, she watches me. I think she sees my indecision on my face. Her own expression is one of challenge.
That’s right. I am doing this for Hayley. Steeling myself, I straighten my back and stiffen my arm. I can do this. If I balance it just right, I won’t even feel the weight of it.
Before I know it, I’m placing the plates on the table. Mission accomplished. I smile at Hayley. She meets my eyes but then turns to look out the window instead.
“That’s enough for today,” Paige says. “You’ll do great, Mel. The first day is always the hardest.” She pats my back.
“Thanks for all the advice, Paige,” I say. It’s great to have her on my side.
“See you tomorrow, Mel!” Derek calls to me. He’s really busy at the moment. The restaurant is just about ready for the evening, but there are always last minute adjustments to make.
“Have a good evening,” Belle says as I walk to the door. Hayley stands up and walks towards me. “Will Hayley be coming tomorrow as well?”
I glance at Hayley. She’s still not looking at me. I have to bring her tomorrow. There’s nowhere else she can go, and I want to keep an eye on her.
“Yes. She’ll be coming tomorrow as well,” I say more confidently than I feel. Will they let Hayley come? If they say no, what will I do? I will choose Hayley. I’d just have to find somewhere else to work. Maybe back to Sweet Concoctions?
“Alright, that’s fine. If she’s as quiet at home as she is here, you must have no trouble at all,” says Belle. She smiles at Hayley, and Hayley gives her a small smile in return. I stare at my niece. That is the first smile I’ve seen from her since she’s arrived.
“Let’s go, Hayley,” I say. Hayley nods, the smile gone as quickly as it had come. What do I have to do to get her to like me? I wonder if she ever will.
The trip back to my apartment is uneventful. Hayley isn’t interested in the bus or the surrounding town anymore. She just sits and watches the cars go by.
When we get home, Hayley immediately runs into my room—which she seems to believe is hers. Once again, I don’t have the heart to say anything to her, and I decide to get started with dinner.
An hour later, I knock on my bedroom door. “Hayley, dinner’s ready.”
“I’m coming,” she says huffily. I sigh. Teenagers. I’m sure I wasn’t like that when I was her age. I sure hope I wasn’t. I’d give her some leeway for now.
When Hayley emerges, we sit across from each other just as we had the previous night. She eats everything on her plate. Even her vegetables, so I have no reason to say anything to her. No excuse to start a conversation.
“Why…” Hayley starts.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Why is that book so boring? Did you actually like it? I mean, the part where Ben dies is so obvious, it’s not even a real ending.”
“Actually, I haven’t read it yet,” I say. “Thanks for the detailed synopsis, though.” I laugh. This girl.
“Oh.” She has the grace to look a bit ashamed, but she quickly moves on. “Do you have any other books? If I’m going to be spending all day at Felicitá, I might as well have something to do.”
I smile. It’s really admirable that she has this urge to read. When I walk around town, the more common sight is that of teenagers glued to their phones. Evelyn raised her well. I stop myself from thinking about her any longer.
“We have a library in town. We can go see it tomorrow morning before we go to Felicitá,” I suggest. Hayley shrugs.
“Fine.” Well, she might like to read, but she was still a typical thirteen-year-old. Always making everything seem like a huge effort even when it’s something that they want to do.
“Would you like to watch TV?” I ask since there’s nothing else to say on the book topic. I want to keep the conversation going.
“Not really.”
“Alright.” We go back to eating.
“Why do you live alone?” Hayley asks me. She sure is blunt about what she thought. How can I answer this question without saying too much?
“I haven’t met anyone to stay with,” I answer. That’s a typical enough answer. She should be satisfied.
“Doesn’t really look like you’re trying much, anyway,” she mutters. She sounds so much like the people at Sweet Concoctions that I have to laugh. Hayley’s eyes whip up suspiciously, but then she realizes I’m not laughing at her.
That’s when it happens.
Right before my eyes, Hayley gives me a real genuine smile. Her whole face seems to light up, and I can see pieces of my sister in her. And, if I’m not imagining it, pieces of myself.