Do you know which shift was the worst to work at this pizzeria? The ones where the sun was coming up! In other words, breakfast to lunch. It's just a bunch of moody people rushing to get food!
"Hurry up, lady. I need my morning coffee!"
"Hey, waitress! Pass me a bagel!"
"Yo, hurry up with that slice of pizza! I need to be back at work at 12!"
Like, for crying out loud, people! I'm not Usain Bolt! I'm not that fast; I may come from the Caribbean, but not all of us are as talented as that man!
Sighing, I handed Ramone another order through the window. On Wednesdays and Fridays, my shift changed from waitress to cashier so Brooke could go to her classes. And boy, was I savoring these six hours! Anything was better than twisting and turning your way through tables with a heavy platter and having to walk up and down the restaurant holding them! Not to mention less chances of slipping and publicly embarrassing myself!
"Here you are, ma'am!" I handed the lady her order. "Please come again soon!"
"Mhm...if my boss decides not to fire me for being late, I may spend my hard-earned money on this place!" she snapped before walking off, finishing the queue I had before me.
"Enjoy your day!" I called out to her before she stormed through the doors. Okay, maybe one of the perks of serving the dine-ins is getting to spit in their food when they piss you off, but with take-outs, it's just "smile and wave" sadly.
"God, I hate that woman!" I heard Ramone yell, pushing his head out from the window that connected the kitchen to the take-out booth. "She comes every goddamn day of the week to get lunch and a coffee and always complain about how late she is! Then she looks to blame it on the restaurant! Like, no, woman! Come to the pizzeria earlier and you may reach work in time!"
This made me laugh. I turned to see Ramone patting away the beads of sweat from his forehead with his old kitchen cloth that looked as though it had survived many kitchen fires.
"Some of the characters we see here are remarkable, Mia! If they knew how hot the kitchen was inside, they'd shut up and quit nagging me! But 'cause I'm black, I don't turn red when the place is hot! And those white people wanna walk around and call me a person of color!?"
I was going to reply to Ramone when Bob came waddling in.
"Top of the morning to you, Bob!" I said, turning away from the window where Ramone had scurried back to the stove, giving Bob my brightest smile.
"Don't say that! It sounds weird in your accent..." he said absentmindedly, biting his thumbnail as he stared at the door.
"Alright then," I said, ignoring his signs of anxiousness, "Aye Bob! Waiz d' scene? Things good by you?"
"English, Mia!" Bob snapped, still not turning to look at me.
"But I speaking English, it jus' broken daiz all!"
"Well, fix it!"
I crossed my arms and bent down to look the stumpy man full in the face, "I don't think my accent is what you came to me about, right Bob?"
"No!" he said, glancing at me before looking back at the door. "Bridget just found out she's pregnant and took maternity leave and Candace says she's going on a vacation trip to Monte Carlo with her new boyfriend and she'll be back in two weeks."
I noticed Bob heading behind the potted plant to pull out a dusty sign board.
"Workers wanted!
Apply within. "
Wait...
I did a little calculation on my fingers: minus two employees from 3 waitresses and excluding Brook and Ramone...that equaled--I'M THE ONLY WAITRESS! I was responsible for the serving the restaurant for an entire two weeks, until the girls came back (if they did, that is..)! Oh no, no, no.
Okie dokie
"Hey, if I get paid a bit more, I'll stay!" I warned Bob. To that, he flipped around, looking as though I'd just told him the restaurant was bankrupt.
"If today happens to be a busy day, I just might consider bumping you up to eleven dollars an hour..." Bob smiled and open his arms. "Whatcha say?"
"That's just--"
Before I could speak, a resounding slap interrupted me. Everyone's head turned to across the street where a group of men clad in fine suits surrounded a boy. After a bit of shuffling, I realized it was none other that Johnny Bravo's kid and four out of the five men were those from last night! I mean--c'mon, that guy with the super shiny bald head is unforgettable! He gave the moon a run for its money!
Johnny Bravo's kid--what was his name again? I remembered the police officer saying it yesterday--had gotten slapped by the large man who seemed to be the head of these Men in Black.
"Bob... what's going on over there? " I asked, my eyes not moving from the scene.
The entire restaurant seemed to know who that group was, and they chattered loudly.
"Dammit, Lawrence and his men are outside!"
"I wonder what the poor kid did this time."
"Didn't you hear? Wes got arrested again! That's another five thousand in debt!"
WES! That was Johnny Bravo's son's name! And he seemed rather popular in these parts. I was tempted to get some popcorn and see where this scene headed as the boss man's hands went to and fro. He was clearly making a point to Wes, who simply had his head bowed, staring at the pavement. The large man, Lawrence, finally put his hands down, and looked around the area till his eyes stopped right on the pizzeria.
I had a bad feeling about this.
I glanced over to see Bob sweating like the leaky pipe he was as the six men marched across the street, Lawrence dragging Wes by the arm. The pizzeria's doors burst open, and the group filled the waiting room.
I became uncomfortable when big guy made his way towards me. As he came closer, I took steps backward that were hopefully unnoticeable. His expression was stern, and his hooded eyes unwavering. He looked like the typical American gangster, but a little off. His grey suit looked looked 10 years old, with a once white shirt now cream and unironed. His men's black suits appeared inexpensive, perhaps from a local thrift store, which may have explained how ill fitting the suits were on the men. But despite that, their stern faces dared you to say anything about their appearance...well, that and the guns jutting out of their front pockets.
"Hey, waitress! Where's your boss? I got a worker for him!" He pushed Wes forward to the counter.
I was frozen in fear by the boss's commanding presence that all I could do was point behind him to the place where Bob hid behind the potted fern plant.
"Lawrence!" Bob laughed uneasily, coming out from behind the plant. "Long time no--"
"How much are you gonna pay Wes?" Lawrence snapped, crossing his broad arms as he looked down on Bob.
"P-pay...I-I-I can pay him tw-twelve -dollars an hour...if that's okay with you, that is..." Bob played with the fern branch; was that his way of acting casual? Well, to be honest, I'm wasn't doing any better myself, so I shouldn't judge.
"Make it fifteen, or else I'll get a health inspector over here!" Bob didn't even get a chance to reply as Lawrence and his men exited the restaurant, leaving Wes behind. The entire pizzeria made a collective sigh as the door closed behind the men. Most persons had gone back to their meals, leaving just Bob and me to stare at the new waiter that had been dumped on us.
"When can I start? " Wes asked quietly, clutching his cheek where he was previously slapped.
"Tomorrow!"
"Today!"
Bob turned to look at me, due to my response. "Who's the boss here, Mia? Me or you?"
"I don't know, Bob, who has a lack of workers here today? Me or you?" I countered.
"Okay, today it is then..." Wes answered for both of us, "Uniforms are the in kitchen right?" He walked off to the kitchen doors, and at first I was shocked how he knew where everything was, but then again, he came here every other Saturday with his girlfriend, so I shouldn't have been surprised.
"This is just great, just incredibly great!" Bob huffed, pacing the hall. I
peeled my eyes away from Wes and turned to Bob.
"What is?"
"I have to pay the kid fifteen dollars an hour! That's the price for a slice of 'Meat Lovers' pizza!" Bob rested his head on the counter. "I'm gonna be broke by the end of the week If I have to pay him..."
"Hey!" I snapped, "not only him, but me as well!"
"And me!" Ramone yelled from the kitchen. "Don't think that I can't call the health inspector too, Bob...better pay up!" Ramone laughed and came to rest his elbows on the window ledge, looking expectantly on the stubby man. I followed Ramone's gaze, and and we could both see grey sprouting in what little hair Bob had on his head
"You two can't actually be serious!"
"I'm so sorry, Bob!" All eyes turned to look at the new waiter. Wes had found himself one of the yellow and red uniforms and tied the red apron around his waist. "I swear I'm going to work to deserve my pay! I will do whatever work you need that's equivalent to fifteen dollars an hour."
"Ah Wesley! I'm glad you agreed to, because fifteen dollars an hour is really a lot for me to give you..."
"I can do deliveries! I have a vehicle, and I know Brooklyn like the back of my hand! I'll work double shifts, even. All day if I have to. Hell, 24/7, if necessary!"
"You've got to be kidding me?!" I interrupted Wes' long rant. "Why are you so desperate for the money?"
Wes turned away from Bob and looked at me.
"She's new here" Bob muttered, his arms crossed and a sympathetic look on his face, "So she doesn't know your story...but hey, you put up a really great offer there, kiddo. I'll hire you for the double shift and delivery service!"
Wes's eyes widened and he ran to hug Bob, lifting the man off the ground and spinning him around. Did he really want to do that? Bob's so sweaty!
After Wes had put Bob down, the Pizza clock struck twelve, meaning that it was rush hour once again. Here came the busy employees!
"Game faces, people! You all got customers to serve!" Bob knocked the counter, giving us a thumbs up before leaving.
"Ah, back to the frying pan!" Ramone said before he disappeared.
I turned to look at Wes and saw that he was reaching over the counter for a pen to slip in his ear. "Hey, uh, Mia can you pass me a notepad, please?"
I nodded lamely and passed him Bridget's. "Do you need help with anything, you can--"
"I've been in this place long enough, Mia. I know the menu and the prices by heart. But hey, don't worry; I'll ask if I need anything!"
"Sure..."
"By the way, when there's free time, I'll fill you in on my story, if someone hasn't already told you before I do."
Oh, my, my, well, this is some juicy info! What could possibly be the origin story of this son of Johnny Bravo?
~*~
Three hours in, and I could barely keep up with the pizzeria's lunch rush. Everyone that came in happend to check on Wes, and these weren't the friends I was accustomed to. These kids actually purchased something and left a tip for Wes... and we're talking dollars, not cent tips here people! Damn, where do I get friends like that?! If I had around twenty, I'd work off my college debt in no time.
"Order 505!" I called on the speaker, collecting the two pizza boxes from Ramone.
A young lady collected the orders, her black hair drawn back in such a tight ponytail. I could have sworn the hair strands were slowly being pulled from her head.
"Mia! I need the--oh my gosh, Kristeen! Nice to see you." Wes hugged the lady and the two began a mindless chat. From the conversation so far, she was a person Wes jogged with? Whatever she was, she was clearly holding up the line, and I could see some angry faces beginning to appear.
I cleared my throat once but neither of them paid attention to me. I tried again; still nothing.
"Wes! Do you mind saving the conversation for after work? The two of you are holding up the line!"
"Oh sorry! I was just leaving..." The lady flushed. She searched through her bag, pulling out a ten to give Wes. "Here you go, big fella! Tell your mum I said hi."
"I sure will!" Wes smiled as he waved her off, slipping the 10 in his apron pouch.
"You came for something, Wes?" I asked, ushering the next customer forward. "Hi, welcome to Bob's Pizza Palace, where we make pizza fit for a king. What is your royal decree?"
"I'll have the olive garden sandwich and a diet coke please." The customer said, looking at the menu behind me.
"Are you sure, sir? I highly recommend the roasted chicken sandwich! Great protein and healthy for you as well, at a bigger steal than the olive garden!" Wes rambled.
The guy seemed shocked and looked at Wes from head to toe. "I eat one most of the time after training, totally helps with the six pack!""I'll have three!" The customer smiled at me. This dude was any business owner's dreams! He took a bill from 5.50 to 18.00!I'd better watch out for this guy! He might put me out of work soon enough!