FRIDAYS WERE THE MOST HECTIC DAY OF THE WEEK.
Even in the morning, there was a long line for our special vegan sandwiches and grinders. Keeping track of orders wasn't the easiest task when a line of impatient, half sleepy customers demanded quick service. I sometimes wanted to ask them what was so urgent. They were probably heading to work or college, and if they were late, it was because they didn't wake up earlier. It had nothing to do with my service. However, since I wanted to keep this job, I plastered a generic smile on my face, greeted every single one of them with the same feigned cheer like they were the most beautiful thing I'd seen this morning, and rushed my way to deliver as quickly as possible.
When it started getting hot, I did a high ponytail with my scrunchy around my wrist. Taking another order, I eyed the line: there were still five more. I let out a sigh, shouting the orders at the kitchen, and gave the change.
"I'll treat you to a frappe after this madness," Sarah muttered, leaning close to me.
Her offer made me grin. "Strawberry, please."
When I turned to look at the next customer, it was surprising to see Austin's girl beaming at me. She hadn't been around for two weeks at all. I read Caroline Stewart on her name tag and tilted my gaze up to her. "Hey," she said. "I want a veggie sub."
I yelled for her order. "Anything else?" She shook her head. "Six bucks." She nodded, fishing in her bag to find her purse. I leaned against the counter, shooting a look at Sarah. She pressed her lips together not to laugh. Find your wallet before you order, idiot. Then Caroline finally pulled out her wallet and handed me ten bucks.
"Keep the change," she said with a smile and fell a few steps back to wait for her order. When I met Sarah's gaze, I knew what she was thinking: a generous chick. For some of us, those four bucks meant more than a change.
When the line dulled, Sarah kept her promise. "Cheers," she said, taking a sip of her chocolate frappe. When she shifted closer to me and wrapped her curl around her index finger, I figured she was about to tell me something, but she was nervous. I shot her a questioning look. "That guy texted me last night."
"What guy? Nick?" She nodded with a sigh. "What did he say?"
"He wants to meet."
I couldn't see what was the negative side of this situation. We met Nick at the park as he was walking Austin's dog—which I later figured out that he was Austin's best friend and walking his dog as he was out of the town for a week—and that day, Sarah was with me. You had to be dumb not to see that he instantly liked her. So, as a good friend I was, I asked Sarah to take Daisy out for a few days and they exchanged numbers and had some small talk.
"What's wrong with this?"
"Oh," she said, sipping on her frappe. "Absolutely nothing. He's a doctor and I'm working here. He has a bright future; I'll spend the rest of my life taking orders and drinking frappe. You could say this is a match made in heaven." I just gave her a long, long stare. "What?"
"He knows that you're working here, right?" She nodded. "He wants to meet you, regardless. I mean, you're the most gorgeous, wittiest and smartest woman I've ever met—if he doesn't appreciate you, he can fuck off."
Sarah's eyes shone with a different light, and I could tell my comment made her blush because she always covered her cheeks whenever she felt embarrassed. "You think so?" Her voice cracked, but she looked less miserable about the situation compared to before.
"Yeah," I said, throwing the plastic glass into the trash can under the counter. I looked up into her eyes. "Nick looks like a decent guy. Give him one chance and see how it goes." After a moment of pause, she offered me a soft grin and pulled her phone out of her apron's pocket. After she had disappeared into the kitchen, I grabbed my phone and called Ace.
"Hey, girl," he said, his voice surprisingly awake. "What's up?"
"I'm better, since you are wide awake," I joked, and earned a low chuckle from him. "Yo, Ace, can you hand over to Sophie?" I asked quickly. "I have a surprise for her."
I waited as he called for her. "Mummy," Sophie said as she got the phone and Daisy's bark in the background made me smile. I imagined them together in the parlor, Sophie in her pajamas with fuzzy hair. I wish I could curl up with them now, playing house. "Shh, Daisy, Mom's talking."
"Baby, wanna have supper out tonight?"
"Yes," she yelled cheerfully. "I want ice with jimmies, too."
"Ice with jimmies," I repeated amusedly. "If you eat well, I will consider." Another yes echoed in the background—she probably dropped the phone on the sofa and went back to playing with Daisy.
"Kara," Ace said after a while. "She ran to her room."
"Ace, can you bring her here after my shift?"
"Sure." Ace was more tolerable since Sophie had the chickenpox. He took good care of Sophie, relatively better at least, and he called me twice every day to fill in about her. He was also hunting down for some gigs, mostly with his band, and I really hoped he would find some cash so I could pay my debt to Sarah as soon as possible. When I couldn't come up with a better solution, I had to borrow money from her.
When the plan was set, I spent the rest of my day counting down the minutes. Near the end of the shift, the door swung open and Nick entered. I gave him a smile as he sat down at a table. Gone was the carefree man I'd met at the park. Nick seemed too nervous — which showed he took this seriously. I remembered what Sarah said earlier, and this guy didn't seem to be a pretentious dick. He was Austin's friend, and well, Austin wasn't a pretentious dick, either.
I looked around to see Sarah walking out of the kitchen. She shot me a look when she noticed Nick was down here and I bit my cheek not to laugh at her nervousness. "I can handle the rest," I told her as she walked closer. "Just go."
"But—"
"No, but," I cut her. "I got this. Just have fun." She let out a sharp breath and nodded. After removing and hanging her apron, she walked toward Nick, who was now holding the door for her. Sarah gave me a wave before they walked out of the diner. I really hoped this worked out for her because her ex-boyfriend was a tremendous disappointment.
A part of me was worried that their relationship would somehow force me to face Austin, but that wouldn't probably happen. I hadn't seen him in two weeks and Nick always came alone. Thinking about Austin made me think about the past, and that was something I did often these days. Pushing my thoughts, I flipped Open to Closed, organized the tables and mopped the floor. The kitchen was empty and clean by the time Ace turned up with Sophie.
As the door opened, she dropped Ace's hand and ran toward me. Her shiny smile was everything that made me survive through the day. She was my gift. I kneeled down to hug her as she threw herself on me. "Thanks," I muttered to Ace, who was watching us. "Wanna join us?"
"No," Ace said smilingly. "I'll meet Claire."
"Give a kiss to your uncle," I said to Sophie as I stood up. She walked back to him to do what she was told, and we waved a hand at him until he shut the door and disappeared into the street.
"What do you want to eat?" I asked her as we walked to the kitchen. I turned the lights on and sat her on the countertop. She watched me as I washed my hands. "Does chicken sound well?"
"Yes," she muttered. "Daisy loves chicken, too."
"We can take her some, okay?" Her eyes shone with my comment. "But she's not allowed here. She would make a mess." Her laughter echoed in the place. She probably pictured how Daisy would run around and really make a mess. She watched me religiously as I roasted chicken. The smell made my stomach growl—I had nothing since that frappe.
"Can we go to the park and play with the ducks?" She was referring to the duck sculptures in Public Garden. Her naiveness put a smile on my face. I didn't want to ruin her dreams by saying that they weren't real, so I just nodded my head. "We'll sleep and wake up, and we will go, okay?"
"Okay." It was her time concept of tomorrow.
I put the chicken on a plate and put some veggies next to it. Billy, the cook, didn't throw the leftovers since I told him I would close up tonight. I occasionally brought Sophie here because she loved eating in a restaurant and this was what I could afford. The owner didn't mind as long as I left the place clean, since he loved Sophie as well. My girl had the charm, and she was definitely less grumpy than her mother.
Sophie ate her place in silence, even the broccoli. I was in awe of her ability to remain happy in all circumstances and the fact that she was more mature than me sometimes. She lifted me up when I was down, and she felt it whenever I didn't feel in the mood. After tucking the last piece of her chicken, she gave me a mouthful of a smile. "Close your mouth when you're eating, honey." She nodded, waiting to speak until she swallowed. "Did you like it?"
"Yes, mummy. Can I have ice now?"
I sighed. "It's late. I'll buy tomorrow, okay?"
Sophie pouted and folded her arms. "Please."
Stroking her cheek, I took her plate back to the kitchen. I rinsed the plates and placed them in the dishwasher. I didn't expect to find her watching me by the door. "Mom, can we take some to Daisy?"
"Yes," I said, removing my apron. "I'll wrap it up, baby." I grabbed a container from the cupboard and put the leftover chicken inside. With a forehead kiss, I handed Sophie the container. My eyes tugged at the clock on the wall. It was almost her sleeping time. "Let's go home."
Hey,
I loved writing this chapter because of Sophie. She's a cutie pie and I can assure you that she makes the whole story sweeter. What do you think of Kara as a mother? Her relationship with Sophie? Would you want to read more chapters involving them?
Drop a ❤️ or 🍦 if you like ice with jimmies! (jimmies are the Bostonian term for sprinkles)
Sev xx
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