Ok, so we're 14 days in and I just realized my initial plot plan wouldn't work. Luckily, unbeknownst to me, there was a subplot that I could bring to the front lines so once again my novel has no title and no cover art :-( However, I'm still ahead so that's good! Now, on with the story.
"Great. Well here in about fifteen minutes I’m going to let the first round go.”
“Works for me.” I said. “Just give me the chart of who is doing what.”
“That’s what I’m going to be doing for fifteen minutes, making the chart.” Jason said, leaving and going to make the chart. Jason was a spastic manager. It’s like he was always looking for the employees to approve of what he was doing, whether it was calling a pre-shift meeting or assigning the side work out. It was kind of a good thing, because it meant that the entire team, including management, worked as a team and not a leader and followers. But it was also bad because it meant that some of the servers used Jason to get what they wanted. It was Jason’s passivity that often caused the morning shift to have to fold a bunch of silverware that the night crew ‘lost’ somehow.
I continued folding silverware, until I saw the health-conscious girl put down the check book. I then walked over to the table and collected it. “Ok, I’ll go run this,” I said as I picked it off of the table. “Would you like another pomegranate lemonade?” I asked the woman.
“No thanks.”
“You don’t want one to go?” I asked.
“Oh, I can get them to go?”
“Yes. Would you like one?”
“Yes please.”
“Ok, I’ll bring that back when I have the check.” I said, leaving the table and heading to the POS. I rang in an order for a to go pomegranate lemonade and then scanned their card through the system. Then, after picking up the to go cup at the bar, I went to get the woman’s signature. “Here’s your receipt, the restaurant’s copy is on top and I’ll need that one signed. Here’s your drink ma’am. Can I get you anything else?”
“I think we are good.”
“Ok, well I hope you both have a wonderful night. Come back to Applebee’s soon.” I said, walking away and back to the silverware. I folded a few more while I waited for the couple to leave. Once they had disappeared, I decided to start cleaning up my tables so that I’d have less to do come closing. I got new ketchups to put at each table, refilled the salt shakers and checked on the pepper, counted the number of each kind of sugar in the sugar container that sat at each table, and wiped the tables clean of any crumbs. I also went ahead and wiped down the seat cracks, knowing that I might forget later.
After I’d finished cleaning up my second two-top table, the hostess seated me. It’s the Murphey’s Law of restaurant seating. Just after you get things all cleaned up you will be seated. I left the cleaning cloth on the table I was wiping down, which is technically not allowed but of all the infractions committed, leaving your cleaning towel laying around was minor. It was a good way to loose the possession of the cleaning cloth, but no one ever got in trouble over it. Then I greeted the guest sitting at my two-topper. The guest was a single man, who was intent on finishing the New York Times crossword puzzle.
“Can I help you Sir?”
“Yea, what’s a word for extremely rare? Eleven letters.”
“Umm… I’m not sure. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Coffee.” He said, offhandedly while tapping his pencil.
“Ok, I’l be right back with that.” I once again turned to the POS and rang up a coffee for him. When I returned to hand him the coffee, I looked over his shoulder and at the paper to see how much of it he had solved. He had only solved two of the across clues and one of the down clues. He didn’t seem to be figuring any of them out either.
“Here’s your coffee, Sir. Do you usually do crosswords?”
“Huh?” He grunted. “No. My ex-wife did them often though. She left me for a editor for some publishing house. Doing these reminds me of her. Though I don’t really understand how they work.”
“Can I get you something to eat?” I asked. One would think the guy sleepwalked here.
“Not right now. I just want my coffee.”
“Let me know if you need anything.” I said, returning once again to the silverware folding. It looked like the table would be a bust.
“Marti, quit folding all of that or else there will be none left for the others to fold.” Jason told me when he saw me working at it.
“I need to do something.”
“Well how about checking side work in ten minutes?”
“I can do that.”
“Besides, you have a table, don’t you?”
“Yea, but the guy just wants a coffee and to do his New York Times crossword puzzle.”
“Well keep his coffee filled.”
“I am.” I said.
“Why don’t you go and dump the silverware? You know how to run the dishwasher, don’y you?”
“Yea. I’ll go do that.” I said. I didn’t mind running the dish washer for silverware. It got darn right disgusting and dirty if you had to clean the plates and baskets and stuff. Silverware was easy enough though. I grabbed the bucket of silverware that had been sitting in cleaner solution, and dumped the silverware onto a flat tray. I then used the spray thingy that I found to be pretty cool cause it just kinda hung there till you grabbed it and squeezed, and sprayed the silverware down, using water pressure to knock off food pieces. Then, after putting the sprayer back in it’s hanging position, I shoved the silverware into the dishwasher and pulled down on the door handles. Having done that, I washed my hands and went to check on the guy again.
“Coffee good?” I asked.
“Yea.”
“Would you like more?”
“Not yet.”
“Can I get you anything else?”
“No. What’s a four letter word for provokes?”
“Honestly, I’m probably worse than you when it comes to those things. I’ve never been able to figure them out unless they all had to do with vocabulary words we were currently learning in school. Even then I got some of them wrong if the words were too closely related.” I laughed at my own ignorance concerning crosswords.
The guy smirked at me. “That’s pretty bad, kid.”
“Yea, I suppose so.”
“Tell you what, I’ll take a cup of french onion soup.”
“I’ll have that right out.” I said, and I wasn’t kidding about that. All of our soups are already made, sitting in a stew pot keeping them warm and fresh until somebody orders it, so I put the order into the POS and then went to stand by the counter. It took a whole two minutes before steve called my name and said my soup was up. I grabbed the tray with the soup on it, and the coffee pot, and went back to the guy doing the New York Times crossword puzzle. “Here you go Sir.” I said, handing the cup of soup over to him. And I’ll go ahead and give you more coffee, this is freshly brewed.” I took his coffee cup and refilled it to the top.
“Thanks.” He said, dipping his spoon into the soup and tilting the spoon so the soup went back into the cup. “Looks hot.”
“It is, I’d give it a few minutes to sit if I were you.”
“Not a bad idea.”
“Well I’ll leave you be, just let me know if you need anything. My name’s Marti by the way.”
“Thanks Marti.”
Without saying another word I walked away from the table. That’s the only time I really feel awkward around customers. I mean, you want to build relationships with them and to get to know them, and they want to eat their food. If they say they need something or want to order something else, then it’s easy, you just turn around and go retrieve that item or order the additional food that they request. It’s when you start conversations with them or they are perfectly fine and say they don’t need anything when you just walk away that feels entirely awkward. Still, after a while you get used to it. But some people it just feels rude to leave. Like the poor loners who come to eat by themselves. I always feel sorry for them. I hate eating out at a restaurant by myself. It’s so lonely. And as a result, I often pity the people even if they may seem perfectly ok with the idea.
However, as I was checker tonight, I did not have to worry about an excuse to leave the table and go and do my own thing. For starters, I had to now sort the silverware I had just put into the dishwasher and then send it through the dishwasher again before I told the servers how many pairs of silverware they would have to fold before I checked them out. So I headed back to the dishwasher, released the door, pulled out the tray of silverware and took it to one of the back prepping tables where I sorted the tray of silverware into forks, spoons, and knives and put them all into little plastic washing cups according to their kind. When I finished with that chore, the normal dishwasher of the night had signed back on from his break and I pushed the silverware over to him. “Final rise.” I said, washing my hands and heading back out to the floor.
“Marti, can you take my table? Please? I really gotta smoke before the closing shift starts. You can keep the tips.”
“Well if you are wanting me to take your table and not just watch over it I better get the tips.” I said. “Go. I’m not too busy at the moment.”
Murphy’s Second Law of Restaurant Seating says that if you agree to take over someone else’s table, you yourself will be sat just as you start to tend to the table you picked up. Sure enough, while I was taking the four-top that Sean had given up, my two middle tables I had just gained control of when the other servers were let go were joined together and seated. An eight top.
I made sure that the four-top had gotten their drinks and told them to give me just one quick minute while I got my other table started.
“Welcome to Applebee’s my name is Marti and I’ll be your server tonight.” I said, greeting the table of eight adults that had just gotten settled. “How’s everyone doing.”
A chorus of goods and greats chorused through the group.
“Night out without the kids. I’m doing fantastic.” Said the young brunette who was closest to me.
The man who I assume was her husband grinned at her, “You just want to be able to drink a little.”
“I love our kids,” she said, “I just like getting together as adults every once in a while too.”
“Can I go ahead and get drinks?”
“Yea, I’ll take an AppleBeeTini.” Said the brunette that had spoken a second ago.
“A Strawberry Perfect Flavor Margarita for me.” Said the girl who was sitting next to her.
“I want a hurricane.” Said the blonde that was at the other end of the table.
“And I’ll take a Bahama Mama.” Said the girl on the other side of the table across from the one that ordered a Hurricane.
“And for the guys?”
“Sam Adams all around.” Said the husband of the girl closest to me. He looked around at his friends, all of who were nodding in agreement.
“Ok, so that’s four Sam Adams, a AppleBeetini, Strawberry Perfect Flavor Margartia, a Hurricane and a Bahama Mama?”
“And get us two orders of chili cheese nachos. No jalapenos on one of those.” Said one of the guys further down the table.
“Ok. I’ll have all those drinks and your chili cheese nachos out shortly.” I said. “Will this be on one or four checks?”
“Put it all on one. We’ll divvy it up.” Said the brunette.
“Ok, that works for me. I’ll get those drinks right out.” I turned to go and check up on my other table on the way to the POS. The table of eight adults immediately started chattering as soon as I left.
“Are we ready to order here?” I asked the four top.
Yea, we’ll take a fire pit bacon burger, a steakhouse burger, and a chicken tenders platter for the kids to split”.” The dad said.
“So that’s a fire pit burger, a steakhouse burger, and a chicken tender platter. Would you like me to have the chicken tender platter split in half for you?”
“Please.”
“Ok, I’ll go ring it in now.” I said, hurrying off to the POS to press in the orders for both of the tables. I then went to sit by the bar until my 8 drinks were up. It took about a minute and a half, thanks to all of the girls’s drinks. I collected them all together and then delivered them to the table. While I was passing out the girls’ drinks, Lindsay came by to get me.
“Marti, can you come and check my tables before someone seats them for the closers?”
“Sure. Just let me get this table first. I’ll be right over.” I said, then I turned back to the table. “Are we all ready to order?”
“Not yet. We’ll order when we get those nachos out.” One of the four guys said.
“Ok, well those should be out in a few short minutes.”
“Hey,” One of the guys called back to me as I walked away, “Could you make sure the jalapenos that were supposed to go on the chili cheese nachos that I told you to take off come on the side?”
“Yea, I’ll get them out here for you.” I said, then walked over to check out Lindsay’s tables.
“You’ll need to wipe down the cracks between the booth and the wall.” I said, I could see food in the crack even as I just walked up to the table. After I got to the table, I picked up the salt and pepper shakers and tapped them side-by-side. That knocked any air bubbles out and allowed us to see how much salt was really in the shakers. The pepper shakers almost never ran low. The salt levels were fine, so I replaced them on the table. I then counted the sugars and picked up the ketchup bottle, shaking it to feel how much was left. “I need two more blue packets of sugar in that container and you’ll have to replace the ketchup at this table.” I said, going on to her second table. I did the same checks, and all but the cracks and the salt passed there. At her third and forth tables all was good except for the cracks. I told her that she needed to correct those things and then she’d be ok. “Let me know when you get the check books wiped down.” I told her, going back to check on the silverware.
The dish washer had put the silverware on the front counter and I got the area set up so that as the servers finished their main side work and tables, it would be all set up for them. I then went back to the dishwasher and told him to put in another tray of silverware. As I washed my hands and reentered the floor steve called out my name. “Marti! Two chili cheese nachos!”
“Got it!” I called, walking over to take the tray away from steve. “And can I get a side of jalapenos for this?”
“Side of jalapenos!” Steve yelled over the counter to the cooks.
The cooks took a small dish and put about ten jalapenos into it and slid it across the counter to steve, who put it on my tray. “You got that eight-top?”
“Yup. Fraid’ so.”
“Well I know you got it under control. Just don’t forget about running their food out.”
“I won’t.” I said, heading to the eight top with the nachos. I places one tray of chili cheese nachos in the middle of each of the tables and passed out eight plates. “Are we ready to order now?” I asked.
“Yea.” Sighed the brunette. “I want a paradise chicken salad.”
“I’ll take a 12 ounce Ribeye with mashed potatoes.” Said her husband. I sighed in relief when I head him say mashed potatoes unprompted.
“I’ll have the double crunch shrimp.” Said the girl who had ordered the strawberry margarita.”
“Steakhouse burger for me, and I want onion rings instead of fries.”
“That’s an extra dollar and sixty cents.”
“That’s fine.” The guy said, taking a swig out of his Sam Adams glass.
“Fire pit burger for me.” Said the guy across from him.”
“And I’ll have the sizzling skillet fajitas with guacamole. I don’t care about the extra charge either.” Said the woman next to him.
“I’ll take a honey barbecue chicken sandwich. No tomato.” Said the man who was sitting next to her.
“And I’ll have the fish and chips.” Said the girl on the far end of the table.
I finished jotting down their orders and began repeating them back. “One 12 ounce Ribeye with mashed potatoes, a double crunched shrimp,” I said, facing each of the adults as I called out their entree’. “Steakhouse burger with onion rings instead of fries, a fire pit burger, sizzling steak fajitas with guacamole, a honey barbecue chicken sandwich, and fish and chips? Did I get everyone?”
“Did you get my paradise chicken salad?” asked the brunette.
I looked down my list. “No, I did not. Thanks for catching that. Is that all? Did I miss anyone else?”
“I said no tomato on my honey barbecue chicken sandwich.” Said the guy over on the far end.
I looked at my notes again, man it was getting late. “Yes, I got that. Sorry I forgot to say it. Ok, all good then? I’m going to go ring these up. Does anyone want a glass of water?” I waited for an answer but only silence hit my ears. I then turned to enter the orders into the POS and glanced over to see Lindsay wiping down her cracks throughly. I made a note on my tablet that she was all good.
After ringing up the orders I went back to check on my man doing the crossword. He’d managed to figure out just one more clue. “Would you like some more coffee?” I asked him.
“Yes please.” He said.
I ran back to the counter to fetch the coffee pot and brought it out to refill his coffee. He had just finished drinking what I had last given him when I got back to the table. “How’s the soup?”
“Good. Can I get an extra slice of bread?”
“Sure, I’ll be right back with it.” When I got to the expo line I called back to the cook line. “I need a piece of bread for soup.” I told the guys behind the counter.
“Ticket?”
“No ticket, the guy just got his soup without bread. Just give me a slice.” I lied.
“No ticket no bread.” The cook replied back to me in a heavy spanish accent.
I sighed and grabbed a trouble ticket. I figured I’d hand it over to the cooks then toss it in the trash. I was not going to nickel and dime this guy when all he wanted was a piece of bread. I filled out the time, ticket number, and item missing, and then tossed the trouble ticket up on the counter. “Bread please!” I yelled as I tossed the ticket to him.
“Marti. This soup was ran fifteen minutes ago, and I know I put bread on the plate.”
“No you didn’t Martin, just get me the freaking bread.”
Martin finally sighed and handed over a plate with a single piece of bread on it.
“Thanks.” I said, grabbing the trouble ticket back and promptly disposing of it. I then took the plate and brought it over to the crossword guy. “Here.”
“Thanks.” He said, taking it away from me. “I’ll go ahead and take my check now.” He told me.
“Sure, no problem.” I had rung up the check when I had brought his soup out, so I had it in my apron and ready to give to him. “Here you go,” I said handing it over, “If you need anything else at all please let me know.”
“You know what fish is also called a Jerusalem haddock? Four letters?”
“Sorry, only fish I know of is clownfish, catfish, carp and tuna.” I said. “Oh! And flying fish! I’ve always liked the concept of flying fish since I heard about them. Did you know the romanian word for carp is crap? A friend of mine went on a mission trip to Romania and told me that a while ago.”
“Huh. That is kind of interesting. Romania near Jerusalem?”
“Nope. Wrong sea. Romania is bordered by the Black Sea, not the Mediterranean.”
“Huh. Then I doubt if crappy carp is the answer anyways.”
“Sorry. But that’s the extent of my awesome fish trivia.”
The guy grunted and went back to searching the crossword. I seriously considered telling him he might do better if he bought a book of crosswords with increasing levels of difficulty instead of doing whatever the newspaper printed. But, I didn’t.
“Marti! Your food is up!” I heard Scott yell at me. “You need help taking this out?” he asked when I came to retrieve the tray.
“Yea, that would be good.” I said.
“Lindsay, help Marti take this to 52.” Scott said, taking Lindsay away from her washing down of the check books.
Together Lindsay and I delivered all of the food out to my party of 8, who at this point had mostly finished their drinks. I gave Lindsay my empty tray and stayed at the table while she went back to complete her side work. “Everything look ok?”
“Yea, can I get a strawberry shake and a water?” said the brunette.”
“Oh! Get me a chocolate shake!” Her friend exclaimed. “That sounds delicious.”
“I’ll take a mango one.” Said one of the two girls sitting at the far end.
“And an Oreo cookie one for me.” The final girl said, finishing up her Hurricane.”
“Also, get me and him,” one of the guys said pointing to the guy sitting catty-corner to him, “another Sam Adams.”
“Ok, that’s two Sam Adams and one each of Oreo, mango, chocolate, and strawberry shake?” The table nodded their heads at me. “Ok, I’ll be right back with those.” I said, heading over to the bar and praying that the bartender hadn’t started packing up for the night. It wouldn’t make a difference. The guests would be able to ask for anything they wanted until the last of them left the restaurant, but bartenders and cooks started to get fussy when they’d put away something and had to get it back out. Luckily, Brandy wasn’t putting anything away, just cleaning up the messes behind the counter. “I need four shakes and 2 Sam Adams.” I told her as I was keying in the order.
“Aren’t you busy tonight?”
“About time.”
“Ok, I’ll get those right up,” she said taking the ticket print out from the machine that I had just sent over to her.
While she did that I checked on my one top. “Sorry I havn’t had a chance to make it over here.” I said as I got to the table. Would you like a drink refill?”
“Yes please, can I get them to go?” asked the wife.
“Sure. I’ll have those right out with your check.
“Also, we wanted a side of ranch for the chicken. One of your co-workers said they’d take care of it and never did.” Said the dad.
I cursed mentally. I had no idea how long this table had been waiting for the ranch, but the idea of one of my teammates saying they’d take care of it and not doing so irked me. “Sure, I’ll go get that right now.” I smiled at the father. “I’m sorry about not having it here sooner.”
“Well unless he told you it’s not really your fault.” Said the dad.
As I left that table to get drink refills to go and a side of ranch I smiled to myself, there were still understanding people out there somewhere. I returned to the table, passed out the drinks and check with the side of ranch, and then went to collect my drinks for the party of eight. After running those drinks out to the table I went and collected the check from the guy doing the crossword.
“All ready then?” I asked him, picking up the check.
“Yes, I think so. Thank you, the soup was delicious.”
“I’l give your regards to the chef.” I said, even though we didn’t really have chef. We had a line of cooks, but I can tell my manager that one of the customers really enjoyed the soup. They liked to hear positive feedback. “Just give me a minute to run this.” I said, turning to the POS behind the front counter.
“Marti! I need my tables checked.” Kelly said as I was running the credit card.
“Well give me a minute. What section did you have tonight?”
“The twenties.”
“Ok, go make sure you’ve got the crumbs out of the crack and I’ll be over there in a few."
“I need my tables checked too.” Tasha said when I turned to take the receipts to the man.
“Tables?”
“I had 60-65.”
“Do the same as I told Kelly and I’ll be over after I’ve checked hers over.” I said, leaving the front counter and hollering back to whoever was doing dishes to drop in some more silverware. I then told Lindsay to go sort the silverware that I had dropped probably about half an hour ago. It was as I was headed out to the guy with the crossword that I noticed that I was actually feeling really, really good. Not at all tired. Which was saying something as busy as I had been throughout the night.”
“Here’s your receipt.” I said to the man as I returned his card to him. “Just sign the top copy and the bottom is yours to keep. Have a great night Sir and come back soon.” I said, turning to start what was no doubt going to be a run of table checks. After that, I went to check up on my table of eight.
“Get me and that guy” one of the two guys who still had their Sam Adams the last time I checked on the table said ‘another Sam Adams then you can run our check. No hurry on the check though.” The guy said. I went and did as he asked. When I delivered their check, a total of a near 200 dollar meal the guy next to the table let out a low whistle.
“I need thirty one dollars from each of you.” The guy next to the brunette said, 62 if you are paying as a couple. I heard a bunch of groans from the table as I turned to get the check from my four top. I could also hear a bunch of “Please cover this for me, I’ll pay you back. I only brought forty dollars with me.” I hoped they could all figure it out.
I ran the check for the four top easily enough, wishing them a good night and returning to my checker’s duty with checking the tables for four other servers, as well as making sure that Kelly had restocked the POS stations and the area behind the front counter. “Ok,” I said as I checked behind the counter. “Seventy-five silverware folded and I’ll get you out of here.” I told her.
“Marti!” Lindsay called over to me from the POS by the door. “I think this is yours.” She said, handing me a note that had been stuffed into the check book she was currently cleaning out.
I walked over and took the note.
Marti-Dear,
Thank you so much for a wonderful evening. NormaJean
really enjoyed her birthday, and let me tell you, after having
ninety-four of them it’s hard to find something new and
enjoyable to do. You seemed to be on the edge while serving
us, and it’s not really any of our business as to what was
bothering you. However, I think you’ll find that so long
as you keep at least one of the hundred dollar bills we gave you,
you will be just fine. I know you probably will send it off to the bank,
and please do. I hope you find the money very helpful, but hopefully
the effect of the money will at least keep you sane for tonight. You might
see about getting to a doctor. This money should cover a visit I think. Next
time we visit, we’ll be sure to ask to have you be our server. It was a very
delightful experience. Thanks again,
Mira Geest.
“Thanks Lindsay. You almost done?” I said, pocketing the note with the money.
“Almost, I just have to get the check books from that POS and then you can check my side work.”
“Ok, come get me when you are ready.” I said. And then I allowed myself to ponder the note. I had felt pretty good after the three of them left. Maybe the amount of money they gave me was having an effect on my mood. I made sure no one was looking and took out the three crisp hundred dollar bills out of my baggy. I looked them over, each in turn. Other than appearing to have just come from the bank off of the money press, there was nothing significant about the money. Other than it’s value of course. I put the money away and thought that maybe it was the old ladies’ equivalent to a good luck charm. Maybe they were all deeply religious and prayed some sort of protection on the three bills. Whatever they thought, I needed the money in the bank, and that’s exactly where it was going to go when I got off of work.
I went over to my last table, the eight-top and collected up the check book. I was told by the guy with the brunette to just charge the full amount to his visa. To his friends he muttered, “You all owe me.”
I rung up the check and ran it back over to the table. “Here you go, Sir. Top copy needs sign, bottom is yours to do with as you will.”
He took my pen and signed the receipt handing me it and a stack of bills. “That’s your tip. Thanks for a great night.”
The stack was full of tens except for one twenty. It looked like everyone chipped in ten dollars. That meant 80 dollars for me, well, seventy-four after tip out, but that wasn’t so bad. Pocketing the money I went back to checking tables until my eight top had left.
“Marti, all the silverware is done.”
Now where have I heard that one before? “Are you sure? Is there some to sort in the back?”
“I don’t think so.” Kelly replied.
I walked back to the back where, sure enough, there were three trays full of silverware waiting to be sorted. “Come on,” I said grabbing Lindsay and Kelly and pulling them into the back to sort silverware with me. It took us about five minutes to get all of the silverware sorted and on it’s final washing. “Nobody leaves without doing seventy-five pairs of silverware first.” I said. “The silverware will be out in five minutes. Who else needs their tables checked?”
A few of the servers said they were ready, and most of them were in fact. I took their receipts saying they’d get it back signed when they finished their silverware. A common mistake that is made by checkers is singing the receipt saying that the side work is complete, and then expecting the servers to wait around for the silverware. That’s almost always how two or three unlucky souls get stuck doing the silverware all on their own. My solutions is to take the server’s check out receipt, sign it so that I know they have been checked by me, and hold on to the receipt until the silverware has been turned in, that way nobody sneaks under my radar and leaves the rest of us to d all the dirty work.
When the silverware came out most of the guests had gone home. It was ten o clock so the doors were locked and all of the servers moved the silverware to a table to fold.
Well, all of the servers besides Sean, myself, and Janice. We were closing and so we went to work on cleaning up our messes. I took a bucket out to my middle table where the party of eight had been seated and piled all the dishes from that table and my last four top into the bucket. I also went ahead and ran my check out receipt, and went over to Jason to turn in my tips.
“Ok Marti, I’ll need two hundred dollars from you tonight.” Jason said after looking at my totals. “You did pretty good tonight.”
“Yea, I did. And I don’t feel the faintest bit tired or dizzy or anything like that.” I said, grinning. I handed over one of my hundred dollar bills and five twenties. “There you go.”
“Great, now let’s get this ball rolling and get out of here before midnight. Think it’s doable?”
“Totally. We’ve got the other servers helping with the side work, and Sean and Janice and I can get the place closed up easily.”
“You know tonight is booth night, right?”
“Crap. No, I forgot. Don’t worry, we’ll get it taken care of.” I said, pocketing my tips and heading to find Sean. He was, of course, smoking out back near the trash disposer. “We need you in there. You know, closing down. It’s booth night and we want to be out before midnight. I’m sure you can appreciate that.”
“Yea, I suppose I can.” Sean said, stamping out his cigarette and re-entering the restaurant.
It was after Sean had went back inside that I realized that for the first time in my life I hadn’t coughed at the mere exposure of smoke. Actually, I hadn’t even smelt it. I breathed in another breath of fresh night air before re-entering the restaurant myself. “Do any tables still have silverware sitting out that needs washing besides mine?” I asked the group of servers at large. Most of them had been checked off for tables, so that really only left the tables that were taken after the rest of the team got cut. “Yea, I’m brining mine back now.” Janice said.
Sean shrugged. My tables have been clear for fifteen minutes. So I guess I don’t have any.
“Ok, bring yours back Janice and we’ll throw all the silverware into the dishwasher. Sean, start pulling all the booths apart. “
“Man, I hate booth day.”
“We’re going to help you clean them out, you are just better at pulling them out of their places than we are.”
“Ok, I’ll get the booths.” Sean said, heading to the front of the store and pulling all the booths out of their seats.
Meanwhile, Both Janice and I dropped our tables’ dishes off at the dishwasher and put the silverware in to be washed. I the went out to get my tables re-stocked for the morning. The middle table where the party of eight had been had used all of the ketchup, salt and pepper. I refilled all three and wiped the tables and chairs down. I also cleaned off the table linker and carried it to the back. When I came back out onto the floor from there, most Lindsay and Kelly had completed their seventy-five pairs of silverware. I gave their receipts back to them and wished them a good night. The other servers were still hard at work folding silverware.
I closed down the one beverage station that we had kept open for the closers to use after the others were shut down, putting the spigots into soda water to soak while the backboard and ice grid and catcher got washed in the dishwasher. Then, I went to join Sean in taking apart the restaurant’s booths. Janice followed not far behind carrying the Dyson vacuum that all the servers had chipped in on so that we didn’t have to keep vacuuming with a different Shark once or twice a week. The Dyson cost each of us about 15 well-spent dollars. Janice dropped the Dyson off and went back to the back to retrieve some cleaning rags, a broom, and a dustpan.
As Sean made his way around the restaurant taking booths apart, Janice and I swept the areas inside the booths, coming up with a dollar and seventy-five cents in change that we split coin by coin between ourselves, and vacuuming the carpet around the open floor of the restaurant. Janice stepped into the booths and brushed all the debris together and onto the dustpan, then put it on the carpet so I could vacuum it up. Then, while I vacuumed the surrounding area, she put the booths back together, making sure to wipe any remaining crumbs off of the seat. We then moved our little team on down the row.
When Sean said he was done with the booths I sent him on to get the silverware that we were responsible for. Then I told him to clean the trays and the tray holders out and set the trays up on the counter by the kitchen.
Janice and I made good time, not including the occasional interruption I got whenever another server was ready to check out. By the time Janice and I got done with the last booth and got it put back together, all the other servers had left and it looked like we didn’t have much more to do ourselves.
“I’ll go get the stuff for the beverage station from the dishwasher. You get the silverware.” Janice told me after pushing the last booth into place.
“Ok.” I said, heading back to retrieve the last container full of unrolled silverware, I then went to the same table that the other servers had been at and began folding silverware.
“Janice says we’re about done?” Sean said, coming up from behind me.
“Yea, now help me fold this so we can get out of here. Janice will be over as soon as the beverage station is put back together again.”
“You know, you’d make a good manger.” Sean said. “You’re always bossing the rest of us around. Though, I gotta admit that you do get the jobs done.”
“I just pass on orders as they come up. I couldn’t take all the paperwork that comes with the position. I’d much rather stay on tips and be one of the top underlings. Besides, I wouldn’t be so bossy if you would do what you are supposed to do without being asked.” I said.
“Did you have a good night? I haven’t seen you on your feet so much in quite some time. You were all lethargic last night.”
“Yea, I had a great day. And I don’t know what was wrong with me last night. I just got a huge dizzy spell. Probably a result of not eating before I came in to work.”
“That was dumb.”
“Maybe. I just was’t hungry.” I said, sighing. “How was your night?”
“Average. Well, you know, as average as a night when the restaurant gets ambushed by a bunch of teens shooting Nerf guns can be.”
I laughed at that. There wasn’t really ever anything truly normal about our job. Each day had it’s own oddities, but this week seemed to be odder than usual.
“You owe me for taking that four top for you. Seriously, right as I was getting their drink orders I was seated with an eight top.”
“Which I’m sure tipped you well and you handled with all the grace and poise you are known for.”
“Actually, it wasn’t a disaster. Mainly cause the entire table drank some form of alcohol or another. Still, you owe me.”
“Thought you were happily married. Is the honeymoon phase over already?”
“Not like that.”
“Did you decide to join the rest of us after work in the park?”
“No, I don’t want any weed either. Gosh. I just want you to take a shift for me.”
“What shift?”
“I dunno… I’ll let you know when I do. I need to make a doctor’s appointment.”
“For what?” Janice said, joining us at the table and blowing a bubble with her bubble gum.
“I just haven’t been feeling too great the last week or so. One of my customers today tipped me extra and said that I should go. So I figured I should, while I still have the money.”
“Not a bad idea.” Janice said, grabbing another napkin to fold silverware in.
“Yea. But I don’t feel so bad now."
