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“Good, then let’s do it. Right after our shift. And don’t even tell me you’re working on the boardwalk tonight. Let the princess outfit have a night off. I’ll even buy.”
I sighed. The workaholic in me thought about the money I could be making, but the dreamer side of me thought about how sick I was of wearing the scratchy sparkles to make a few extra bucks. I was tired of seeing people on the boardwalk vacationing from the life of their dreams while I had lost mine. And most of all, I was tired of watching all the couples, magically in love, saunter through the beach town. I was over it.
“All right, I’m in. But can we please do coffee? I need some caffeine, or I might not make it.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll settle for an old people activity. Just for you. But one of these days, we’re going out for real.”
“We’ll see,” I said, smirking. “I guess we better get in there and finish out the shift or Tino’s going to come looking for us.”
“Yeah right,” Grace said, shoving her hair behind her ear, revealing the new violet streak she’d just added the night before. “He’s too busy showing off his pouring skills for that group of dudes in there.”
I smirked as we headed back in. Sure enough, Tino, in his sleeveless, was pouring drinks left and right, his laughter audible from probably a mile out at sea.
“Oh look, two more minutes until the next line dance,” Grace said, mockingly. “Because the job’s not bad enough without having to dance, too. I can’t wait to be out of this joint for good.”
I agreed with the sentiment. Staring out into the restaurant, I was thankful to have a job to help me get back on my feet. But in that moment, a resolve I hadn’t felt for a while started to grow. I’d get out of there. My dream failed, but I’d find another way to be successful. I’d show my dad, Tino, everyone, that I could make something of myself. I would.
And then, at that exact moment, as the line dance music cued up, another new waitress carrying a tray of drinks rounded the corner as I headed back to the kitchen. The entire tray of ten drinks flew, and I wore at least five of them. I stood in stunned paralysis, dripping, frustrated, and angry. The line dance music blared. Everyone stared, and a few of Tino’s bros started laughing.
I flung the soda off me, closed my eyes, and told myself it couldn’t get any worse.
“Tino time! Come on, Tillie! A little soda doesn’t stop our staff from delivering the best customer service! Let’s make them all smile, dudes,” Tino shouted.
“I really can’t wait,” Grace whispered, offering me a towel and helping me dry off a bit.
“Me too,” I announced as we headed to the dance spot, a few elderly patrons looking confused at what we were doing. So was I, in truth.
Covered in soda, I danced, staring into a crowd I didn’t know. I wondered if maybe I was just destined to be a disaster.
Chapter Three
The morning of the fall
Drinking on a work night is never a great idea. But do you know what else isn’t good? Drinking a latte in the evening, especially when you’re pulling a double shift the next day. When my alarm went off the next morning, I groaned and asked myself if I really needed the money.
Of course, I did, so I dragged myself out of bed.
