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“I-I …” comes my stutter as my cheeks flush red.
But the woman’s on a roll, and she’s not about to stop.
“Look at her,” she entreats Jimmy. “Look at how slutty your waitress looks. Look how she’s done herself up, with all that make-up and the messy hairdo. I see a lot of other workers here, and they look fine by comparison. How can you hire someone like her?”
Again, I’m completely flummoxed. First, it’s unfair to compare me to the other servers here. Dot, Billie, and Betty are so old that they’re allowed to wear whatever they want. Most days, it’s just a plain skirt and a blouse, with an apron over it. By comparison, I’m the only one who has to wear Silver Star’s ridiculous uniform, which consists of a silver lamé low-cut top paired with a silver lamé mini-skirt. To top it off, there are stars emblazoned all over the outfit, which I would never pick for myself. Who in their right mind would go out in public wearing something like this?
I open my mouth, ready to give her a piece of my mind and to set the record straight when it comes to this ridiculous, revealing outfit. But Jimmy evidently senses an opportunity to humiliate me further because he giggles and practically bows then.
“You’re absolutely right, ma’am,” he coos. “Gemma here is no good, and I was just waiting for the right time to tell her the news. But since this has happened, I might as well lay it on now. Gemma, dear, you’re fired. Get your stuff from the locker and leave now. You can pick up your last paycheck at my office next Monday. Toodle-oo!” he says, wiggling his chubby fingers at me. “Bye now!” Without missing a beat, he turns back to the blonde lady. “We’ll take care of the salad for you, ma’am,” he says. “I know it was messed up because of her.”
I stand there, absolutely shocked. Did I just get fired because this rich bitch told me off when it was completely undeserved? Did I just lose my job because Jimmy’s a megalomaniac and wants to crush me? How did a tiny mix-up over salad dressing get me a pink slip?
I want to give them both the middle finger and storm out without a care in the world. I want to take off this ridiculous uniform and burn it, smirking while it goes up in ash. But the thing is that I can’t afford to lose this job. It’s the only one that pays me ten dollars base plus tips. Other diners around here do seven or eight, and unfortunately, the lost wage really adds up. Plus, I spent thirty bucks to buy this ridiculous silver lamé outfit, and what am I going to do with it if I no longer work at the Silver Star? I open my mouth to protest, but Jimmy’s turned back to me with ice in his stare.
“Did you hear me?” the fat man huffs. “Get your stuff from your locker and scram. Otherwise, there might not be a last paycheck for you,” he threatens. Of course, the blonde lady is looking on with satisfaction while toying with her fork.
“I knew HR here was good,” she says in a charming drawl. “But I didn’t know it was that good.”
Jimmy’s about to smile at his new best friend when suddenly the door bangs open and a couple of masked men appear in the entrance.
“This is a hold-up,” one says in a low, raspy voice. “Put your hands where I can see them. No one’s leaving here. Do it. NOW!”
I gasp, all thoughts of food, weight, customer service, and Jimmy pushed out of my mind. The Silver Star is being robbed … and my life is in danger.
Chapter 2
Gemma
This can’t be happening. I stand there, frozen in place, as what seems like a dozen mask men swarm the Silver Star. To his credit, Jimmy is a blur of motion instead of a block of ice like me.
“Oh my god!” he squeals like a pig while making a dash for the cash register. “Oh my god, oh my god! We’re going to be killed!”
It shows where my manager’s priorities are. He’s already got one meaty fist in the cash drawer when one of the black-masked men comes up to him.
“Stop,” the masked man hisses. “Put your hands up.”
Jimmy’s sweating bullets and his face is red and puffy.
“I was getting the money to give to you,” he babbles tearily. “I swear! I wasn’t going to take it for myself or anything.”
That makes no sense whatsoever, and the masked man agrees. He jerks his head and says, “On your knees.”
Jimmy’s chin trembles and he looks like he’s about to cry. His hands waver in the air and as I watch, horrified, one big tear rolls down his nose before dropping off the tip.
