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"It might be a while before I'm any good at waiting tables," I said.
"Why? Are you a slow learner?"
"No, I'm a fast learner, but I've never tried waiting tables. I've only worked as a hostess, and I know there's a lot more to waiting on tables. I hate to promise that I wouldn't get overwhelmed right at first."
"You probably will get overwhelmed right at first," Isaac said with a patient half-grin. "No one can really promise they won't."
"I guess you're right, but I saw your lunch rush today, and I've never tried to deal with anything like that. I saw how busy you were. Plus, carrying the trays."
"Carrying trays? What about it?"
"I don't know how."
"Go back to where we just were, in the kitchen. Grab a tray and make the following drinks for this four-top." He pointed to the place in front of himself. "I'll have an ice water, no lemon." He pointed to the place next to him as if there was someone sitting there. "An ice tea—unsweetened." He pointed at the place next to me. "A Sprite with very little ice." He pointed to my place. "And whatever you want."
"I already have water."
"Pretend you don't," he said. There was a hidden smile in his expression. I looked at each spot on the table, doing my very best to remember.Icewater, no lemon. Ice tea, unsweetened. Sprite.There was something about the Sprite, but I couldn't remember.
"Do you want me to go right now?" I asked, hesitantly.
"Yes," he answered, grinning.
I got up and walked toward the kitchen, staring at the floors and feeling like I was in a dream as I moved. There was a second drink station behind the counter, but I went to the one in the kitchen like he told me. I was prepared to explain myself to whoever questioned me, but no one did.
There was a stack of trays near the drink station, and I took a small one and placed it face-up on the counter next to me. I didn't give myself time to think about it. I didn't reach for the paper cups. I went straight for the plastic cups Isaac had used earlier. They were much nicer than the ones at my restaurant, and I immediately started putting ice into the first one with the scooper.Ice. It was ice. The Sprite. It had something special with the ice.I was relatively sure Isaac said take it easy on the ice.
I placed a small amount of ice in the Sprite cup, and then I made all of the others with just over half a cup of ice. I made a water with no lemon, an unsweetened tea, the Sprite… and… I stood there, trying to remember the fourth drink. I stared straight ahead for what must've been ten seconds until I smiled at myself and remembered that it was my choice. I proceeded to make the drink of all drinks, a graveyard.
I tapped the fountain, letting small spurts come out of each dispenser.
Sprite.
Coke.
Root beer.
Root beer.
I moved to the diet soda but then decided against it and went to the Fanta.
Fanta.
Fanta.
Coke.
Sprite.
I considered lemonade, but I passed on that also.
Coke.
Root beer.
I smiled at the familiar color of the liquid I used to order at concessions stands when I was a kid.
I had worked in that restaurant a year, and I had never once made a graveyard or carried drinks on a tray. I had no idea how that had happened. In this moment, I hated the fact that I had no practice at carrying trays. I was fairly coordinated, though, and maybe it helped that I was blindly confident and determined to rise to the challenge. I balanced the cups evenly toward the center of the tray and then carefully slid it to the edge of the counter, balancing it on my fingertips, which were placed as centered and as evenly spread as I could.
