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‘Wow.’ He shook his head in amazement.
‘I think it’s her mannerisms and confidence that make her appear older.’ I lifted up my palms and shrugged.
We chatted until Billy picked him up, and then I crawled back into bed and shut my eyes, almost instantly falling asleep.
At precisely 10.20am, I was woken by my vibrating iPhone and its wind chime ringtone.Why do alarms go off when you’re dead asleep and having peaceful dreams?Annoying.
Once I was showered and my makeup was done, I threw on my work clothes and darted to the front of the house to pull on my boots before knocking on Deb’s door.
‘Just a minute,’ she called out over the top of her Indie music playing; I didn’t recognise the song, but it was nothing cool like Radiohead or Vampire Weekend.
‘Alright.’ I clicked the side button of my phone: 10.40am. ‘Deb, I don’t want to be late, and I sure as hell don’t need any reason for Daniel to have a go at me.’
‘I know,’ Deb said as she swung open her door. ‘I was just doing the finishing touches, you know.’ She rubbed her sheer-red lips together and made a popping sound with her mouth.
‘You scrub up well after a big night.’ I looked her up and down and gave her thedamn-you-look-good stare.
She laughed, then said, ‘Look at yourself, you hot stuff. I’d kill for your tiny pins.’
‘I try.’ I curtseyed in my checked pants that came to my ankles, feeling far from attractive. And if I was going to be ultra self-loathing, these pants did nothing for my legs. They made my calves look like chubby tree stumps.
***
The drive to work took the usual six to ten minutes, due to minimal traffic, which was odd for a Thursday during school holidays. I was more than thankful there was one space left in the small six-space car park behind the restaurant. My Mazda hatchback squeezed nicely in between Daniel’s four-wheel drive and someone else’s. Deb hopped out of the car as soon as I pulled on the handbrake and grabbed a ciggie from her clutch.
With a click on my keys, my doors were locked. I walked straight into the kitchen through the back door and hoped to God Daniel was in a good mood but thankfully didn’t see him as I passed the coffee machine. The kitchen was a confined, rectangular space, much smaller than others I had worked in.It didn’t even have a cold room, just lots of fridges, but despite that, it did the job, and everyone made do with its confined vibe.
‘Hey, Pinky,’ Martin said with his usual smirk, his lanky body towering over me while he pulled the kosher salt from the shelf above. I caught a gush of his Lynx deodorant, and it made me want to sneeze. My nose tingled, but I fought off the sensation.
‘Martin, I really wish you’d stop with that nickname.’ I rolled my eyes and thought of theonetimeI wore pink frilly undies in the kitchen.Never again.
‘Lighten up, sweetheart. What’s the matter?’ He swivelled around and placed the container of salt on the main workbench. The green-and-white tea towel flapped in his back pocket from the swift movement.
‘Nothing. I’m just sick to death of that name.’ I gave him thedon’t-piss-me-offstare.
‘What’s with the dagger eyes? You’re the one who bent over wearing pink frillies to work.’ His annoying flat hair looked extra flat and annoying at that moment.
‘That happenedonce,Martin.’Why does he feel the need to bang on about this joke every shift?
‘Okay, okay.’ And to my relief, he held his hands up in surrender and backed off. ‘By the way, Tyren called in sick. He’s got a stomach bug.’
‘Aww, poor thing. Is he okay? Please send him my love when you text him later.’ I gave him a concerned look.
‘Will do.’
Tyren hardly ever pulled a sickie. He was our dedicated apprentice, and his hard work really made the kitchen better. The kid had good knife skills.
‘Is Joel on?’ I asked as I walked over to the handwashing sink in the far-left corner of the room and cleaned my hands, hoping I’d hear a yes.
‘Not tonight. Daniel said he’s trying to save money, so looks like you and Kelly will do the dishes.’ He smirked.
‘Oh, goodie.’ I raised my brows and exhaled a breath of frustration.Typical.
We stopped talking as Martin concentrated on filling a smaller container with the salt for his section.
I put my hat and apron on, chucked my bag under the sink, and then walked over to my station.
‘’Sup, chicken,’ Kelly said, giving me her nod. Her blue hair was slicked into a bun, and her usual orange foundation was pale and oily.
