AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not as sorry as you’re going to be. Big changes are afoot, and if you’re not going to shape up, you’re going to ship out.” His eyes darted over to my station and I cringed, but he kept going and gawked at Ramone. “Ramone, what the hell, man? Aren’t you cutting those chops a little bit on the thick side?”
“This is the way I always cut them, Dill,” Ramone said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Well, always cut them a little thinner from now on. Food costs are up, and profits are down.”
That was his favorite refrain. Food costs are up, profits are down. It always seemed to be the case, even when some superhero tentpole blockbuster opened up at the cinema down the way and we were swamped with guests lined up out the door.
He especially liked to use that line whenever anyone asked for a raise.
I saw him edging toward the kitchen doors, as if he were going to retreat for now. I silently begged any god who was listening to just make him leave. He teetered on the verge of going through the doors and hope soared in my heart.
Then, he turned around and stared right at me. My heart skipped a beat as he came to my side.
“You,” he says. “What’s with the huge pile of dishes?”
“The dishwasher broke,” I said.
“I know the dishwasher broke, Jenny. I have a guy coming to look at it later this week.”
“Later this week?”
“What I want to know is,” he continued as if I had not spoken, “why you only have a handful of dishes done. Haven’t you been here since nine o’clock?”
He checked his watch, and I cringed on the inside.
“Oh, she was giving me a hand with the trash,” Jake said, coming to stand beside us. “Sorry, I needed somebody to hold the door open for me.”
“Why didn’t you put a broom in it like normal?”
“I had a little accident here and had to borrow the broom for a minute,” Ramone said to Dill without turning his head.
“All right, fine. Next time, Jake, you don’t distract her from her job, do you hear me?”
“Yes sir, Dill.”
“And as for you,” Dill spun and pointed a finger at me. “You need to stay at your station unless I tell you to move. Do you understand?”
I nodded and turned back to finish my dishes. Dill grabbed my arm and forced me to turn back and face him.
“I said, do you understand?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Good. Don’t let it happen again.”
We watched him head off, and then Ramone cackled.
“He’s really on the warpath today.”
“Hey, thanks for covering for me guys,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. You’re one of us,” Jake said with a grin. It faded a bit as he turned to me. “Um, why were you late today anyway?”
“I worked a double last night. The closing dishwasher came in four hours late, and by the time I got out of here it was almost closing time. I barely got any sleep at all.” I sighed, and gestured at the mountain of dishes. “Of course, looking at how it turned out, I might as well have stayed on and finished this crap last night rather than having to do it today.”
“Did you ever hear back from that fancy business college you were looking to get into?” Ramone asked.
“No, but even if I did, I don’t have time for that. I have to work overtime just to pay rent and eat.”
