Cut Me Open

Chapter 3

Ding. The sound of the bell on the counter as a waitress picks up the order and brings it to a table. I enter the diner and head straight to the locker/changing room. I clocked-in and changed into my uniform. I grabbed a damp cloth to start polishing the counters as I wait for customers to come in. The chimes ring as the door opens and I look up to see Adora, or Addie to closer friends, entering the diner with a cheerful smile as she greets everyone. She sees me and waves at me and tells me that shell go change first. I nod at her and give her a small smile. She comes back a few minutes later and gives me a hug as she squeals excitedly. The squealing probably means that she has something to tell me, so I turned to face her and looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I got a gig! I got a gig, Lee!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and down and shook my shoulders.

"Woah! Calm down, Addie. I'm so happy for you. When and where is it?" I laughed and held her hands to stop her from jumping like a bunny that was given an energy drink.

"Its at that big place called Lone Gypsy. They called me up last night saying their singer suddenly quit her job. I'm so excited! You have to come!" she said as she started to shake my hands.

"Of course, Ill come. Its your very first gig, Addie! Even if you didn't ask, I'd still go there to watch you perform." I told her sincerely with a smile. Addie was my only best friend. Id practically do anything for her.

" great! Its at 9pm on Saturday by the way. Dont forget and dont be late like last time, okay?" she teases, and I gave her a blank look.

"It was one time, one time, Addie! Why wont you let it go?" I whine as she giggles at me. I playfully hit her to make her stop.

"Okay, okay. I wont mention it anymore." she said as she stopped giggling.

We both hear the chimes ring as the door opens and we face the door, preparing to greet a customer. It was Addie's twin brother, Klaus, carrying a book bag and talking to someone on the phone. It was probably his secretary or something. Klaus came here regularly as his sister worked here and because Joannas Diner had the best breakfast menu in the city. He sat down in front of us and put his bag down beside him and sighed. He rubbed his face as he kept talking to the person on the phone. His face was showing that he was annoyed and very tired. He ended the call and deeply sighed again. He covered his face with his hands for a moment and looked up at us.

"You want the regular, Klaus?" I asked him with a comforting smile, and he nodded at me gratefully.

It seemed that he was more tired than he usually is. I wrote his order down on a piece of paper and took it to the back, where the cook was. A few minutes later, his order came, and I brought it to him. His usual order was pancakes with some bacon, eggs, hash browns, and a slice of butter with two cups of creamed coffee. Klaus ate a lot because sometimes he couldnt eat during lunch. He was a well-known psychiatrist in the city. His patients call him Santa because they said he gave them gifts and helped them get closure to feel at peace. He also had an aura of friendliness and had a smile that made you feel warm inside. So, most people went to him for help. But no one knows that Santa was a Grinch in the morning.

"You okay?" I asked him in concern as I set down his plate.

"I'm just swamped. With patients. Went home late." he said between mouthfuls as he ate and drunk his coffee.

"Aren't there other psychiatrists? Surely, you arent the only one, right?" I asked with my brows furrowed and a frown.

"That's exactly what I was telling my secretary a few minutes ago. I told her to cut off the list to only fifteen people! Apparently, I was going against my code as a doctor by rejecting patients, so she accepted all thirty of them! I give all my patients an hour each of one-on-one time. How does she expect me to deal with all those patients? Ill probably be completely booked for the next two months or so. Does she think my patients only consult with me once?" he ranted as he finished the food.