Dandelion

One

"Great, here comes Joe," the dread in Lani's voice caught Briar's attention. She glanced up from counting her tips for the night to see Joe walking straight for them with a very pissed off look written all over his face. She was way too exhausted from their shift to deal with his crap in that moment. It was hard enough working at a place that was the epitome of cheesy waitress attire and mold infested walls... and that was only the cake topper of Joe's Diner. The place opened back in the mid-twenties by the original Joe Burns, and this was Joe Burn's the third and he was the disgusting, sleezy, pimple infested inside of that shit cake that Briar barely tolerated on a good day. It was not a good day.

"I thought I told you to mop these floors before closing out the register. What the hell am I paying you for? Do your job!" He snapped at Briar. The crappy part about it was she did mop the floors... twice. Not to mention, he paid them the bare minimum as waitresses which was a whopping two dollars and thirteen cents an hour. Briar had worked a twelve hour shift that day meaning she made about twenty something worthless dollars, plus her tips which Joe was fixing to pull "taxes" out of. Leaving her to go home with a whole sixty-three dollars and fifty-two cents. Again... it was not a good day.

"She did, Joe," Lani spoke up, knowing that Briar wouldn't. Thank goodness for work friends. Joe's face turned three shades of red before he stuck out his pudgy hand, waiting for them to dish over their tips. Both women grudgingly placed their hard earned money in his greasy hands. Joe always took more than he needed to, but no one ever said or did anything. He was the owner, and Briar couldn't afford to lose the only job that would work with her hectic schedule. The only decent thing about Joe was he understood Briar's situation, or at least he did when it benefitted him. The three of them stood there in the dim restaurant. Briar looked at the yellow crusted walls, noticing how badly the paint was beginning to peel in certain corners. The ceiling was bowing in and had water damage from the weather over the years. The crimson booths were cracked in some places and most of the tables had paper shoved under the legs to keep them balanced properly. This place was one cockroach away from a health code violation. The unfortunate thing about it though was it wasn't like this about ten years ago. Joe Jr. passed away, leaving the place in Joe the thirds, yellow nailed hands and it went to ruin from there. A place that people used to go for some of the best milk shakes and cheeseburgers around. Now it was a place where people who had nowhere else to eat, went.

"Here," Joe shoved the tips back at Briar and Lani after he shoved his share into his too-tight jeans. Briar recounted her money.

"What the hell, Joe? Forty dollars? Are you serious? I should have at least sixty-three," she looked at him, baffled at how nonchalant he acted.

"Maybe you just miscounted your tips," he replied with a snarky tone.

"No, I didn't. You know I need that money, my rent is coming up," she fought the urge to yell. Joe shrugged.

"Next time, instead of giving me lip, mop the floor like I told you too. Which I still expect," he waved his hand and turned his back to them. Briar clenched the money in her hand to the point she felt her nails dig into her skin through the cash. Joe walked over to the register and pulled the rest of the cash that had been counted down, and then walked to the door without bothering to give Briar or Lani a second glance.

"This floor better be mopped by the time I get in tomorrow," he bit out as he walked through the fogged up, glass door.

"I hate him," Briar said through clenched teeth after Joe was completely out of earshot.

"Don't we all. I'll stay and hel-"

"No, it's okay. You need to get home to Mark and Theo," Briar cut Lani off without hesitation. She wasn't going to make her stay back for something that had been her responsibility.