Afloat

Chapter 5

"Oat milk vanilla latte," I called out to Anna Kate as I took the credit card from the middle-aged woman standing in front of me. She was clearly a tourist, wearing a statement blue bathing suit with a white cover-up dress, finished off with a matching blue, and aggressively large, sunhat. Next to her, her young, blonde-haired son played with a stack of napkins next to the register.

"You can have some if you want," I said to him, forcing a smile in hopes it would help mask my swollen eyes, still puffy from the night before.

He couldn't have been older than 7-years old. His eyes were bright when he looked up at me and his rosy, chubby cheeks grew into a smile. As he shifted his weight back and forth, playfully he asked, "How many?"

"As many as you like without getting me in trouble," I responded in a gentle, low voice.

"I hate trouble," he said, adamantly.

"Well, if you didn't get into so much trouble, you wouldn't have a need to hate it," his mother scoldingly.

"She's right," I said in agreement, nodding my head as I handed the credit card and receipt back to her. "Moms are always right."

Grabbing a handful of napkins, the boy shrugged dramatically, shaking his blonde hair before storming off to the table a man, I assume his father, was waiting at.

"Here's your oat milk vanilla latte, ma'am," Anna Kate suddenly said as she slipped around me to hand the mother her drink.

"Thank you!" the mother said with a soft smile before walking back towards her husband and son.

I gave her a simple nod and smile before glancing at the clock on the register. 2:30. To Anna Kate, I said, "Only 30 more minutes."

"Thank god," she said as she washed the utensils she had just used. After a few moments of silence, she said, "Are you sure you're okay?"

This was the sixth time Anna Kate had asked me this question and my answer had slowly waned throughout the day, starting with a faint "yeah," to an insistent "I'm fine," finally to an exhausted "it's really nothing."

Now, I responded with a "Yes, AK," which I had come to learn was a common nickname for her. Deciding to indulge her in hopes she would leave me alone, I said, "I'm sure I'm okay. I actually think I'm going to Calista tonight for Friday Sundown."

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, her southern accent thicker than normal, although I'd begun to notice this was usual whenever she was excited or angry. "Friday Sundown is so fun."

She was two years younger than me, going to be a senior in high school, so I wasn't surprised she was an avid Friday Sundown attendee. "Yeah, it should be fun. I've never been."

"You'll love it," she insisted as she started to break down one of the espresso machines.

With only 30 minutes of work left, both of us began doing all the tasks we needed to finish to close the shop down. After a half hour of dishes, sweeping, counter wiping, and drawer counting, I cut off the lights and Anna Kate flipped the OPEN sign hanging on the door to CLOSED.

"Well, have fun tonight!" Anna Kate said as she walked towards her car in the parking lot across the street.

"You too!" I called and stepped towards my bike, which was locked to one of the bike racks out front. As I began to undo the lock, my hands halted, finally giving in to the racing thoughts I had been having since I awoke this morning.