Beethoven

chapter six: don't you remember?

             Soft classical music of what sounded like a piano and high pitched instruments was playing in the background over the sounds of forks scraping plates and the clinking of coffee mugs being set down on glass tables. While mentally debating with myself if this was the kind of music that Ludwig would consider "harmonious", Sheena cut through my thoughts.

                    "This is so much better than sitting down at McDonalds and splitting a small fries with you, now that you started working," the blonde remarked. Although we've held a close relationship together since kindergarten, we still didn't consider each other as best friends. But hanging out with her during the summer was always a given.

                     "Hey," I replied defensively. "You only started working last month, too."

                     "I actually quit the job," she said, followed by a heavy sigh.

                     "Why?"

                     "Waiting tables and taking orders for items that I don't even know how to pronounce isn't really my thing," she said as our waiter brought over our order.

                       I swirled the straw around my glass of iced tea. "Standing in a store for hours with no customers isn't really my thing either. But I'm pulling through."

                      "I probably need to start searching for a new job," she said. "It's only a matter of time before my balance runs empty."

                      "Yeah," I said. Her breakfast wrap looking more appetizing than my cream cheese bagel, but I had resorted to the bagel because it was cheaper. I had basically blown all my money with Ludwig the past week and was basically using Ludwig's money that I had discovered in his knapsack when I had first met him.

                        It looked like Sheena wasn't too hungry either as she leaned forward, chin resting on her hands as her elbows were on the table. "So, are there any cute guys at your workplace? Maybe I'll apply."

                      "There's like one guy that came in a couple days ago," I said admittedly. Shit, this is going to convince Sheena to apply. Not that I didn't want her to, but it would be less of a hassle if she only applied to meet another guy. I covered it up with a sort-of lie to discourage her. "But we hardly work together. The place is so empty that only one of us have to work."

                       "Oh," she said, face falling a little. "That would be boring. I wouldn't be even able to work with you or the hot guy."

                        "Yeah."

                         She sighed. It was the classic 'I don't know what to do with my life anymore' sigh that she always pulled. 

                         Usually I'd sigh along with her because I shared the same thought, but there was nothing to sigh about. To contribute to the atmosphere, I pretended like there was a mosquito near me and began to swat at the empty air. In all honesty, I was distracted by the thought of Ludwig.

                          It was his first day working without me at his side.

                          We had figured that if the worst case scenario for him was that he was going to stick around longer for the summer, the money he initially had with him in his backpack (which I protectively held custody of) wasn't going to last forever. Especially since we were blowing it on wasteful things like movies and fast food.