Take My Hand

Chapter Two

Patience

They say patience is a virtue, and I for one find it hard to keep my patience. I usually become angry, or I walk away, especially when there's customers who cannot make up their minds as to which milkshake they would like to order. I sometimes ask Dave to step in, he see's I can be impatient and my tolerance levels are quite low. I've never had to be patient with anybody, the fact I never really socialized as a child marks the fact I never experienced the need to be patient or tolerable until that job at the milkshake bar.

But this guy was surprisingly very patient.

He had been sat in the same spot now for three and a half hours, after ordering two drinks he sat chewing on a straw, calling friends, texting, and staring at me. I was rather impressed, yet still a little startled. Why was he so set on waiting for me? Why me?

It was quite strange, but it intrigued me. I wanted to know why he was being so adamant and so mysterious. I didn't even know his name, that was the first thing I wanted to know about him before anything escalated.

Perhaps he was just trying to use me. No one had ever taken an obvious interest in me before, not as obvious as the guy sat a few meters away, slurping what was left of his second drink. The bar was beginning to gain more customers now, it was lunch time for some. Local business' and school kids usually went there for a drink to wash down their junk food from a fast food takeaway around the corner. The que's were pretty long, but me and Dave got through it without spilling a drop of milk or milkshake in the process. By the time it calmed down, the mysterious boy was still sat in his seat, leaning back with one foot resting over his knee as he spoke to someone over the phone, speaking too quietly to hear from a distance. I glanced at the clock noticing I had half an hour left, at least some good came out of this.

I went out with some spray and a cloth, wiping unoccupied tables and clearing away the rubbish people lazily left over the wood.

I approached the table he was at, taking his empty cups and placing them in the bin, ignoring his stare as he bid farewell to the caller on the other end of the phone. "Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot..." He said timidly.

"Possibly." I muttered, not really interested in what he had to say.

"Can we pretend this never happened?" He seriously asked, leaning forward with his hands locked in place on the table. I stood back, raising a brow at him as he stared curiously at me.

"Pretend we never met?" I chirped with a grin, not leaving him any time for a response. "I can live with that!" I shrugged, fast walking away from the table and behind the counter, placing back the cloth and the spray, glimpsing around the now empty shop. He was fast. I didn't notice he even left, maybe he was just a figment of my imagination? I just made him up in my head? I may have just been dreaming. However, if I was to imagine a male figure taking interest in me I would have preferred to imagine a clean cut businessman with real interest in what women need and not what their little man wanted if you understand. Or possibly, he did want to use me and he gave up? Oh well, he was gone. That's an upside to it all.

After tidying up the counters and blenders with Dave, we took off our aprons and placed them on the hooks before collecting our things to leave. We small talked throughout the few spare minutes and locked up the shop after switching off the lights. "Do you want me to give you a ride home Dez? It's getting dark earlier y'ano." Dave inquired politely. I looked up to the sky, fastening my jacket as I observed the dimming scenery, lamp lights beginning to flicker on and the moon shining behind dull clouds.

"No thank you, Dave. I need the walk, to clear my mind a bit. Thank you though." I said, waving him off and making me way past the shops. I came to the end of the block of shops, unaware of a figure around the corner. I jumped as he stepped out, startling me, causing my heart to increase in speed. "You scared me!" I said to the familiar face.