"H-"
"Listen here, Mr. Thompson, I don't much care for your excuses, but let me make one thing very clear. If you dare to screw up this badly once again and you'll rue the day you started to work for this company, am I clear?"
Silence.
"Uhm, listen lady, unless I got a sex change that I don't know about, and for the same price, had a memory wipe, I'm no Mr. Thompson, but I do have to admit, I don't envy him at all."
Regina frowned. "Who is this?"
"Definitely not Mr. Thompson. Now, if you're done chewing out a random stranger, I need to get going." With that, the person on the other side of the call hung up.
Looking down at her phone, Regina checked the number she had just dialed against the number that she had jotted down. She had completely bungled up the area code, no wonder.
Making sure she was dialing the correct number now, Regina took a deep breath before putting the phone to her ear as she got ready to berate the real Mr. Thompson.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma grumbled before she collapsed onto the bed once again.
"Who was that?" her best friend, Lacey, asked, coming to stand in the doorway.
"Wrong number. This really bitchy lady was yelling at an employee of hers." Emma shuddered. That there was the kind of boss she'd never want to have.
Lacey snickered. "Without even checking to see who she was talking to?"
"Nope, really wouldn't want to be that guy. Now come on, we need to get to work."
The two blonde roommates were coworkers holding minimum wage jobs while they waited for their big break. Lacey wanted to be a librarian, but so far, was having tough luck finding a library that was hiring. Emma, a writer, wasn't having much more luck with getting a publisher.
So they made their way to the diner, where they bused tables for a fairly decent pay. Thankfully today they had managed to snag shifts starting mid-morning, so at least they didn't need to start so early. And on a Monday that became a heavenly reprieve.
"Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes," their friend and co-worker, Ruby Lucas, greeted with a smile. Emma was certain that Ruby was focusing more on Lacey than herself, knowing that the two brunettes had requited crushes, although neither would admit or act on it.
"Yep, you can rejoice in your freedom," Emma grinned as she made her way around the counter, adjusting her apron.
"Hardly. Rory got down with a cold so I'm taking over her shift."
Lacey gave Ruby a quick side hug while adding, "Well don't despair Rubes, you'll have us to keep you company through the lunch rush."
All in all, it started out being a slow day for them, until Emma got saddled with the rudest customer imaginable.
"Excuse me, Miss," a slimy looking old man with a bald patch and an air of superiority and arrogance, was signalling her.
Coming to stand at the mouth of his booth, she looked expectantly at him. "Yes sir?"
"Your service is lacking greatly. I asked for my lunch 10 minutes ago, and I'm still waiting. And it doesn't look like you have that many customers, so what's taking so long?"
Emma steeled herself. He was going to be one of those customers. "I'm sorry sir, but you asked for a fairly large plate and Granny is doing her best, she is only one woman trying to cook for a decent crowd. We're not a fast food restaurant, we're a homely diner with good food."
