Margaret and Olivia

Chapter Two: The Following Year

It began on a hot, humid summer day, Friday, July 13th, 2007. That was the first time I saw her. It was her blonde hair that had caught my attention, her stunning, wavy, dirty blonde hair. I had just left work, and I was stopping to eat before heading to night school at the community college. I walked into the cheap, locally owned diner across from the college that I was accustomed to attending. I took my usual seat and waited for Mary Jane, my usual waitress, to bring me a bottled root beer. Mary Jane was a dark skinned woman in her late forties. She had beautiful brown hair, curls bouncing left and right, and a soft-spoken voice that knew how to handle herself. Mary Jane and her sister had founded the diner when she was only in her young twenties, ever since Mary Jane had alternated between management and waitressing.

I began staring out the window while I waited for the root beer and turned my head once I heard the plastic menu hit the wooden table. Instead of Mary Jane's warm grin, I was greeted by a pale, skinny young woman with shiny dirty blonde hair. My eyes caught hers and we gazed at each other for a short moment. I had been coming to this diner for the past year, ever since I began schooling, but never before I had I seen this woman. She didn't smile, and her dark brown eyes stared at me as though she was studying for a test.

"You're new." I shifted in my seat to face her more. She wore a striped black and dark gray V-neck short sleeved shirt, a dark gray pencil skirt, and a pair of black ballet flats. She wore the standard black apron across her waist, but I saw no name tag. 

"Yes." She paused and averted my gaze by turning her eyes to the menu. "Here is the menu. Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, yes I would." My eyes twinkled with laughter as she quickly took out a pad of paper and pen from her apron. She bit and uncapped the pen. She stared at the blank pad, waiting for me to tell her my drink order. I ordered a root beer, and she hastily scribbled onto the pad. Her light pink lipstick lips forced a smile as she turned and walked away towards the kitchen door. With an amused smile, I watched her.

The same door my waitress had entered soon opened again, and Mary Jane appeared. Mary Jane walked to my table, with a smile and root beer. She reached the table and sat down.

"Carter, I needed some extra help around the diner, so I hired Olivia, Olivia Samson. That's your waitress. She's a nice girl, but she's young and shy. The girl has good grades and needed a job. She can just be a little too... weird, or antisocial, or something. I just need you to let me know how she's doing, so I can talk to her and help her. Is that okay? You understand, don't you?"

"Of course, Mary Jane. I'd help you in a heartbeat."

"How's she doing so far?"

"Well, she's pretty." Mary Jane smirked at me, knowingly. "However, she should probably introduce herself. And not open the pen with her mouth. And one drink order should be easy enough to remember; she shouldn't have to write it down. And she has an awkward smile. But she's real pretty. Her hair looks so soft, she almost reminds me of my mother. Actually, nevermind, that's kind of creepy, don't tell her I said that. Anyways, she just needs to warm up and get used to the process of new people. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Okay, thank you, Carter. Let me know of anything else. And she's only a year younger than you, you know." Mary Jane winked at me and headed back to her office, through the kitchen doors.