The Last Laugh

Chapter Two

 I can't control my body. The humidity fills my lungs as I take deep breath to try and contain it. I know that as soon as I swing that door open, there's no going back. My non existent social life will become even more so, if there was a chance that someone wanted to talk to me, it would have to be at school or work. There is no other option.

Facing the fear of become a crazy cat lady by the time I'm 25, I step through the restaurant door. The little bell above the door chimes and all eyes are on me. Okay not all eyes but majority of the customers that weren't in deep conversation or in the midst of shoveling food in their gobs were. Including the staff. Tentatively I walk over to one of the waitresses that had just dropped of a tables order and was on her way back to the kitchen.

"Excuse me," the waitress looks up at me with a customer service smile on her face. "Um sorry to bother you, it's my first shift and I don't know where to go." She waves a dismissive hand, "Don't worry love, follow me. I'm Shainah by the way." I was expecting to be lead to the same room as last time, but instead of taking a right turn, we took a left, followed by a right then left again. It might take me a bit to memorize the halls.

She slides the tray she was holding over a counter. "This is the break room, this is where you come before work and you guessed it, on your break. Lockers are there, you'll be assigned a locker and given the key for it." She kept pointing and labeling places and things I will need to do. Before I could actually start, I was asked to sit down and read a pretty chunky booklet if you ask me. Which was just filled with rules and safety procedures.

Surprisingly the tug of my dreariness didn't even occur to me until I was finished. Reading it only took me, what? I glance up at the clock and sink into my seat. An hour and forty five minutes. Luckily it was at that time when Shainah walked back in.

"Okay so we haven't got a name tag for you just yet. Did you want it to say Allison or something else?" My face contours up into one of discomfort. No one calls me Allison except teachers. "Um, Ali is fine. Thanks." Nodding her head in distraction, she writes it down on a little piece of paper. Sliding it into a little clip on badge with 'trainee' across the top.

Oh fun. I'm going to have to be the dumbest employee all over again.

The whole day was filled with learning how to serve and take away the customers food. How to greet them, how to clean and set the tables when they leave etc. Even though learning these things will help me be more successful within the job itself, I can't help but find my self instantly bored by the repetition. Get the order, serve, wait, take the empty crockery and cutlery, clean and set the table then repeat. It wasn't at all difficult to pick up. But luckily after doing that a few more times, Shainah came and tapped me on the shoulder to inform me that my shift was over and I could go home.

Relief filled my body. Instantly my shoulders dropped and a satisfied sigh left my lips. The air carefully dancing on top and off of them. Words are just mixed sounds that we add meaning to. When you really think about it, every word is meaningless until you give it a meaning. The word love. It's just four letters. One syllable. But when you say it to someone, it changes. It suddenly becomes a strong emotion. An emit on that is filled with care, lust and well, love.

Of course everyone interprets love differently. Some people fall in love quicker than others, some not at all. Some people love males, some love females, some love both or neither. Most people are with their love for a life time. Others, they lose them young.

I'm ripped out of my mind when my largest toe connects with a wooden leg. Not an actual 'leg' obviously. But one of the kind that requires four of them to hold up a wooden shape. Embarrassment followed when not only everyone in the restaurant looked at me but also the person who was sitting at the table.

They looked up at me with an amused grin. I couldn't find myself to match, my face only being pulled into a grimace of pain. I wrap my fingers around the end of the shoe. Compressing my toe in hopes the pain will dissipate. Alas it does. Slightly. I abruptly apologise to the customer. They brush me off with their hand, signalling that it doesn't bother them.

"It's alright, I was finished anyway." Their voice was deep yet smooth. Calming almost. "Although, it would be okay if you so thoughtfully took my plate." They hold the plate up to my reach "Ali is it?" Their eyes were focused on my chest. For a moment I was going to accuse them of indecency until I myself looked down and saw my temporary name tag still pinned to the left side of my chest.

I grab the plate and glass bottle from their table with a (forced) smile. "No worries Sir." I say taking a step in the direction of the kitchen. "Travis," I turn to him confused. "It's Travis, not Sir." I resist the urge to roll my eyes at him. Just nodding and delivering the plate to the kitchen.

I actually got to exit the restaurant this time and head toward the bus stop. Thankfully without interruption. I wasn't waiting long until the bus came. I was unhappy to see that it was just about full. Probably only one or two seats. I take the seat closest to the window and begin to put my headphones in. I stopped to look at the cause for the seat sinking next to me. I groan in annoyance. "Are you stalking me?" He laughs, his smile wide enough to see his rows of white teeth. Not perfectly straight, but not horrendously out of proportion.

"No, just on my way home actually." His smile turns into one of a somewhat smirk. Pray to the good lords that I don't have to get off at the same stop as him.