Bitter Sweet

18. Cow Palace

A/N: The picture above is the restaurant in my town, it's such a cute little place even though i've never actually eaten there, i did go inside to use their bathroom, lovely bathrooms

Stephanie tied the apron tightly around her waist. She fixed her ponytail and walked out to the dining room with notepad in hand.

She had the best smile her face could muster. "Hello! Welcome to Cow Palace, I'm Stephanie, your server. Would you like anything to drink?"

She took the couple's drink orders and she disappeared to the kitchen. She grabbed two red cups and filled them up with ice tea. It was a Thursday night, which was basically a Friday, which meant the place was packed. The cooks shuffled through the kitchen effortlessly but fast, their experience very well written in their movements. She found herself yearning for that. She wanted to be behind a kitchen, moving around with a purpose. But of course, Cow Palace didn't need a pastry chef, why would they when all their desserts came from the freezer?

She went out again with drinks in hand and avoiding the other waitresses rushing around, she made it to the couple's table unharmed. The couple seemed to be in their forties, and she could tell it was their date night. They had this gleam in their eyes as if they were still deeply in love. Perhaps they were, perhaps their love surpassed everything, their loser kid, their promiscuous daughter, their religious differences, and his drinking problem no everyone refused to speak about.

The woman wore a very nice black dress, her hair was down in loose curls and she had light make up on her face. She was a beauty, Stephanie realized. And she made the effort to look good for her man.

The man wore black slacks and a blue button up shirt, his graying hair gave him a strong look, like he might be a CEO of some big company and he didn't like playing games. But his tender eyes made him look like a sweet man, perhaps she was the only one that saw that side.

They gave her their orders, the man wanted the restaurant's signature burger. The five pound burger that if you could eat the whole thing under thirty minutes, it would make their meal free and a free meal for any day of their choice.

The wife (she saw their matching wedding bands) giggled like she was used to her husband's adventurous attitude. They seemed like a fun couple, maybe they were fun parent's as well.

She turned the order to the kitchen and the cooks whooped with excitement. The challenge is fun to watch, they told her. For Stephanie, it would be her first time experiencing it, being her first week and all.

As she shuffled between her section of the tables making sure everyone had what they needed, she couldn't help but feel like she was seventeen and back at her first job.

Cow Palace was her first job, and she was a waitress, except it was called Long Horn Grill, and they served pizza. But the change of owners didn't make the place so different. It was still a Western inspired restaurant and it still served a lot of meat. Long Horn Grill was the go to place for everyone's first job in Tumacacori. It was the closest "high quality" restaurant which meant it paid well. Stephanie never saw herself returning to that place. She was supposed to be moving up, not back to where she started.

Mr. Erickson called her name and she followed him to the crowded bar. Stephanie felt her heart beating fast as she waited for the owner to say whatever he needed to say once they got to the quietest corner he could find.

"Stephanie, I am very satisfied with your work," the big man with the white cowboy suit started saying as he lit up his cigarette. "As you may know, your father and I go way back. We went to high school together. Did he ever tell you that?"