Playing with Fire

Chapter 2

Lillian

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Work went by fast that night, Sara wasn't wrong about that. The group of firefighters did have a big order and they stayed there most of the night with a few of them ordering beers here and there. When they did decide to end their night they left a tip for Sara and a decent one for me. I didn't think I would really get a tip at all tonight. I know the manager wanted Sara to share what she got tonight but I felt bad taking what was hers. When we went to the table after the group left there was a tip in with the bill for her but where the guy from last night was sitting was a piece of paper. I was clearing the table when I saw the paper I almost threw it away until I saw that something was in the paper. When I opened the paper up I saw the money and on the paper it said Sorry about bumping into you last night. May we run into each other again. I took the money and put it in my pocket along with the note. Maybe the guy wasn't a complete ass but he did have the tendencies to be one. Sara and the other girls showed me how to close down the place for the night and then lock up for us to go home.

I didn't want to do any exploring after work tonight. I was exhausted after working. I made my way to my apartment and climbed the steps until I reached my door. I got the door opened threw my purse and items on the table in the hallway and walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch. I turned to face the tv and turned it on to see if there was anything on that I wanted to watch. After an hour of flipping through channels and watching bits and pieces of shows I turned it off and got up from the couch. I went to my college boxes and started unpacking the text books I brought with me and put them on the bookshelf in the living room. I had another month before classes started and I wanted to make sure that school things would be all set and I wouldn't have to worry about it. I unpacked for the next hour and decided I should head to bed before I was too tired for work tomorrow. I had the lunch shift tomorrow with Abby as my trainer. My manager Max wanted me to get all the shifts under my belt before I went back to school. He seemed really cool and wasn't too concerned with me going to school. He said depending on my schedule with classes would decide when I would have to work. All the girls I had met so far seemed nice and that they wouldn't mind having to cover a shift for me and I knew I would do it for them if I was able too. I crawled into bed and fell asleep within minutes.

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I woke up the next morning to the sun streaming in through the window. I stretched and threw the covers off. I wasn't too hungry for breakfast so I just jumped in the shower brushed my teeth and got dressed in my work clothes for this afternoon. I still had time before I had to walk over to Empire Brewing Company so I unpacked the last of my boxes. As I got my last box unpacked I looked at the clock and knew it was time for me to head to work. I grabbed my purse and keys and walked out the door for the five minute walk down the road. We were the opening shift today which means that we had to get everything ready. I met up with Abby with her waiting for me in the front of the building.

"Sorry I am running late."

"No worries, I was a little early today."

She gave me a smile and I gave her a small one back. She let me into the building and we began taking all the chairs off the tables and setting them down on the floors. We wiped the tables off and I had the task of putting out the salt and pepper shakers and then giving each table napkins and silverware. There was a lot to do that kept me busy all morning. Maggie was the one to open the doors for the customers and people started coming in about thirty minutes after the doors opened and the lunch crowd did not have the patience like the dinner crowd. We had to move fast and make sure they were able to get in and out within an hour. Dinner had more people but it wasn't as fast paced as this lunch service was. I was trying to help out as much as I could without messing up or getting in Abby's way. She didn't seem to mind about the little mistakes I did make.

"I'm sorry I messed up that drink order."

"You're fine. My first few times I messed everything up. I never thought I was going to get this."

"That is how I am feeling now. I don't know how I am going to be able to do this on my own."

She gave a little laugh and went into the break room to grab a drink and a quick bite between the customer we had. It was starting to slow down which meant that the lunch breaks were coming to an end. Once the main lunch crowd was done we had a few customers here and there but it wasn't like before. During the down times, we would clean around the building and make sure that things were ready for the dinner shift to come in and be able to go. It was four o'clock when Sara and Jenny from last night came walking in.

"Hey Lily how did your second day go?"

"Lunch shift is defiantly more jammed packed at times then last night was."

Sara gave me a laugh and shook her head and made her way back into the break room. She came back out after a few minutes all ready for her shift to begin.

"I think we all felt that way until we had a weekend night shift those can be busy especially if college is in town and the students are getting a bite to eat before they go out."

I just nodded and followed Abby into the break room. I punched out and grabbed my purse and keys. The kitchen had made food for us to bring home, I grabbed it on my way out the door. I waved to Sara as I was leaving, she was with a table so I didn't want to get in her way. I didn't feel like going back home yet and it was a gorgeous day outside. I remember seeing a park down the road it took a few wrong turns but I was able to find Hanover Square. It wasn't much of a park but it did have seating outside where I could put the food down next to me and enjoy my dinner.

As I was sitting there I kept thinking about the mysterious firefighter that I seemed to keep running into. I was hoping I would see him today to thank him for the tip he left me. I never did see him today but I figured if he came in it would probably be for dinner like he did the nights before. I finished my meal and threw the container away and went to sit back down again. I was enjoying being outside just watching the people walking. It was when the sun started to go down that I made my way back home. I got back into my apartment and called my parents. I wanted to let them know about everything I was doing and how I was able to find a job. I was on the phone with them for over three hours and it was nice to be able to talk with both of them again. After hanging up with them I made my way to bed. I had the dinner shift tomorrow so I had time during the morning to do things before work. I crawled into bed and fell asleep after a few minutes of reading my book.