Aurora (#1)

t h i r t e e n

I approached the maitre d' and asked for the manager. She showed me the way and I knocked on the door loudly. I didn't want to show them I was nervous because that could cost me my job, so I took a deep breath and straightened my back.

"Come in." I twisted the handle and straightened my back before confidently striding in.

"Yes?" A middle aged, balding man with leopard print horned glasses looked up. He cleared his throat before hastily pulled the glasses off.

"I'm Rori Greensmith. I came for an interview." I told him.

"Yes I remember. Please take a seat." He showed me the plush red couch against the wall. I sat down with my hands in my lap.

He threw me an apron and a fresh notebook to which a pen was clipped on. "Put the apron on and start work. Anya here will tell you what to do."

"Do I have the job?" I asked hesitantly.

"We'll see." He said before pushing me out the room. I was still confused when Anya, the waitress who was supposed to help me walked past.

"Are you the new waitress?" She asked. She seemed Eastern European, judging by her thick accent.

"Uh... I don't know." I told her truthfully.

"Ah, so you're in the interviewing process. Yes George has a different way of assessing the waiters and waitresses. Now since I'm the head of staff here I'll be assessing you and reporting back to George who will eventually make the final decision. Don't think you've got the job already because there are many other candidates we have to interview. You can keep your bag in one of the empty lockers and come back with your hair tied back and apron on." She pointed me in the direction of the locker room.

I found a row of tall, blue lockers before choosing an empty one. I locked my bag and coat inside, pocketing the key before tying my hair in a ponytail and washing my face. Being as poor as I was make up wasn't an option for me. I had to rely on my personality and charm to please the customers. Once I was presentable I strode out confidently and met Anya at the exit of the staff room.

"Whatever tips you receive today you may keep. First you can start by cleaning down the tables that are unoccupied. Then you can wait by the door to escort people to their tables and will be in charge of whichever tables I tell you to. Then we'll figure out what to do next, should you do that well." I nodded, adding my notebook to my pocket. I grabbed a round black tray upon which a cloth lay. I placed the cleaning spray on the tray and walked out the door. It was the evening rush time so the place was packed, but the tables were being cleared as quickly as they were being filled.

The chatter and the clink of cutlery was unsettling at first since most of those who had come were rich, business people with impeccable etiquette, but I soon settled into a rhythm of wiping down tables and replacing napkins.

I tucked a loose curl behind my ear before scouting for empty tables. There weren't many empty tables but I noticed the queue at the door building up so I cleaned down the tables, carrying as many dirty dishes as I could on the tray. I worked endlessly for about an hour before Anya switched me. I had built up a momentum while cleaning and it took me a while to adjust to a new challenge. My new task was to wait at the front beside the maitre d’ and accompany the guests to their designated reserved tables. I smiled politely at them before leading them to their tables, menus in my hand.

"Hi, welcome. A table for...?" I asked politely.

"A table booked under Fredrics." The gentleman asked, subtly shifting so I could note the two other men he accompanied. I assumed he was here with two associates so I led them to a quieter area of the restaurant. I smiled genuinely and handed them the menus.