The Photographer

Chapter 7

Monday, December 26, 2011
Toronto, Canada

"VANESSA! You're needed at table two! There's a spill!"

The irritation and urgency in her boss's voice snapped Vanessa from her slumber and she immediately headed for the storage closet to grab the clean up materials for the spill.

"Vanessa!" Mr. O'Neal yelled again.

She quickly grabbed the mop from the closet and rushed towards the front so that the cranky, middle aged man could stop yelling. Her name was halfway off his tongue again by the time she came from the back of the restaurant and began cleaning the spill made by the toddler at table two. After the mess was cleaned, she placed a wet floor sign over the wet area to caution other customers passing through before returning to the back to store the items away.

"Girl you've been bugging all day, today. Are you okay?" Shawnie teased while nudging her lightly.

"I'm so tired." Vanessa whined while leaning against the closet door.

She felt like sinking to the ground and falling asleep right in the middle of the floor.

"You partied too hard for the holiday?"

"Not at all. I just got home late and didn't get to bed until around three." She rubbed her eyes and covered her mouth to yawn.

"Why so late?" Shawnie questioned.

"Long story but to sum it up, I took that little weird guy that works at American Apparel home."

Shawnie frowned as she tried to recall the employee. When realization hit, her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open before turning into a mischievous smirk.

"Oh no! Not like that." Vanessa quickly tried to shoot down any misconceptions Shawnie might have formed.

"You said you took him home," Shawnie grinned. "He is cute...a little unkempt but he seems...nice--"

"No, Shawnie. I literally took him home. To his house. He lives in Parkdale."

The frown returned to Shawnie's face as she tried to figure out what Vanessa was saying. The girls had never discussed men and their relationships in the workplace but Shawnie had picked up on some unspoken connection between Vanessa and the employee the night they had visited the store. She was certain Vanessa had finally snagged her a man.

Vanessa sighed. "I'll explain later. I have to go check on my customers."

In one smooth motion, she turned on her heel and left the kitchen. With her signature smile, she approached the table of three and eased her way into casual conversation with her customers. She made sure they were happy and satisfied before leaving to get the check. She dropped it off at their table and wished them a good day before heading to the adjacent table to clear it of its mess.

When lunch finally came around it was the same as always; only this time Shawnie joined Vanessa at the small deli across the street. She was still eager to hear about Vanessa's night with the mystery employee and her excitement shone as clear as day as she happily skipped beside Vanessa, who seemed so dead to the world. The girls entered the deli and greeted Nikolai before ordering from the menu.

Vanessa had her usual tuna on wheat and went to find seating while Shawnie debated between two different sandwiches from the menu. Vanessa settled comfortably at a small table with a clear view of the street and silently began eating her lunch while watching metro buses make their routes and pedestrians and cyclists go through their day to day routine. She watched each person that passed the deli and created imaginative scenarios about their lives and favorite pastimes based on their appearances. It was silly but it kept her mildly entertained.