The Order Of Transcendence

16.

Skin cold, steps heavy, Blake places her last order on table six. The men smile and watch her in her demeaning short green dress and black apron that declares they've come to the right place for Maine's best cherry pie.

Blake doesn't dispute the claim, the pie is simply delicious, in fact she has a whole pie set aside to take home for her dinner.

But in this modern day of female equality, the female waitstaff should be free to chose their own outfit like the men in the kitchen.

Small towns can get stuck in their ways.

"Say, gorgeous? How about showing a traveller Maine's other delights? An extra twenty if you let me touch?" A redhead with a long lumberjack beard asks as he strokes it.
"How about you blow me?" Blake slips with her finger already in the air.
"Ooh, now we're talking" he smiles undeterred.

"Alright?" Peyton asks almost silently as she passes with her own orders.
"Fine" Blake nods and pushes through the swinging doors to slide down the wall and crouch low with her head in her hands.

As expected today has been long, the exam surprisingly easy as she recalled almost every answer with photographic clarity. But the sounds.... the noise, the lights.... people push her very last nerve and her skin sweats cold and shivering.

"You better not be infecting my customers or my staff. I don't need an epidemic of whatever you've got going on" her boss, the ever charming Edina demands in her high pitched voice.

Edina is a big woman, Hungarian in descent and wears her uniform to her thick swollen knees. Her hair is artificially red and greying at the temples, her lips made bigger with the cheap red lipstick she wears.

"No ma'am, just cramps is all. You know, shark week" Blake forces a smile even though in her head, Blake has already ripped her throat out, and not in a good way.

"Well, I guess you can leave. But just so you know, your cleaning jobs will go to the other girls" Edina waves over her shoulder already not giving a fuck.

"We got this babe. Just go home and have a hot bath and a good night sleep. You are the only one here with a chance of getting out, and leave your landlord alone so you pass that exam tomorrow" Georgia helps her to her feet and smooths down Blake's hair.

"I'm not even going looking for him, I swear to the gods I'm gonna smash my pie and pass out. I feel like I'm dying" Blake trembles and shivers.

"Here, table two insist they didn't order a veggie burger or the mac 'n cheese. I was gonna claim the pasta but then I remembered carbs and new boyfriends don't mix. If I wrote it down they ordered it but you know..... the customer is always right!" Peyton babbles and drops a paper bag into Blake's unsuspecting hands.

"I love you..... seriously, I love you" Blake smiles and plants a loud kiss right on Peyton's surprised lips. "And you, well... nice ass" she winks at Georgia who she knows wouldn't appreciate the show of girl on girl appreciation.

"Ew, now I've got the swine flu you pick up in those nasty hospitals" Peyton shudders and continues her work.

"Night, Georgia. See you tomorrow" Blake waves taking her purse and her pie into her loaded arms.

"Yeah, night" Georgia mumbles too late when Blake has already escaped through the back door. "Bet she goes straight to his bed.... fucks his brains out, lucky bitch" Georgia grumbles angry and jealous.

"I can still hear you" Blake mutters to herself as she climbs into her big old truck.

It's only ten, thirteen hours after she left the house but Blake is so exhausted and pained, she can hardly keep her eyes open.
She's been working doubles and taking twice the classes to graduate early but never has she ever felt like this.