TOW New Beginnings

Chapter 1: Chance Encounter and First Date

It had been a long day at the diner looking after ignorant and ungrateful slobs. She had enough of it, but it was what could pay the bills and she had just turned 25, she had little experience in other fields to get another job anyway. Head Waitress/shift lead manager is what she was, and it made her sad. Especially when her father had passed away as he always thought that she would grow up to be a fashion designer not a waitress. That was her goal and plan, but like most things in life plans change and besides she needed to save up for school first.

Her mom had turned to drinking after he had passed and mostly had stopped working mostly just doing weekends at a grocery store. She knew that she needed to step up and take this job to help the family out especially her two younger sisters. They were financially strapped for cash and fashion school was looking less and less likely anytime soon.

She was just finishing up cleaning for the night and her ankles we are aching in pain, it had been a 10-hour shift that had turned into 12 as the closing crew was short staffed and she was only getting paid for 10. But that was life at a diner and with the recession going on any job was great. The housing market had crashed and after moving into a rougher area of the city they were already quickly draining through what little savings they had left from the sale of the house. Just at that moment a younger man walked in the door and sat down.

"Hi" he said weakly he sounded drained like her, so she took some pity for the man.

"Hi how can I help you today?" placing down a menu with some strain in her voice the day had taken it's toll on her. Usually the diner would tell guests that they were closing soon but what was one more guest anyway.

"I'll have a coffee double cream double sugar and a hamburger with lettuce pickles and ketchup please" he said clearly looking like he was done for the day as well.

"Sure, I'll just be a few minutes. Here let me take your menu for you."

As she walked into the kitchen she noticed that no one else was there including the chefs. It had been happening more ever since she became head waitress. The more experienced staff were upset and took it out by disobeying and leaving early. She sighed and started making the burger on the grill. As the burger was done she threw the pickles and ketchup on and slammed the buns down on the burger in frustration. She grabbed the coffee and poured some in a cup causing it to splash. She stomped her foot in frustration but quickly got back into customer service mode smiling at the gentleman as she walked back out into the dinning room. She frowned a little as she saw the man checking his watch in frustration.

"Here's your plate hamburger with pickles, lettuce and ketchup and your coffee double cream double sugar. Sorry for the wait the kitchen was cleaning up for the night" she said cheerfully betraying the fact that she was the entire kitchen and she would have to clean up.

"Its delicious pay compliments to the chef and no problem about that wait was just reading over some papers. Its way better then the stuff we have at the university cafeteria." He said smiling as he bit into another bite of his hamburger

As she was cleaning she decided to make conversation with the man as he was the only one in the diner "University, what program are you majoring in?" students were always nice and polite, they were some of her favorite customers and this man was proving that statement tonight.

"Oh, I am actually a professor of paleontology at Columbia University." This caused her mouth to drop in amazement

"Wow your so young how, how did you do it?"

"Well during my final year which was only a couple of years ago I ended up doing an thesis paper about the history of a terakatal species called the Wronia. The school was very impressed with my GPA and paper that they gave me a recommendation which I then used to apply for a lecture position which is one that I got. Ended up teaching 3 courses which has been bumped up to 5 courses this semester. Hence the reason I need the coffee" he laughed finishing his mug