Like Mother, Like Daughter

Chapter Eleven: Punch the Clock

The constant orders of customers blared in my head as I ran around, attempting to take them, while all the while, my mother continued in her efforts to talk to me. It was just enough for Franny to hold her at bay for the time being, while all I did was standing there for a moment, in the middle of the diner, my head throbbing, wondering what pain medication was safe to take while pregnant. And there it was again, my consideration for this unborn life that I'd never wanted in the first place. Shaking my head, I headed back into the kitchen, taking a break as I leaned against the lockers, the cold metal seeping into my back.

"Twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours," I whispered to myself. "Then this'll all be over and I can move the fuck on..."

If only it hadn't been for the night before, when everything had changed, and not for the better, of course. It was the night before that I'd felt little flips inside me, and wondered if it was the baby making itself known. I pushed the thought from my mind then and braced myself up against the lockers, forcing myself back into the fray. It was the lunch rush, so I was needed without question, and yet as I stepped back towards the doorway of the diner, I felt my head and vision beginning to swim.

"Iana," came my mother's voice, slightly muffled and distorted, as she approached me for the umpteenth time that afternoon. "You okay? Want to talk?"

"Aunt Murphy!" Franny called, always on the ball as she dashed forward, her eyes worried as it flitted from me, to my mother, and back again. "Some jerk over in the center booth by the window is complaining about the avocado on his burger. He's pretty much demanding to see someone in charge..."

My mother sighed, obviously wanting to question me further, but nodded. "All right, I'll take care of it," she said, and made her way to the other side of the restaurant.

"Hey, come on," Franny said, motioning for someone to cover our tables for a few minutes as she brought me back into the employee locker room. "Sit down," she ordered, gently pushing me down onto the bench. "Here," she went on, handing me her water bottle from her locker, and I drank it like someone who'd been lost in a desert for a thousand days. "What's going on with you today? You're quiet, and you don't look like yourself..."

I sighed. "Tired," I replied. "Haven't been sleeping much lately..."

"Why?" she asked, tentatively taking the water bottle from me. "Something going on?"

I rubbed my eyes then, in an attempt to ward off the desire to sleep. "The procedure's tomorrow, so I guess I'm just worried..."

Franny nodded. "Understandable."

"You know, if they fuck it up, you can't have kids..."

Franny made a face. "Please. You never wanted kids."

I opened my mouth to say something, but automatically shut it when I saw my mother looming in the doorway of the employee locker room.

"I don't pay you girls to stand around and gossip! Now, get out there," she said, her hands on her hips. "There are tables to wait."

"Be right there," Franny said, narrowing her eyes at my mother's back as soon as she slipped back towards her office. "You okay to get back to work?"

I nodded then, dragging my hand across my forehead; I was sweating like a pig, and even though it was a hot August day, I knew, deep down, that something didn't feel right. "Sure. Fine," I assured Franny, and gripped the sides of the bench to boost myself up. As I moved to do so, however, I got to my feet and wobbled slightly then before my knees buckled completely. I was vaguely aware of Franny screaming my name and grabbing me as I fell to the ground, my vision going black, just like all my senses as the lights went out.