Headshrinker

Chapter 16

The trial at the coffee shop was going surprisingly well. The smell of the coffee and other things wasn’t getting any better but I could put up with it for the wages. I got used to most of the orders so quickly that I became robotic in serving the customers. I really didn’t care for chatting with any of them so I was very efficient. I wasn’t the best at customer service, I didn’t really look at the customers, I made no effort to smile at them, they got the right order and that was about it.

“Tea please.” He spoke so quickly and handed over the exact change. 

“Okay.” I processed his order on the till. 

“It’s you!” he exclaimed and we made eye contact. “What are you doing, working here?”

I wasn't sure why he was playing the pronoun game. He knew my name. It hadn't been that long since we last saw each other. He couldn’t have forgotten it, I hadn’t forgotten his.

“I need the money, like everyone else, why?” 

“It’s not your dream to serve me great tea?” he suggested, knowing I never liked getting the drinks in or showed any hint that this was the kind of job for me.

I had a feeling he knew what was going on. I couldn't read him, he looked like he didn't know.

“No, no it’s not.” I answered bluntly but politely. “It’s alright for now though.”

“That’s not rate, I want commitment from my baristas.”

“D’you want your tea or not?”

As I gave him his cup he joked that he was going to complain to my manager, I told him I’d complain to the owners of the Boardwalk about certain things they did there.

“Enjoy your tea Noel.” I smiled like a person in customer service should.   

“Will do.”

     I thought he was going out with it as most people did, they usually specified when they were staying in so I could put it in a proper cup instead of the to go ones. He turned and sat at the table closest to the counter.

     Him being sat there was annoying me, it was like he was trying to monitor me. it was even worse when he started trying to talk to me. “How long you had this job then? You never said.”

I hadn't said anything to him in that time. I hadn't gone out my way to tell anyone about the job never mind him. He still thought it was his business to know even though we weren't even friends.

  “About a week.”

  “Did y’get it cos of the situation?”

     He knew. 

  “There’s no situation.” I tried to keep him out of it. “I'm just a student trying to earn some money.”

  “Is Our Kid in trouble?”

  “No, there’s no trouble for him or anyone.”

  “He seemed pretty sure.”

  “He got it wrong.” I didn't want to make Liam out to be a liar but it was all I could do to put a stop to the conversation. ”Look, I’m not meant to chat to the customers so can you leave it, please?”

  “When d’you finish?”

     I looked up at the clock. “In an hour.”

  “I’ll come back in a bit then, thanks for the tea.” He threw away his cup and left.   

I thought having to wait around an hour would put him off. I watched the clock and the door so intensely as my shift came to a close. Each minute Noel didn't walk in, I was relieved to avoid him. I thought he'd forgotten or gotten distracted or anything but he showed up just as I was leaving.