tiling. The oversized straw bag she carried fell out of her arms and spilled a curling iron, lip gloss, and sparkle body powder. When she leaned over to pick up the items a handgun fell out of the side pocket of the bag. It made a loud thud on the cement floor. “Hey Billy baby! Sorry I'm late but I had to stop for a cof a cuppa. Since I turned fifty my get up and go has got up and gone.” She threw back her head with a loud cackle and tossed everything in her purse, except for the small hand gun which she polished with the end of her shirt before tucking it into a pocket on the side of the bag. She spotted Lee. “Holy Crap!” She put her hand to her heart. “You scared me.” She came closer, pulling the glasses hanging on a chain around her neck up to her eyes. “You new?”
Lee stood up and put out her hand. “Today's my first day. I'm Lee.”
“I'm Cindi. That's with an ‘i’, not a ‘y’.” She looked Lee up and down. “You're a tiny little thing!” She looked over at Billy at the grill and chomped her gum faster. “Billy Baby, did Zac finally get rid of Deana?”
“No, Lee's a-”. He looked over at Lee. “What are you again?”
“I'm a consultant. Mike's hired me to come up with some new ideas for the restaurant.”
Billy turned back to the grill. “I just made her my specialty.”
Cindi winked at Lee. “He must like you.”
Billy turned pinker and scurried into the walk-in refrigerator.
Cindi put her bag on one of the hooks by the door. “Damn, I didn't know we was getting a consultant.” She glanced at the door to the dining room and lowered her voice. “This mean Zac won't be here as much?”
Lee took her plate over to the commercial dishwasher and stacked it onto a tray. “Maybe.”
Cindi sidled next to Lee and said into her ear. “He gonna focus full time on his other job?”
Before Lee could ask her what she meant, Zac came into the kitchen, dropped his empty plate on the counter, and washed his hands at the sink. “Deana called. She's not coming in.”
Cindi rolled her eyes and said under her breath. “Big surprise. It's Friday night.” She pointed at Zac's back and mouthed the words, “He's nailing her.”
Zac, still at the sink, dried his hands. “Lee'll cover for her.”
“Me?”
Zac turned from the sink. “Part of your consultant duties.” He pushed open the swinging door with his foot and glanced back at Lee. “I'll make sure to put that in your job description.”
Lee watched Cindi stack red plastic glasses in the shelves under the bar counter. Each time she leaned over to put another stack away, Lee got a waft of spearmint gum and cheap hairspray.
“Could you give me a synopsis of what I'm supposed to do tonight?” said Lee. “As you can probably tell, I have no clue.”
Cindi smiled and looked pleased. “I'm not sure what a synopsis is exactly but I'd be more than happy to show you the ropes. You got kind of the deer in the headlight look, but I've been doing this crap since before you was born, so you just stick with me.” Cindi spat her gum into a cocktail napkin, squirted diet soda from the tap into a cup and took a dainty sip. Her teeth protruded slightly and made Lee think of a bunny from a children's story. “Most weekends, there's two of us girls on the floor. We split the room in half unless one side's busier than the other.” She pulled a ticket book out of her apron pocket. “You'll need to write stuff down real fast so you write ff for french-fries, rings for onion rings and nc for nachos. That's most of the orders anyway.” She put another piece of gum in her mouth. “The most important thing to remember is Zac. He does nothing but get in our way and cause us more work, so the best thing to do is keep his beer glass full.” She pointed to where he sat with a group of women. “That's his normal table. He can get scary, so don't cross him.”
“Scary how?”
“Y'know, if he drinks too much he gets even meaner and starts
Lee stood up and put out her hand. “Today's my first day. I'm Lee.”
“I'm Cindi. That's with an ‘i’, not a ‘y’.” She looked Lee up and down. “You're a tiny little thing!” She looked over at Billy at the grill and chomped her gum faster. “Billy Baby, did Zac finally get rid of Deana?”
“No, Lee's a-”. He looked over at Lee. “What are you again?”
“I'm a consultant. Mike's hired me to come up with some new ideas for the restaurant.”
Billy turned back to the grill. “I just made her my specialty.”
Cindi winked at Lee. “He must like you.”
Billy turned pinker and scurried into the walk-in refrigerator.
Cindi put her bag on one of the hooks by the door. “Damn, I didn't know we was getting a consultant.” She glanced at the door to the dining room and lowered her voice. “This mean Zac won't be here as much?”
Lee took her plate over to the commercial dishwasher and stacked it onto a tray. “Maybe.”
Cindi sidled next to Lee and said into her ear. “He gonna focus full time on his other job?”
Before Lee could ask her what she meant, Zac came into the kitchen, dropped his empty plate on the counter, and washed his hands at the sink. “Deana called. She's not coming in.”
Cindi rolled her eyes and said under her breath. “Big surprise. It's Friday night.” She pointed at Zac's back and mouthed the words, “He's nailing her.”
Zac, still at the sink, dried his hands. “Lee'll cover for her.”
“Me?”
Zac turned from the sink. “Part of your consultant duties.” He pushed open the swinging door with his foot and glanced back at Lee. “I'll make sure to put that in your job description.”
Lee watched Cindi stack red plastic glasses in the shelves under the bar counter. Each time she leaned over to put another stack away, Lee got a waft of spearmint gum and cheap hairspray.
“Could you give me a synopsis of what I'm supposed to do tonight?” said Lee. “As you can probably tell, I have no clue.”
Cindi smiled and looked pleased. “I'm not sure what a synopsis is exactly but I'd be more than happy to show you the ropes. You got kind of the deer in the headlight look, but I've been doing this crap since before you was born, so you just stick with me.” Cindi spat her gum into a cocktail napkin, squirted diet soda from the tap into a cup and took a dainty sip. Her teeth protruded slightly and made Lee think of a bunny from a children's story. “Most weekends, there's two of us girls on the floor. We split the room in half unless one side's busier than the other.” She pulled a ticket book out of her apron pocket. “You'll need to write stuff down real fast so you write ff for french-fries, rings for onion rings and nc for nachos. That's most of the orders anyway.” She put another piece of gum in her mouth. “The most important thing to remember is Zac. He does nothing but get in our way and cause us more work, so the best thing to do is keep his beer glass full.” She pointed to where he sat with a group of women. “That's his normal table. He can get scary, so don't cross him.”
“Scary how?”
“Y'know, if he drinks too much he gets even meaner and starts
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