The Hours We Have

chapter six

I enjoyed watching people. 

From afar, they were tolerable. I could thoroughly examine their telltale body language and form my own opinion of them in my head, versus when they were directly in front of me and I just wished they would go away. I guess being a waitress had shown me the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of people, and I really preferred to avoid human interaction at all costs. 

Still, I noticed differences between them. We are all human but some of us have distinct qualities about us. Some unspoken, some outspoken. I had learned that the people who didn't belong to the city, the ones visiting for a few weeks or days, were often the friendliest and they occupied the afternoon hours. They also tipped extremely well if I told them a silly, old story about the city they admired. 

But, the usual customers were the ones to watch out for. They were fed up with life and they showed up every morning or evening with a scowl on their face. I never received any tips from the usual customers. However, there were a few nice customers who came in on a daily basis. 

For example, a police officer always stopped by in the early morning hours for a steaming cup of extra large coffee. I had never liked police officers that much, perhaps because I always felt like they would carry bad news to me, and I blamed it on that night. But this officer was friendly and ever so slowly, we made small talk while we waited for fresh coffee to brew.  

There was also an older couple who always come down from the apartment complex across the street. They often occupied the little booth by the window and they would talk for hours, gazing into each other's eyes, and I hoped that their story had a happy ending. I always gave them free coffee refills and they left a decent tip each week. I appreciated it when people were nice. 

I almost looked forward to the customers who were nice, as I knew they would brighten my dreary shift, if only for a small amount of time. I know it sounds funny but these people that I only see make me feel like I'm someone. Like I wasn't just a girl who lost her parents. 

I waited on tables, refilled coffees, and cleared dishes with a fake smile plastered on my face. My cheeks were simply aching from it all and I found myself wondering if I could ever truly feel happy again. If I could feel what I displayed on the outside. I was hiding behind my smile and nobody knew but me. 

When the clock finally began the countdown to the end of my shift, I was exhausted. I felt like every time I looked at the clock, only a few minutes had passed when it felt like an entire hour. I hated shifts like these, the time was moving like a rock in quicksand.

 I heard the phone ringing behind the counter and then Sandy answered it. 

"Hey, Jordyn?" Sandy called out to me. 

I headed over, after ensuring my customers were happy for a moment, "What's up?" 

"Bailey just called off, can you stay a few extra hours?" She asked, pleadingly. "I know it will be a twelve-hour day but Allie said she'll pay you overtime."

I bit my lip. There really wasn't a reason I couldn't, I could always finish my homework tomorrow morning. Besides, I always needed the money so I nodded, "Yeah, it's not a problem." 

"You're a lifesaver!" 

ꕥ 

I didn't end up getting out of work until the streets had grown dark. I hadn't been anticipating an extremely long shift but I knew our electricity bill was coming due and we needed to pool funds for that. I also needed to make my monthly payment for tuition. I felt like I was only alive to pay bills and die.