Cole (34 page)

Chapter 23

“Well, I checked out the references you gave me and they checked out. The restaurant manager had high praise for y’all,” Billy said. He was an older man with a fluffy head of gray hair and friendly brown eyes. One shoulder leaned down some as if his back was permanently curved or if one leg was shorter than the other.

“I work hard and I’m punctual.”

He shook my hand. “I believe you. You look like a no nonsense girl who wouldn’t lie.”

“Thank you. I am.”

Billy walked around the counter, poured himself a cup of coffee and then offered me one. It was well past nine, and there were only three customers in the place. The booths were covered in a hideous yellow vinyl and the white tile floor was scuffed black, but the place looked clean. A tall man, with a hairnet covering his mostly bald head and an eagle tattoo covering his forearm, shoved food through the cook’s window. There was only one girl waiting tables. She looked to be in her early twenties, and she kept smiling over at me as if she was in desperate need of someone to help her.

“The room upstairs ain’t much, but it has a kitchenette with a hot plate and bathroom with a shower. But I’ve got to warn you, there isn’t much water pressure up there.”

“That’s fine. Sounds like home to me.”

He lifted the coffee pot and walked down to the end of the counter to refill a customer’s cup. “And you’ll need to start your morning at five. You’ll get the coffee pots going and the napkins and utensils out. Garth, the cook, and Rick, the dishwasher, come in at six. That’s when you’ll open up. And it doesn’t look like it now, but the place gets real busy at six in the morning and then again at noon. We only serve breakfast and lunch. The neighborhood just isn’t safe enough to be open at night anymore. We’re closed on Mondays, so that’ll be your day off.”

“Sound great,” I said.

Billy looked at me for a moment and then smiled and stuck out his hand. “Well, you look awfully young, but you seem like a hard worker. Welcome aboard.”

The waitress clapped her hands and skipped over to us. “I was hoping you’d take it.” She stuck her hand out too. “I’m Charlene, but you can call me Charlie.”

“Hi, I’m Eden.”

“I’ll show you the room upstairs.” Billy looked pointedly at the duffle bag I’d carried with me. I’d never unpacked, and I’d decided to take it along just in case. “Can you start right away?”

“I can. I’m sort of between homes right now so this is perfect.”

He motioned me to a set of stairs at the back of the kitchen. “Eighteen is so young to be out on your own already,” Billy said as we climbed the stairs. He chuckled. “At least these days, it is. I was on my own at sixteen, but times were different back then.”

“My parents moved up north, and I didn’t really want to move with them.”

He opened a small door. “Here you go. The bed is pretty comfortable.” It looked like an upgrade from the sofa bed, but it was a definite downgrade from the bed at Finley’s. “Unfortunately,” Billy continued, “since the room is upstairs, it gets warm up here in the summer. It’s not too bad right now, but once we hit those triple digit days, you’ll be feeling it. On the other hand, since it’s on the second story, it’s safe to sleep with the window open. The phone in the diner only has a local calling plan, but, believe it or not, there’s still a phone booth down on the corner.” He smiled. “One of the last dinosaurs left, I suppose. But I imagine it won’t matter. I know you younger folk all have cell phones.”

“Just like homes, I’m between cell phones.”

He looked more surprised by my lack of phone than lack of a home. “Well, be sure to use the phone booth during the day. As I said, the neighborhood gets a little rough around the edges when the sun goes down.”

“I’ll stay inside at night.” It would be an easy promise to fulfill. It wasn’t as if I had any place to go or any friends to see.

The fairly big bed sat in the corner of the large room, and across the way was a postage stamp sized kitchen with a toaster, stained coffee pot, and hot plate. There was even a small refrigerator. “I think this will work out great.” I walked over to the window and looked out. There was a construction site across the way, and a trailer sat on the lot. Fortunately there was no Kingston sign hanging across it.

“They’re building a low cost housing development for section eight families across the street. It’s one of those charity groups, Hope for Homes, or something like that. It’s been good for business though. Those guys get real hungry. They all come stomping in with their steel toed boots around noon. That’s when things get crazy down there. But you’ll have help. Besides Charlie, there’s a girl named Megan who usually comes in at seven. She called and said she’d be in for the lunch crowd. She’s a hard-edged sort, but she works hard. I think y’all will get along just fine.” He glanced around. “Well, I’ll let you get settled in. Can you start your shift at eleven?”

“Definitely.”

Billy left and I sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced around. Like the diner downstairs, the place was cheaply decorated but clean. It was certainly nothing like the job I’d just left, but this was closer to the way I was accustomed to living. I just needed hard work and a little independence and soon enough I would forget all about Finley and Jude and the whole damn thing.

I flopped back on the bed and stared up at a ceiling that had the same yellow coating as the apartment. “Right,” I mumbled to myself, “this is all I need.”

***

The graffiti covered, sour smelling phone booth stuck up from the corner like a crooked tooth. It was just past an unsavory looking bar that had its windows covered in black paint and seemed to be in full swing at ten in the morning. It took a couple of tries to slide open the door of the booth, and I tried my best not touch anything inside of it. My first purchase was going to be a phone.

Mom answered in an anxious tone. “Hello.”

“Mom, it’s me.”

She broke instantly into sobs. “We were so worried. What happened? I called but there was no answer.”

“Well, things sort of went haywire. But I’m fine.”

I could hear Dad in the background asking a hundred questions.

“Where are you?” Mom asked, finally pulling herself together.

“I’m working at a diner on the east side of L.A. It’s a long story, and I don’t have much time because I’m on a pay phone. But as soon as I have some money, I’ll buy a prepaid phone and call you again. How are things up there?”

“They’re great. Why don’t you come up here, Eden? I don’t want you to be alone down there.” Her offer was tempting, and like always, just hearing her voice made me homesick.

“If this doesn’t work out, I’ll come up there. But I have to try it first.”

“I understand, Edie. But please come home if things don’t work out.”

“I will. Love you. I’ll call as soon as I get my own phone. Try not to worry and kiss everyone for me.” I hung up and wondered how badly Dad would take the news that I was no longer working with Nicky King and that his dream of meeting him had vanished with my summer job.

***

Megan, a slender brunette with a lot of lipstick and vivid blue eyes, definitely had the hard edge Billy had warned about, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. She did, however, seem to dislike me within moments of our introduction.

“Do you see this apron with the M on it?” Megan pointed a pink fingernail at the apron hanging on the hook. “It’s mine. So don’t touch it . . . ever.”

“I’ll try my best to keep away from it,” I said, holding back a smile and wondering if she was being serious or facetious. She was hard to read.

Charlie scooted past and rolled her eyes. “And why would she want to touch that ugly, old apron of yours, Meg?”

“Because it’s the best apron we’ve got.” Apparently, she was being serious. “That’s why I marked it with an M. Now, go ahead and fill the napkin containers, Eden. The lunch crowd will be pushing through that door any minute.” She reached below the counter and pulled out a package of napkins. “Do you know how to fill them?”

“I think I can figure it out.”

Charlie slithered between us with a tray of freshly filled salt and pepper shakers. “By the way, Meg, he’s not over there today either.”

“I know. I checked for him earlier. It’s going to be another dreary day around here.” Megan started pulling clean water glasses out from the rack.

I ripped open the napkin package and pulled out a stack. “Who’s
he
?”

Charlie started placing salt and pepper shakers along the counter. “He’s this dreamy guy who works over at the construction site. The guys who work over there are mostly volunteers, so they don’t always show up.”

“But when he does come,” Megan patted a stool at the counter, “this is where he sits.” She shot me a hard as ice glare. “And he’s my customer, so hands off.”

“Did you put an M on him too?” I asked.

Charlie’s laughter was halted by Megan’s admonishing scowl. “Well, it’s not really fair that you always get to wait on him, Meg.” Charlie looked over at me. “Aside from being breathtaking, he’s a really big tipper.”

“Just remember he’s mine.” Megan pointed her long finger at each of us. “End of discussion.”

I concentrated on my napkin task and hoped that Megan was done laying claim to aprons and customers. Time passed quickly while we readied the restaurant for the lunch rush. And, as if on cue, a large group of boisterous and dust-covered men and women traipsed through the door at noon.

It had been more than a year since I’d waited tables, but after a few stumbles, and a disastrous fumbling of a box of straws, I got into the rhythm. By the end of the shift, my feet were tired, my apron was crusty, and my pockets were filled with tip money. I was pleased and excited about my first shift until Megan came over to dampen my spirits.

“Hey, I refilled the water on that table of yours in the back corner while you were busy with another customer,” Megan said, and I knew exactly where this was going. “So half of their tip is mine.”

I looked at her. “Really? You think one round of water filling is worth half of the tip?”

“Damn right I do.”

I shrugged. “That suits me just fine because while you wandered to the back to text your friends, I filled the water at three of your tables.” I walked over and touched the ends of each table that I’d assisted with. “So, I guess half of those tips belong to me.”

Megan’s mouth twisted to the side as she realized she’d backed herself into a corner.

“Or we could just call it even,” I said.

Megan stuttered over her response. “F—fine.” She stomped past me to the kitchen area. Charlie shot me a wink and a thumbs up.

“She’s in an extra bad mood because her guy didn’t come in, and it’s hard to know if he’ll ever come back.” Charlie started wiping down the tables and booths, and I picked up a cloth to help her. Just as quickly as the rush had started, it had diminished to two older men leaning over the counter sipping their coffees. “She actually thought she had a chance with him, I guess. Megan bounces from guy to guy hoping something will stick, but, so far, no luck.” She looked at me with a crinkled nose. “To be honest, I think she scares them off.”

“After what I just witnessed, I don’t doubt it.” I dipped my rag into the hot bucket of soapy water and wrung it out.

Charlie did the same. “This guy didn’t look like the kind who could be intimidated though. A real hottie— with attitude to boot.” She laughed. “You did real great today. I think Billy made a good choice. He comes in less and less to check on the place. His arthritis is really starting to takes its toll on him. Anyhow, Megan has sort of appointed herself the boss around here. I just pretend and put up with it.”

“That’s probably easiest,” I said, although I doubted I’d be able to put up with too much of it. I’d already decided to just stay clear of her whenever possible.

“Hey, my boyfriend is coming by to pick me up. We were going to catch a movie. Do you want to come along?”

“That’s really nice of you Charlie, but to be honest, I’m beat. I think I’ll just go up, shower off the smell of French fries, and plop down on the bed.”

She started gathering up ketchup bottles. “You’ll get used to being on your feet soon enough. What were you doing before you started here?”

I didn’t know how to respond, and truthfully, it wasn’t a job I could explain in a word or even a sentence for that matter. “I was sort of person-sitting. I know it sounds strange, but technically, that’s what it was.”

Charlie’s neatly plucked brows lifted in confusion, but she didn’t pursue the topic. “Anyhow, I’m glad you’re here now.” She inclined her head toward the kitchen area where Megan had stomped off to. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “It was kind of hard working alone with Miss Bossy Pants.”

“Thanks, Charlie. I’m glad to be here.” We finished the shift. Megan left before everything was done, but I was just as pleased to see her go. Charlie’s boyfriend, Cody, picked her up, and I locked up the diner.

Billy had told me I could eat whatever I liked from the kitchen, so I made myself a cheese sandwich and climbed the stairs to my room, thinking about the first cheese sandwich I’d made with Finley. Earlier when Billy had shown me the place, it looked simple, clean and livable. Now it looked dreary and sad.

I sat on the bed and picked at the sandwich realizing just how lonely the place was after the diner had closed up for the day. Traffic buzzed by every few seconds, and I could hear shouting and the clamor of wood being tossed around across the street at the construction site. But I felt completely alone. My life had gone from zero to a thousand miles an hour and back to zero in less than a month.

The water pressure in the shower was as bad as the yellow apartment, but this would be worse because at home I hadn’t had to worry about rinsing the smell of greasy diner food off my skin. The television set looked like an antique, and the picture quality fit its ancient appearance. There were no books or magazines. I pulled open the covers on the bed and crawled under. I thought about Finley and wondered how she was doing. And I thought about Jude and how I’d never see him again, and I cried myself to sleep.