But one question lingered in her mind, ‘what was that thing that I stumbled upon?’ She tried to recall as hard as possible. By sight, she could only remember the tea that was about to be spilled on the tray. By hearing, only talking from the room. By smell, the tea. By taste, triple chocolate muffin (still wishing she could taste that again). But by feeling, she could feel something hard. That’s the only way she could explain it- hard.
Between her work she went in front of the VIP room door, the place where she felt that thing. There was nothing at the door. She traced back how she fell, how her toes bent. She traced where the thing touched, along the length of her right foot.
What could it be?
Duty calls. She had to go.
People at the cafe were whispering about her, the accident. The star had written quite a bad review about the cafe, especially about her. He had also written that the tea tasted too bitter. Either it really was bitter or he was just too bitter. She was in deep thought about this when she crossed paths with him who also looked like he’s in deep thought. She went to the kitchen to ask Rose about him. She found her at the coffee brewer.
“Hey Rose!”
“Hi!”
“I wanted to ask you about that tall guy with white hair. Who is he?”
“Who do you mean?”
“That guy, with striking green eyes.”
“Oh,you mean Oscar?”
“Oscar is his name,huh?”
“Yeah, Oscar Holmes, 28 years old, six foot seven inches. He was the employee of the month for 14 months straight, until you came. Been the blue-eyed boy before you came.”Then she chuckled, “blue-eyed boy.” “He has been working here for five years too.” she added.
“You know everything about not only celebrities but your coworkers too?”
She shrugged, “I used to handle documents before this.” She said as she poured coffee into a cup. Susan watched the dark liquid fall into the cup.
“Besides,”she continued, “He’s good-looking. Everybody used to like him. He used to be pretty nice too.” The phrase ‘used to like him’ echoed in Susan’s mind.
It was mid- noon. The time when there were the least or no customers at all. The last customer who was served by Rose just got up and left. This was the time when the waiters and waitresses chatted loudly, cleaned the place or took a break.
Susan was observing Oscar from a distance. He kept a straight face almost all the time. Solemn, with a tinge of sadness. ‘He has all the reasons to hate me.’ thought Susan, ‘ I broke his streak, I got the people’s attention. It’s just so connected.’ Then she remembered the thing, she traced her foot. Could it be a shoe? How did a shoe come there? Could it be that he was standing there? ‘What are you even thinking, Susan? Just forget about it.’
She was still staring at Oscar cleaning the table. Oscar sensed someone looking at him and noticed her but she pretended to be looking at something farther behind him.
He continued staring at her, thinking, ‘How could she even escape being fired for that ‘accident’? It was so perfect, so precisely timed. And the drama after that…that could’ve got her fired in no time. Does she have some kind of magical power or something? I was right there with the tray of sweets, right behind her. I put my foot just when her foot was raised to move forward. Just the right time! How could she—?! How dare she?!’
Anger and hatred started boiling from within him. Then he saw that she noticed him glaring at her, still having a spray in one hand and a damp cloth in the other. He turned away and went. He took deep breaths and calmed himself down.
She watched him go back to the kitchen and then noticed Micheal with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, leaning on the countertop, laughing and talking. ‘What is he doing here?’ Susan asked in her mind. He was surrounded by waiters and waitresses who were listening to him and laughing along with him.
She overheard, “My dad still lectures me about success and dreaming high and stuff. I mean, c’mon, I’m almost 30 and I’m being treated like I'm almost 13.” Then there was laughter. She has never heard him talk this informally before. It made her see him in a completely different light.
A telephone started ringing from his office. “Oh there she is.” he said in an annoyed tone. “Who’s she?”, one of the waitresses asked. “My sister, her pet chihuahua is sick. And she gives me a full report of what it ate and what it did from time to time. She talks to me as if I’m a veterinary doctor.” There was laughter again. “I wish your pet a speedy recovery!” The waitress said.
Micheal grinned widely and thanked her. His hair is disheveled, it was not combed neatly like how it used to be every day in the morning. He walked back into his office. Susan had always pictured him to be stressed out, strict, spick and span, too busy to socialize and hot headed. But today, he seems to be a different kind of person. Jolly, stress-free, chill person who does not have too much responsibility in his hands.
Everyone was talking as if this happened every day. But this is the first time Susan was seeing him like this. So Susan decided to ask one of them if this happened every day before she came, like how Oscar was different before she came. She went to an older waitress who was drying the dishes. She has probably been working for a long time, she might know. “Was he always like this?” Susan asked in a low voice.
“Who?” The waitress asked back.
“The boss.” Susan replied.
“Oh,” she laughed, “him.This is my first time seeing him like this too. He rarely comes here at this time. Even if he were to come, he would only talk about work and how to do it properly. I’ve never heard him talk to us this casually either.
He never told us about his family. He even told us about how his father disliked his haircut because it always came in his face and how he makes him wear clips and hair gel every morning.” She laughed again. “It’s funny to see such a father-son relationship. Especially when the son is a grown up man.” She laughed once again. “Something must’ve happened in his life. Nobody knows.” Susan nodded and helped her with the dishes.
For the rest of the day, Susan and Oscar stole glances of each other, he in hatred and she in suspicion.
3 MONTHS LATER…
29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnB6uAdon7
‘Life has its own difficulties, goodness might come later.’ This very sentence, with all its meanings, can be re-applied in Susan’s life.
In the morning, when she woke up in her cramped up apartment room, she thought it was just another day in her life, but how can it be ‘just another day’ when she works in a place where all sorts of people go in and out leaving their good and bad legacies behind with the people working there.
When she went to the cafe, she thought, ‘Yet another fine day in The Billionaire’s cafe. Everybody’s minding their own business.’ Then she took the first order of the day, a daily customer, an actress who was playing a side character’s role in a drama series. She comes regularly for her morning cappuccino and has a friendly personality.
Susan had taken a few orders and had served a few orders until- a limousine parked in front of the cafe. Limos were usual. Nothing to be surprised about.
Then a bodyguard came out. Again, nothing to be surprised about. He opened the door, but nobody came out. Now that was strange. Then suddenly vans started coming and surrounding the limo and out came the media people with their cameras and mics and what not. Then, out of the limousine stepped out a young lady, a very very young lady she was, with a visibly loose tooth in the front. She wore a grand gold gown with long gloves, a sparkling tiara and a white folding hand fan in her hand. In all her grandness, she stood, waving at the cameras.
She was about to walk in when she noticed something on the ground, she looked at the bodyguard and said something. He replied looking nervous, even scared. Then she took a glance of the cameras around and said something to the bodyguard which made him look pale. Then she looked straight ahead, held up her fan and waved it quickly twice.
The bodyguard, understanding the sign language, started shooing off the people around. She entered the cafe with careful steps and announced, “It’sh my shiksht birfday, everyone.” There was silence, a confused silence. “Vish me!” Her shrill, demanding voice forced everyone in the cafe to wish her ‘happy birthday’. “I vant cake!” She ordered, “vif candles on it!”
All the waiters and waitresses sensed the danger and started rushing about the place. One of the waiters asked the child, “What kind of cake would you like to have? Chocolate, caramel, red velvet or cheesecake?” She thought for a moment and shrieked “Shtrawberry Shortcake!”
“Umm…sorry but that’s not part of the menu.”
“I vant shtrawberry shortcake!!” She shrieked at the top of her lungs. “Okay,okay, I’ll get it for you.” He replied knowing there is no use in arguing with a child. So he asked, “How big do you want it?” “I want it big! Really really big!” She showed the size with her arms. “Okay, please take a seat.” With her nose in the air.
She ordered, “Charlie, eshkort me.” Her bodyguard came and took her to her seat. The waiter ran to the head waitress and asked quite hopelessly, “The lady wants a strawberry shortcake. How will we make that happen?”.
“Tell her it’s not part of our menu of course.” “I told her that; she wouldn’t listen.” “Umm… Chef, can you make strawberry shortcake right now?”
The baker of the cafe, an old man with wise eyes and a Santa Claus look on his face replied, “I can’t make a strawberry shortcake right now!” He was holding a tray of large chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven. “I’m making these now.” The head waitress started thinking hard. Susan, who was listening to this conversation, suggested,
“Why don’t we order from a bakery nearby?” Everyone was struck hearing that. “Yeah… why didn’t I think of that?”The head waitress looked at Susan as if she was the most wonderful creature in the whole world. “Call the nearest bakery!” She ordered.
“But there are no nearby bakeries.”The waiter said.
“That’s why I said the nearest!” Shouted the head waitress.
“The nearest bakery is 30 minutes from here!”Shouted the waiter back at her.
“Then go get the cake! You have a scooter, right?”
“I do?”
“Yes you do, take mine, I’ll contact the bakery and you’ll go get it. Clear?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Here’re the keys”she handed over the keys to him and he shot off. Then she called out, “Susan!”
“Yes ma’am.” She replied.
“Here’s the phone book, call the nearest bakery, won’t you?”
“Yes ma’am.”She answered and obeyed.
The child actress had already started throwing tantrums there. One of the waitresses came running, “Ma’am!” She was panting and shaking her head, “That kid…(pant)… is not staying still…(pant)…she’s screaming for cake…(pant)… and disturbing everyone else…(pant)…please… help!” “I don’t know how to deal with children. Susan, you go.” The head waitress ordered.
“What?” Susan asked, confused. “Go entertain that child.” “Entertain? But…” Susan started but it was too late to argue, she was already being pushed out of the kitchen. When they came near , the waitress pushed Susan near the child who was protesting, banging on the table and screaming, “cake! cake! cake!”
An idea clicked in Susan’s mind which would distract the child for a while. She turned to the waitress and shouted, “Seriously! You can’t get cake for the princess?” Everyone grew silent. “Uh…umm..but..” Susan winked at her and she understood.
“Uh…I…” she continued. “Didn’t you know it was her sixth birthday today?” Susan asked again with her hands on her hips.
“Princess Judith has been waiting for her cake for the past five whole minutes! Do you know how long that is? 300 seconds! You have to clap 300 times for five minutes to pass! The princess cannot wait for that long! Isn’t that right, your highness?” “Yesh!” Judith shrieked, happy that she’s being treated like a princess. Susan continued,
“It’s just a strawberry shortcake! How long will that take?”
“Umm…”
“Don’t even know that? What kind of waitress are you?”
“Yeah!” Judith shrieked again.
“You can’t even get a simple strawberry shortcake for princess Judith’s sixth birthday. How disappointing can that be?”
Then a screech was heard from outside and the waiter came with the cake saying, “I think I broke the speed limit.” But at that point, nobody cared. All everybody wanted was the child to have the cake and be quiet for some time. The cake was served and the candle lit, the lights were dimmed and Susan began singing in a sweet, melodious voice that everybody quietly listened to the birthday song.
And at last,the time came for Judith to blow the candle. But she noticed something on the cake and screamed “I’m not a one year old! I’m shiksh ! I vant shiksh candles on my cake!” “Oh yes your highness! Six candles are needed. Paul! Get six candles!” Susan ordered. “Yes!” He replied and got back on the scooter and drove off at once.
“Vat made you fink I wash one,” Judith started, squinting her eyes to see the name tag, “Shu-Shan?” Someone snorted at that, Susan looked back, Oscar was red, eyes filled with tears, swallowing his laughter.
Susan looked back at Judith, “I’m sorry your highness. It was indeed my mistake. I didn’t notice the number of candles on the cake. I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience.” By the time, the candles arrived. “The candles, your majesty! The candles!” Someone shouted.
The remaining five candles were lit, “make a wish!” Susan reminded her. Judith put her tiny palms together and mumbled her wish, “I want to be a real princess.” And she blew her candles. When she blew her last candle, her loose tooth came flying across the table. “AAAA UUGGGHHH!” Judith started screaming. Susan comforted her and Paul cleaned the table.
Finally Judith stopped crying and started eating her cake. “Charlie, eat shome cake, I can’t eat it all.” She said to her bodyguard. Charlie looked at Judith with pride in his eyes and took a piece of cake.
One of the older waitresses prayed,“My Lord, may this child grow up to be a good human being later on.” The other waiters and waitresses and even the customers agreed saying, “Amen.” Judith was too busy eating her cake to listen to this.
Finally when she went, Micheal put up a notice on the notice board headed— “CHILDREN UNDER 10 YEARS ARE NOT TO BE ALLOWED.” with a brief paragraph under it explaining who is allowed and why. All the waiters and waitresses sighed with relief upon seeing the notice, there will be no need to deal with that trouble anymore.
The media people were still there. They had taken videos and pictures of what had happened inside the cafe. They came in, took pictures of the notice board and started questioning and interviewing Micheal. There was a crowd in the cafe.
Micheal was patient with each and every news reporter, answering each of the questions they asked, letting them take photos and videos. There shouldn’t be another bad name to the cafe, there are enough already.
A few days later, a staff meeting was held, like it was held every month. Micheal, after listing out the complaints of the staff and the fixes needed to the cafe, stood up and made an announcement,“I would like to make an announcement. Because of the amazing way Ms. Susan performed in front of the rather troubling little girl on her birthday and how wonderfully she had controlled the situation and satisfied the customer’s needs. I would like to promote Ms. Susan Sullivan to the post of head waitress.”
Micheal held out the badge of the head waitress and the new uniform to Susan. Susan was shocked at hearing that. I have only been here for 5 months! And already a head waitress! She went and received the tag and uniform while the rest cheered and applauded.
Except for Oscar, he was dumbstruck at hearing such an announcement. My nightmares have come true! He thought, there can be nothing worse than this. Susan scanned the place for the former head waitress’s reaction. She was smiling, happily applauding, there was no sign of sadness in her face, no anger, no hatred. Just happiness and relief.
When she went back to her seat, Rose beside her whispered to her, ‘I knew it! I knew you were going to be head waitress! He was planning about this all these days after seeing you deal with that child.’
‘How do you know that?’ Susan whispered back.
‘I heard him talk to his dad.’
‘Rose! You’re not supposed to—‘
‘I know, I know, but sometimes I just can’t help it.’
When the meeting ended, she came across the former head waitress who looked at her coolly and said, “good luck, ma’am.” And then she smiled cunningly and went. Susan thought in her head, ‘is being head waitress really that difficult? She really looks happy not being a head waitress. What is this all about?’
Susan told Melody about how she became head waitress and her suspicions about Oscar that night. Melody agreed about Oscar being the one who made her trip and fall. But there wasn’t proof. That was all there was left. Proof. But she will never be able to find out any proof.
The CCTV camera company changed that day and they were only starting to fix their cameras on the ceilings that time. “What sad luck!” Melody exclaimed, Susan simply nodded.
As days passed by and turned into weeks, Susan noticed Oscar had started working for longer hours than he was supposed to. He worked day and night, from the time the cafe opened to when it closed. Sometimes he was the last person to leave the cafe, he would be the one who closed all the doors and shut off all the lights and locked the door to the cafe. And he would also be the one who opens the cafe and starts brewing the coffee for the first order of the day.
‘He’s desperate.’ Susan thought, ‘He’s working really hard to get the recognition that he wants.’ All of a sudden Susan felt pity for him, ‘Poor thing, look at what all he’s doing to get a position. And he’s simply not getting it.’ Susan decided to forgive him, if he had done anything at all to her, he was just trying his best to be the best he couldn’t be.
That day, it began to rain unexpectedly. “The government is going to sue the weather department today.” Everybody said the same thing. Schools closed early, the sky became dark, there was thunder and lightning. It soon became a heavy rain, mildly flooding the streets. Everybody else in the cafe had packed up and went back home . It was night time already but Susan and Oscar had not left.
The rain was still pouring heavily. Oscar saw her gazing out the window, watching the rain. ‘Why is she not gone yet?’ Oscar thought, annoyed. He cleaned the tables and kept things back in its place. Susan was still looking out the window. He got irritated and asked,
“Are you not gonna go back home?”
“Oh, I couldn’t catch the bus.”
He sighed, absolutely annoyed. “Where do you live?”
“Umm, I live near the grocery shop, Kezia.”
“Hmm, get in my car.” He pointed with his head to a minicar parked perfectly parallel to the cafe.
“Huh?” Susan got confused, ‘he’s asking me to get inside his car? He’s gonna drop me off at my house? I thought he’d never do that, especially me.’
“Get in the car!”He said almost forcefully.
“It’s raining out there!” She replied. “Do you have an umbrella? I don’t.”She asked.
He looked around. ‘No umbrella anywhere. Oh god.’ He went to the counter and picked up an old tray. “This will be the umbrella.”He said. “You’re gonna use that as an umbrella?!” Susan shouted. “There is no other choice. If you can stay here for the night, I’d be way more happy. And I think you will be too.” He replied.
She stared at the tray for a few moments and then looked at Oscar. ‘He looks like a child being forced to eat broccoli. He is showing his genuine feelings.’
‘Amazing.’
They both walked towards the car with the tray above their heads. Oscar walked along with Susan to the passenger seat with the tray and opened the door for her. She was surprised to see this. She had never expected this from Oscar. She sat inside the car and he closed the door. He walked around the car, got into his drivers’ seat and threw the tray in the back.
As soon as he started the car, classical music started playing from his radio. ‘He listens to classical music? Seriously?’ Susan snorted with laughter. She covered her mouth in order to cover up her smile.
“What?”Oscar questioned, Susan continued snorting and giggling. “What? Can’t I listen to this type of music?” “Nothing,nothing.” Susan replied, grinning widely. After a while, both of them were silent.The harmonious sound of the violins and cellos got mixed up with the pitter patter sound outside. The classical music went very well with the sound of raindrops.
They came to a stoplight. The rain had reduced to a drizzle. Susan was looking out the window, watching life outside. In the wet darkness, she saw people silently walking by with their raincoats and umbrellas. Some shops were still lit brightly, with people inside them. They must’ve got caught in the rain, Susan thought. Beside her, she heard a sigh.
She turned to see Oscar, his head leaning back on the head of the seat, his eyes closed. He must be really tired. She too put her head on the head of the seat. She watched the swipers go up and down and up and down and up until BEEP BEEP BEEEEP. Oscar woke up startled and started driving. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” He asked Susan. “Not even I noticed.”She answered, shrugging her shoulders. He sighed again.
By the time, the symphony playing in the background ended. She thought another symphony would start but a talk show started instead. An interview with the very Hollywood actor she spilled tea on. The interviewer began asking his questions. The middle aged actor talked about his new thriller movie and about his vacation to Maldives.
Then the interviewer asked, “We’ve all heard about your experiences with restaurants and we all go there only if you give a good review about it. It is very much known that you have a great taste in foodstuff. How about we talk about your experience in The Billionaire’s cafe? It is renowned for its amazing signature coffee and its services. It always got a five star review from everyone. But you gave a straight zero. Why was that so? What happened there?”
And the actor explained the incident, exaggerating the facts and dramatizing the whole event. She listened to his criticisms about her. Careless, stupid, clumsy, annoying. She turned red with embarrassment. She started curling up in her seat. Oscar was smiling. Success. He said to himself. Half. Half success. But still, success.
He looked over at Susan who was covering her face with her hands. He grew more and more satisfied with life. She deserves it. Taking away my place. This is exactly what she needs. The talk show ended. Only 20 minutes of this? Oh, come on. I was enjoying it.
He was going on a roundabout. He missed the exit to the lane to Susan’s house. “You missed the exit.”Susan pointed it out. “I know.”He replied. He was going round and round, missing the same exit, until he gave up and took the exit after that. “You’re not supposed to—”
“I know”
He started looking for another way. He turned this way and that until he reached a dead end. “I should’ve just stayed at the cafe for the night. Why did I do this to myself?”Susan asked herself aloud. “Just shut up.” Oscar said annoyed. “Who are you to tell me to shut up?” Susan questioned. “A man.” Oscar replied, taking a reverse. “I can cut your salary, do you know that? I can file a complaint about you and you could even get fired. So be careful with your words there.” Susan started threatening. Oscar just gave a nonchalant look and rolled his eyes. “Did you just roll your eyes on me?”
“Yes, I did just roll my eyes on you.”
“You better respect me.”
“You better respect ME. I’m a full 4 years older than you. I have more experience than you AND I’m way better than you.”
“So you think you’re better than me? Then prove it.”
“I’ve been working for five years. I was the employee of the month for 14 months straight.”
“Well, I’m the head waitress of the cafe and I’ve been working for only 5 months!”
“So what?”
“So what? There was no use of you working for five years. You still haven’t been the head waiter while I have been working for only 5 months and I’m already the head waitress.”
He became silent at once. They both knew she won. She smiled at him. A winner’s smile. He looked ahead of him. He didn’t want to face it.
He went back to the roundabout and got to the exit. Finally she’ll be gone soon he said to himself. There was silence. “I was just wondering…” Susan broke the silence, “ if you’ve been working for five years then that means you were 23 when you started working here, am I right?” “ right.” She was thinking about what I said? Unbelievable. “Hmm…” she continued, “you’ve been to school?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to know.”
“I even went to college.”
Just like plankton in SpongeBob. She thought to herself and laughed inside.
“Then how did you end up here? You dropped out or you failed?”
“I finished college! I just changed my mind about the job I wanted.”
“You wanted to be a waiter?”
“Yeah, it’s simple, less hectic and stressful and kinda fun too.”
“Ha! And your parents were fine with that?”
“No. They never talked to me after I became a waiter. They wanted me to become an interior designer. I went against it .”
“Oh.”
Then they both became quiet. After a while they arrived at Susan’s place. He stopped in front of her flat.
She was about to get out when the angel on her right shoulder whispered to her, “don’t forget the magic word!” The devil on her left shoulder whispered, “there’s no need to. He’s not gonna care anyway. He doesn’t deserve it either.”
“Say thank you! Maybe his hatred towards you might disappear.” The angel whispered again. “Thank you.”Susan mumbled.
“What was that?” Oscar asked playfully.
“Thank you.” She said louder.
“Didn’t get that.”Oscar said.
“Thank you!”She shouted.
Oscar started laughing. She got out and slammed the door shut angrily. She went to her apartment and went to her room. She called Melody and told about what happened.
“He’s so unpredictable. He’s good to you once and then bad to you again.” Melody remarked. “I don’t know where my life is headed.” Susan said.
