Everywhere I looked, there were flowers.
Flowers twisting out of windows, flowers spiraling up walkways, flowers overgrowing houses.
As beautiful and everlasting as they were, they were also a sign of sickness.
It started with a strange disease with the usual symptoms of stomach aches and fevers. Apparently, this oddity was spread through the air. That really got people worried.
The first case of the disease happened in Japan.
I remembered seeing it on the news.
A woman, in her mid fifties, was slumped back in a cafe chair outside. Her mouth was snapped open to make room for the single twisting vine of flowers that sprouted. It barely tipped over a few centimeters, yet it caused so much panic.
At first, it was romaticised. The woman was lonely, and her broken heart had caused new life. They called it a case of 'Hanahaki Disease' and left it at that.
But, it started spreading.
Men died in cars on the way to work. Women collapsed on streets, and even children died in thier school chairs.
All of them were the same. A single flower straight up through the mouth. Later, it would branch out the nose, eyes, ears and chest until there would be nothing left of the person but a topiary.
Eventually, there were more topiaries than actual people.
Somehow, the disease didn't die. The flowers were more vibrant than naturally grown plants that couldn't compete with these hybrids.
I kept them watered anyway. It felt like I was keeping the soul of the person it used to be alive too when I took care of the flowers.
When the government announced its findings that we were all infected, people spread chaos.
Some killed themselves rather than die like that. Others fled underground, only to sprout above it, and then there were people like me who couldn't do anything about it.
We followed rules.
Everyone had to wear a thin band at all times. The more it filled, the closer you were to dying to the disease.
Everyone had to take a pill on entry to buildings. Each one was mixed with a 'safe' dose of what we speculated was weed killer. I heard a girl died from them. She wasn't even close to having her flower bloom.
If you were going to die, you had to take it elsewhere.
About to die inside? You'd better run your weak arse outside so that it didn't inconvenience anyone else. We couldn't escape the spores, but the fact of removing another couple of kilos of vines and flowers was just too much for some people.
In the beginning, they mulched them in the dark. When that came to light, officials lined up the bodies on the sides of the streets instead as a memorium. They even made this big fuss about having a huge garden to line everyone in so they could enjoy the wonderful views even in death.
I'd never seen it. We had a theory they were still pushing them through woodchippers while feeding us the 'sanctuary' bullshit.
Life went on. Even with spores in our lungs, there was no escaping the exhaustion of life.
203Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIt6g7HS5W
Throwing the strings of my apron over the opposite shoulders so I could pull the cross tightly around my waist, I straightened the brown fabric in the reflection of the tiny mirror opposite me.
My band was tipping centimeters from being completely full. Apart from the stabbing in my side and the occasional dribbling sweat up near my hairline, I felt fine.
The sweltering uniform didn't help. I had run in my black shirt and long pants to drag myself up onto the passing tram this morning to get to work.
I was all for rules and good morality, but I only had a few more days left at the most. A free trip here or there wouldn't hurt anyone.
With only five minutes by tram, and the cool breeze blowing off my sweat, I was in the front door of the cafe and tugging down my apron to throw over my shoulders.
Money was still king. And I was still struggling for my paycheck even with this sickness.
"Ali!" the smiling voice of my coworker chimed as he rounded the corner and saw me swiping my forehead with my arm "feeling good?"
Chester was always the one to make work worth coming to. Even around the shitty customers and lurking officials, he gave his best retail smile and marched on.
His band barely licked past the border with the bright red on stark white. My black background made it clear my time was limited. Once, it was bright like his, and so was I.
"I'm fine" I forced a smile "no-one is going to stop just because I'm going to be choking up roses."
Chester approached, throwing over his own apron to pull tight.
He leant close and sniffed, humming in throught.
"Strange. Your breath smells more like a garlic plant" he giggled and gasped dramatically when I shoved him.
"Very funny" I walked past him, grabbing a tray of stacked disposible cups and thier lids "we all know mine will be beautiful and rare."
"Oh, you wish!" he chortled when we both pushed through the swinging doors to the front "you're getting garlic, and I'm harvesting them for some damn good garlic bread."
Rolling my eyes and smiling, I started to stack the cups as people lined up for thier coffee or iced frappe to keep them going.
The tables already had others slumped in them, waiting for food steaming from the kitchen, or slowly segmenting meals over conversation.
It was a lively atmosphere here. Much better here than watching four walls to my death.
"Morning Ali!" another voice piped as it spun to the window of the kitchen to grab the plates being loaded "how is it?"
Holding up my band, I jiggled it to thier disappointed frown.
Karli was super competitive. She hated her life here and how her dreams of something better just weren't achievable without dragging herself through the muck of hospitality and judgment.
She kept her cards close to her chest, but had no qualms with moaning about how much she hated the people here when they were gone.
Her black band was licking the edges with red. Even though she could kneel over at any moment, Karli was forced to rake in money for her loan she took out for top surgery.
Literally working herself to death. At least her upbeat attitude kept us distracted.
"I've got to win at something!" she called back with a shake of her own that made the man she served smile sympathetically and slide her a ten.
Karli always had such a good outlook of life. Sympathy got her more tips, which were thrown into trying to scrub her still too large debt.
When she died, it'd be passed to her mother. She was already struggling to keep the lights on with only herself in the home.
"You shouldn't have" Karli grinned, her hand being held by the man's as she tucked the tip into her cleavage "I won't lose it with your help!"
They both had a little laugh before she turned back to me, pretending to vomit.
Snickering, I moved over to man the pastries and dig out a cinnamon roll to bag for another customer, keeping my head low.
"Chester!" the kitchen hollered while Karli balanced more plates "table two is still waiting!"
Flustered, Chester finished serving his customer behind the til, rushed the order to the window, then snatched up his clipboard to hurry to the table side.
I saw Tony move to the til to keep the line going.
He was both the unluckiest and luckiest of us all.
Tony was a sweet man who only just got into a home of his own when his band started to fill and change colour.
He rode a motorbike to work, saving on fuel. Everything was recycled, and he even made his own soaps he loved to share with us all.
Last week, he made ones that looked and smelled like buttery croissants. He was so proud he had us all so fooled.
Toni was trying to make up for a darker past. He wore old colours of a gang he used to roll with when he was younger through a tattoo on his shoulder. He kept it covered at work; the one on his wrist too.
He didn't work with 'Blood Right' anymore, but friends from within the circle sometimes popped in to check on him and share a laugh about old times. He was protected due to old blood, and so that meant the cafe was too.
Tony also had the unusual name of 'Tire-iron Tony' from his friends. I wasn't curious enough about it to ask.
But, that wasn't what made him unlucky. That would be the flowers curling around the side of his face.
Rather than sprouting and killing him, his pulled up through an old scar in his cheek and tore that open instead. His throat was mostly dominated by the vine and bulged at the side because of it, but the right side of his cheek from just under the bone had this branching vine of flowers.
How he was still alive baffled anyone. He kept serving and smiling despite his flowers almost blinding his right side. They almost looked like a pointed horn filled with beautiful blooms.
Tony cut it many times but it always grew back within days. Now, he worked the cafe and reported to officials so they could study him. His band was just completely black, the way it had been for about three months now.
Some days, when he got into the guarded car out the front, we thought he'd never come back.
It was good when he did.
"You cut that shit out, Cutthroat" I heard Tony scolding a man in a denim jacket coated in patches "you'll ruin the wood."
There was roars of laughter from the booth. The man who had been stabbing the spaces between his fingers grinned at Tony who pointed to his eyes then to the gang member.
Cutthroat repeated the gesture, getting more laughter from his three other friends.
"Ali! Come serve!"
I peered to the kitchen window, trying to find Karli.
I found her talking to another table who was trying to grope her behind as they slid money into the back pocket. She looked like she was trying her hardest to play it off as cheeky teasing without risking losing the twenty.
With no customers currently wanting pastries, I obediently shuffled over to the window where the sweating Monday was.
Hair pulled back and accentuated with cute rainbow rabbits ears, Monday wasn't all peaches.
She took no shit about her unusual name, and even less about fucking around when there were meals to be served.
Her passion was her food. She swore love went into every bite, that and a good helping of rosemary.
Monday also head of a crew of five jammed into the kitchen.
I never knew any of the others who started much earlier than me and left much later.
But Monday was kind. Firm, but understanding. She's all I needed to know about the kitchen and I didn't question it.
"Soup, burger, and milkshake to the gangbangers on three" she gave the bowl a little push as I loaded the others onto a plastic tray "extra chips on the side; sauce in the basket."
Dumping a few packets on, I focused on the meal.
I didn't want to drop any of this. I wanted to show Tony I could handle his old, intimidating friends better than he could.
I wasn't scared of a few denim jackets.
"If they start shit, I give you permission to 'accidentally' spill the shake on them" Monday winked "got another lined up here just in case."
So she expected it. I grinned and started my confident stride to the table.
Smile. Don't chat too much. Agree with everything and leave.
Jeez, my heart was thundering. Was I sweating again?
Swallowing the lump, I approached the laughing table that was shushed for me.
I saw Tony keeping watch between his customers wanting to be served and seated as fast as possible.
"Good morning" I put on my bright smile "how are you all today?"
Place the shake first. It's tipping the tray.
"Good now that you are here, lovely" Cutthroat buttered up with a whistle.
He really was a rough looking guy. Shaved head, scars gouged down through it, a slice missing out of the bottom of his lip. He even had what looked like a metal bolt serving as a stretcher in the lobe of his left ear.
He had the shake. He kept eyeing it off so eagerly.
"Don't be a prick" the woman opposite him leant over to slap his hand "she's on death's door. Burger's mine by the way."
She was worse than him. Her left eye was missing and just an empty socket surrounded with mangled, melted skin. What little that remained of her right side looked like it was plumped with oil. It shone and glowed with health compared to the rest of her face. Even her shoulder length hair couldn't hide it.
I slid her the burger and basket of chips that was promptly stopped by another woman right next to me.
She smiled cheekily when she snatched up one to eat. Her hair was shaved all across half of her head to have the rest swooped to the other side.
She didn't have scars like the other two, but she was sporting a dark blue hearing-aid that matched the jacket draped over the chair.
"And the soup?" I smiled meekly to them snapping at the woman for stealing the chips.
"Yo!" the thief held up her braceleted hand so I could place it before her.
None of them were too bad. Cutthroat had about half of his in the red, but the two women were barely dipping past a quarter. The white hadn't even turned black around the red yet.
My gut clenched when I saw I hadn't placed a utensil down for the woman. They were still in the tubs under the kitchen window.
"Would you like a spoon?" I offered quickly.
"With you? Sure, Sweet Cheeks" the woman chortled, making the others laugh again.
I leave to do the walk of shame for the forgotten spoon. Karli has left her handsy tipper and pulls one up for me.
"Get Tony to do it" she muttered to me as she turns her back on them and grabs more plates "they're just being dickheads."
I glance to Tony to contemplate the idea, but push it aside.
"It's just a spoon" I shrug "it's not that big of a deal."
I wrap it in a napkin and start to walk back over.
"Spoon Lady!" Cutthroat cheers when I near them again "lifesaver! Everyone, stop stressing! She got it! She found the spoons!"
"Sit your arse down!" the woman at the back hisses as she tugs down Cutthroat by the jacket since he's risen to his feet to really put on a show.
Burning with embarrassment, I place it down with a polite smile to the nearest woman.
"I'm... very sorry about that" I choke out as my heart hammers again.
I know I'm sweating this time. I don't dare to wipe it while im being scrutinized by these customers.
The soup woman notices and narrows her eyes to me before she scoops up some of her food to slurp it loudly.
"It's not the best, but it'll do" she mutters back.
"Milkshake could be better too" Cutthroat rattles the cup as he's drinking it "do I get a freebie if I don't like it? Because I don't like it."
Smirks and more snorts. They're finding thier rudeness and my hesitation hilarious.
"Cut" Tony growls out a warning "watch it."
"OK, ok!" he holds up his hands, still swigging his drink "don't get your kumquats in a twist."
"Ali, Til" Tony orders "I've got to remind our guests of our policy to treat our servers with respect."
He sounds so serious and looks terrifying when he's so cold and calm. I agree and mumble out a 'thank you' before switching places to keep the line moving.
I glance between customers and fake smiles, seeing Tony leaning close to murmer to his friend.
One moment, it looks like he wants to tear his head off, the next they are clapping each other's shoulders and smiling.
Im confused. It was only a few minutes, but I feel like I've lost a whole progression between the two.
"Ali, you got a tip" Tony slides a twenty across the bench to me "he realises how much of an arse he was being" he smiled to me before turning back with a snap "don't you?"
"Yeah, yeah" Cutthroat flopped a hand down as he drinks, looking out the window and seeing the government vehicle pull up.
Tony sighed and started to undo his apron.
"They're early" he mutters to me and taps the money "keep that safe. You don't want someone to pinch it now."
I tuck it into my pocket, smiling to Cutthroat gulping down the rest of the shake held between both hands.
He let out a big gasp as he finished, zipping up his jacket and waiting for Tony to return with his keys to pass to him.
"You got my back?" I hear him mumble.
"Brother, always."
"I'll be back tommorow!" Tony calls out with a wave to us "I've clocked off! Trays are ready to go for the morning!"
"Legend!" Monday calls.
"Have fun!" Karli teases.
"See you then!" Chester lights up when Toyn passes him and slips him something he quickly pockets.
"Tony!" I blurt out, my heart hammering again.
He and Cutthroat turn, staring.
"Uh, make sure you do come back" I burn in embarrassment of being put on the spot in front of everyone.
He giggles with his friend and quickly leaves the cafe.
We watch Cutthroat walk over to his bike out the front and sit on it. He yells something to the officials watching him, flipping them off as he kicks it to life.
The car is secured with Tony who smiles sadly inside. Cutthroat flashes him a thumbs up and waits for the car to take the lead so he can give it some distance and tail it.
"We should head too" the woman decides as she looks to the others who agree.
No doubt, they'll be following the car or helping out somewhere else to make sure Tony doesn't end up on a table somewhere.
"To go?" she raises her hand to get my attention.
"Sure."
They slap down another ten as I'm piling all thier tubs together, even throwing in a pastry on the down-low, which surprisingly gets me another five.
"Tony starts at nine" I tell them when they file for the door "have a good day!"
"See you later, Ali-gator!" the scarred woman smirks.
I copy it, glowing at the new name.
"Hey, Aligator" Monday snickers "order up!"
Smiling to myself, I return to work.
203Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSV1SU3A8w5
Hanging up my apron for another day, I collect my bag, punch out my numbers, and bid everyone goodbye.
Running to snatch onto the passing tram, I soak in the fresh air and savour it cooling the sweat on my face.
The sun was dying in the sky to make it spill out purples and oranges in a muddy blend way off in the distance.
Only a few more days of this.
It wouldn't be how I had hoped, but at least I'd get to spend it with my old friends and new.
Ali-gator.
I snorted at the new nickname I had earned myself today. This one made me giddy inside at how silly it was.
Jumping off the tram and hurrying for the door to my unit, I quickly closed out the world so I could face my little cube.
Not for long, Aligator. You'll be off in some garden you could never afford.
Or in a woodchipper....
Slapping in a frozen meal into the microwave, I hung nearby as it hummed and sizzled.
Not the way I wanted to go out, but I couldn't change that.
Thirty-five in tips was the most I had ever seen. I wanted to stash it away in my old coin jar, but I folded it into my wallet instead.
My meal screamed and I slumped over to drag it out so I could slap it on the kitchen bench and pull out a plastic fork.
Digging around the frozen middle and the flower petals I coughed into the back of my hand, I sighed and tried to find the bright side of my fading life.
It could be worse, Ali. Just look forward to tommorow and forget the rest. Make sure you wake up when you go to bed, ok? You have to know if Tony made it home.
I was so tired.
Shuffling to my messed bed, I curled up around my crushed, cold pillows.
I didn't care I was in my uniform still. I just wanted to make the pain go away.
As I closed my eyes, I felt more petals shower the sheets around me, before I closed my eyes for what I didn't know would be the last time.
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