Lacey is down my neck about the false waits we have been going on for the past two months.
“You.. need to make sure you're not going on false hopes because our new district manager-” she drags
Yap yap yap, I zone out, I can't stand the idea of doing what she wants when she's the server's manager and not mine, I heave before letting out my fake understanding. Lacey argues about how the new hosts are so incompatible with doing their minimum wage job. I am intrigued because I love drama, and I'm the one not being thrown under the bus. Grace has told me and Kevin before that the managers talk about all the hosts. The mangers are yet to talk about trya or me. But who knows what they say….
Lacey throws on a plastic smile, shaping her burgundy lipstick and curling her lips as she holds the iPad in her hands.
She curls her lips and licks them before lingering on “Make sure we don't run out of silverware. If we start seating people without it, I will be writing the entire host team up. There are three of you, no excuses.” She lets out a breath and sucks in her gut as she walks away
As I see her platinum blonde hair move, I nod in agreement. Lacey is the manager of a nightmare. Her strong scent can be smelled from three rooms away, A thick must of floral perfume, with an elegant scent that lingers behind it. She's 6’2 and most likely 230 pounds with huge breasts that almost look fake. I know their not because she has story times about God blessing her with them. Her aura resembles the grem reppare. Picking up all the ex employees in honor of her attitude. She's always using cute pet names to degrade someone, as you look into her drag queen resemblance, you can't help but feel a sense of shame. While we have three other managers, she is the one I dread seeing the most.
My heart tightens at the thought of three more hours until 11. Closing time. Every Friday I close, every weekend, every month. Kianna and Alexist are stressful co-hosts. Still, we've managed to get through a night. Our rush of hell hit at 6:00 pm, one hour after I came in. Kiana's burgundy hair sways as she does her side work. She unwraps the coaster packet carefully, placing each on a different side station for the servers to use later. That way, the guest's drink doesn't splash all over the table, also avoiding rings of water from how humidity it is in the restaurant. I'm pouting as I go and move my hand around the corner of a counter, waiting for Grace's attention. She applies a thick layer of glitter lip gloss before speaking. She buzzes, “What?”
“Uh, nothing, can I not look at you?” I jokingly snap
“Nah, you looking like we got a problem?”
“I'm just so tired and I'm hungry and I wanna go to bed, I had a bad day at school.”
“Awwwweee, You're tired from barely working. You ain't even in back of the house, Ion know what you're tired of”
My feelings are slightly hurt, and I'm a little annoyed at the fact that she thinks I do nothing.
10:13 Friday night
Kianna is gone, and Alexist is on her way out. Kianna did an okay job with her side work. Good enough for us to get past Lacey before she does her inspections. I asked Alexist to sweep and clean the restroom, but she protested to sweep because the lobby doesn't look too messy. Once again, im annoyed over the thought of having to do it on the way out. She rolls her kids' silverware, which is mandatory.
10:23
“Alright, Goodnight .. finally,” She drags as she leaves the restaurant.
Finally, I'm alone. I start gathering the table zisok batteries so I can charge them all for the next morning. Freshly wiping them before I plop them down on the table. I drag as I pick up the way too heavy basket full of batteries that each is one pound. Im commanded to the front by Dyisha and Grace as I greet a guest. It's 10:45 as they walk in. The kitchen is now at closing point.
“Hello, how many for ya?” I cheer, trying to act happy with a slight attitude. “It's gonna be three of us.”
I take them back, understanding Emily's exhausted face as I seat her at her last table of the night. There are three servers left, and two are on the way out. There's one manager and two line cooks. ToGo is preparing to leave.
I finish closing and get my cold food I ordered almost an hour ago. There are three parties of 4 at the door. I put my food back and attended to them. Lacey forgot to lock the doors once again. By protocol, I can't turn the guest around, and I must keep seating them while they are in the store. Strangely, im seeing more and more parties pop up as I come back from sitting.
It is now 10:53, and I am scrambling to seat people. I started by writing names down for the waitlist list but lost track, so im typing them in on the iPad now. Where is Lacey? I check my surroundings. All I can see is Emily spilling water and the bartender juggling plates as he tries to keep up with the guest requests. The guest seated themself at the closed bar because of the wait list. The wait time is about 45 minutes, and we close in a few minutes. I can't catch my breath as I think, I am never getting out of here. Out of breath, I tremble, “How many people for you? 4, okay, it's gonna be a 55-minute wait, is that okay with you?” I am utterly shocked when the parties say yes and proceed to stand in my way as they wait for their name to be called. Im in a fight mood as I shake from fear. There is no one around as I try to go to the bathroom. The lobby is full of tall statues of people who seem to feel like they will never move. Trembling from anxiety, I make my way to the bathroom. The false wait is off the charts, and I can't stop my pounding headache. Lacey is gonna be pissed. I figure if I stay inside long enough, everyone will go away.
12:00 am Saturday morning
The bathroom is officially empty, I step out with my nametag off. I look outside at the lobby and see no one there. Emily is gone, the bartender is gone, and everyone else is gone. I take a breath out. Finally, I can go home. I have a innsight moment when i remember, Oh shit how am i gonna get home. Uber? Do I really wanna get kidnapped from an Uber at midnight? I grab my bag my food, and go to the back of the store, which we refer to as Echo. In echo take a bite of my cold, soggy fried chicken and oily Alfredo sauce with soggy noodles. I take in my quiet time as I wait for the next morning. There's a sickening pit in my stomach knowing I can't leave until the opening managers open the doors. Not only am I stuck in here, but I have work the next morning, Im shaken up so bad I can't call my mom because she'll ask what happened. I dont want to quiet but i wanna get out this fucking resturant. I hear cars with loud tires scraping the ground as they pass by the restaurant, surrounded by places that close way too early, I freak out knowing im alone. My food is freezing and im scared. I know if someone happens to be outside the restaurant they could see my every move due to how many windows there are. I move into the four hundreds and sit up under a booth. I take out my dying phone that flashes 10 percent. I start typing..
Domonick:
You, can you pick me up, pls Domonick? im alone
Delivered
You- This is frl an emergency
Delivered
I close out me and Domonick's chat and move down the list of my friends with cars.
Charity? Haven't talked to her in days.
I hear a slight knock on the window above the booth im in. Don't move, I stop breathing in horror, they can hear me. My phone brightness is turned down 9 percent. Im so spooked, I have no idea what I should do now. My clothes are drenched with sweat, and there's a burning pit in my stomach. I wait a few minutes before I move. I count to 4 and run to the restroom, where there are no windows. I run past all the windows in the restaurant, and there I sit on the bathroom counter, finally feeling safe and charging my phone. There's a thick puddle of water that soaks into my linen pants as I sit there waiting for a response. All out of ideas, I finally texted my mom. I call her
“Shana?”
“Will you come pick me up?”
“ Oh, you're ready now? Okay, im on my way.”
I can hear the tiredness in her voice as she puts on her skinny jeans and wakes up my sister to come get me. Im relieved that she doesn't realize its almost3:00 amm. Thank God, I can leave soon, 15 minutes I think. And this dramatic day is done.
I check my sister's location as the car moves closer and closer. When it's close enough, I make my way outside. There I sit on the edge of the sidewalk leading into the restaurant. The cinematic music from the restaurant has been playing all night and sounds even scarier when im outside in the dark. The music never cuts off, nor do the lights.
A small rusted blue handbag pulls up as I wait. I clinch my bag in panic. An old pasty man with dried salmon lips looks at me as im sitting. His hazel eyes stare into my soul before unlocking his doors and almost getting out. He opens his doors, and I stand up knowing it would be harder to carry me when im standing. He moves closer, Where the fuck is my mom. I think as I find myself getting annoyed, A bmw pulls up, stopping, and I jump in. Im comforted by the smell of cigarettes and my sister's Cool Ranch Doritos for the first time. I look back on the restaurant as im leaving.
9:30 am Saturday
I wake up with my braids down my back on the floor of the echo. Im drenched in sweat. I hear the music cut back on playing a slow ittlan song.