Cornered at Work

I usually tried to pick up as many hours on the weekends as I could at the cafe down the street. They were usually pleased to have help on the weekends, and that gave me some type of income while keeping my weekdays free for school and tutoring jobs. After my shower I thought I was going to be tired, but I felt more rested than I had in a long time.

Walking to the cafe was tense. I kept trying to remind myself that the anxiety I was feeling was a perfectly normal response to being shoved in a van against my will, but knowing it intellectually did nothing to alleviate my symptoms.

The first half of my shift flew by, which was pretty common for a busy Saturday afternoon. When business died down, I was sent to the front counter to wipe down menus and greet customers. When I heard the door jingle open, I offered a friendly, “Hi, welcome in,” before looking up to see Kevin.

I blinked a few times, trying to convince my body not to respond. After all, I was at work, and he was a customer. He probably didn’t even remember my name.

“Is that you, Blabby?” he announces upon entering. “Wow, you look so different with your hair pulled back. You’ve still got a few extra pounds in those cheeks, but you could almost pass for pretty if you tried a little harder.”

I took a deep breath and set down the menu I was wiping. “So is that a table for one, then?” I did my best to maintain a friendly tone, but stared down at the pile of menus.

“Isn’t it customary to greet each customer with a smile? I would never be caught dead working in a place like this, so I’m no expert. But I’m pretty sure your boss would agree with me.” His tone was just as arrogant as ever. Grating and dripping with condescension. But he wasn’t entirely wrong. And I couldn’t afford to lose this job if I wanted to continue eating.

I slowly tilted my head up to lock eyes with him. I forced the corners of my mouth into a tiny upward curl. “Would you like a table for one?”

Kevin let out a loud chuckle. “See, Blabby, when you listen instead of speak you can learn so much.” He looked around the cafe. “But no, I’m not going to be eating here. I need to place an order for a ristretto doppio and a shrimp with avocado salad on endives, to go.”

I took a deep breath and started typing his order into the screen next to me. I welcomed any chance not to look at him. “Alright, so I have one shrimp with avocado salad on endives and a ristretto doppio to go.” Maintaining my tone became more difficult every second I could feel his eyes on my body.

“Very good. Wow, that party last night must have loosened you right up.” He produced a wallet from the back pocket of his khakis. “So how much do you want from me?”

I pointed down to the screen facing him that clearly displayed his total if he had bothered to look. I was worried that speaking would cost me my job. He opened his wallet and started thumbing through a ridiculous amount of bills. Who carried that much cash on them when they could just use their card?

He produced three twenty-dollar bills, well over double the price of his order, and extended them to me. “Here, put the change in your little tip jar. Maybe if you weren’t so broke you’d be more pleasant to be around.”

I took a deep breath and processed his payment. I spoke carefully and slowly, to try not to lose my temper. “Your order should be ready in about ten minutes. If you want to have a seat while you wait, I can bring it out to you once it’s ready.” I quickly started wiping down menus again, hoping that he would leave my area.

“Why would I do that? The lighting is much better up here by the windows. There aren’t any other customers waiting, so I think I’ll just hang out here with you.” He casually leaned his body over the counter that separated us, looking me over entirely. “If you play your cards right, I could show you a good time. Wasn’t that what you and Kyle’s girl were trying to arrange?”

His cocky grin made my blood boil. “I thought you said I wasn’t pleasant to be around,” I said through grinding teeth. I stared down at the menus, trying to focus on remaining calm.

He reached across the counter and placed his gruff index finger under my chin, tilting it up to force me to look at him. "Prove me wrong," he challenged.

Startled at the bold move, I darted backwards and stumbled into the wall behind me. "I'm going to go check on your order." With that, I moved quickly to the kitchen.

Luckily his order was ready, and I could get him out of here. I didn't want to ask one of the servers to bring it to him, that would only make him tease me more. I walked with as much confidence as I could muster toward the front counter.

"Here's your order, Kevin," I said as I approached to hand him his bag and drink. He took the bag easily enough, but when I extended the drink he wrapped his meaty hand around mine, gripping it loosely over the hot to go cup.

"Thanks, Blabby. The drink is for you. You look tired. No one wants to see you with bags under your eyes." He smacks his dry, thin lips in a gross kissing motion before letting go of my hand containing the ristretto.

I held the cup and watched him leave, confident in his stride. As he rounded the corner, I caught a glimpse of Sebastian leaning against a building across the street.

I shouldn't have been surprised. He said that he would be keeping a close eye on me. Joke was on him though, my job was pretty boring.

I arranged myself back behind the front desk to prepare for the next customer. I took a long sip of the ristretto and exhaled slowly. "Damn it," I muttered to myself. "It's delicious."