Strangely Normal

by Oliver, Tess

  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.

  Chapter 24

  After three days on the job, like any new animal in the herd, I’d set the tone between Megan and me. She’d made several attempts at trying to prove that she was in charge, but like with the tip ordeal, none of it worked. So she settled on just ignoring me, with only the occasional sneer and grunt of disapproval to connect us. Charlie and I, on the other hand, got along really well, even if she tended to be a bit silly at times.

  Charlie and I were moving mindlessly through our morning routine, talking and laughing and taking advantage of the hour before Megan’s arrival.

  “You know, Cody and I are going to this club tonight, and there’s this friend he’s been dying to match you up with,” Charlie said as she wiped off the napkin holders. “Trey is a total hottie, and I just know you’d love him. You two would be perfect for each other.”

  I finished stacking menus and plopped them into the basket near the register. “That is really cool of you to think of me, Charlie, but I’m sort of just getting over something.”

  “Oh, Sweetie, I had no idea. Was it a bad break up?”

  I had to think about the question. It was hard to define something as a break up when there hadn’t truly been a relationship, but my heart had sure suffered the pain of a bad one. “Let’s just say it was complicated and definitely not something I ever want to relive.”

  The door flew open and Megan came scurrying in looking as if a demon was chasing her. “Shit, why’d he have to be there today when my hair looks like crap?” She ran past us to the bathroom in the back.

  Charlie glanced toward the window. “Her dream guy must have shown up to work. There’ll be no living with her today.”

  The morning crowd was light which was good because Megan was too preoccupied with her hair and make-up to pay much mind to the few customers she had. This time I honestly could have been owed half her tips. Of course, I was fairly certain it would be minimal. Her customers had waited a ridiculous amount of time for their food, and she’d disappeared immediately after nearly throwing down the breakfast specials in front of two men. By the time she’d delivered it, the food was cold, and I’d had to deal with the complaint.

  Megan popped out of the back without her apron and a shiny new layer of lipstick. “Cover my tables a second,” she called, “I’m going to the end of the block to get a paper.” She flew out of the diner as quickly as she’d entered.

  “A second? I’ve been watching her tables all morning,” I said.

  Charlie shook her head. “That girl has never read a paper in her life. She just wants to sashay past the construction site to catch his attention. Sort of like a peacock in heat.”

  I laughed. “Well, for both our sakes, let’s hope he asks her out soon. Something tells me she’s the type of girl who can obsess about a guy.” I grabbed the coffee pot to refill the cups at Megan’s tables.

  “You think? Gee, what gave it away?”

  A few moments later, Megan came strolling back inside, humming to herself as she tied back on her apron.

  “That’s a mighty small newspaper you picked up,” Charlie quipped. “Can’t even see it.”

  Megan waved off the comment. “They were out of papers.”

  Readying the diner for the lunch crowd was more of the same. Megan kept flitting over to the window to peer outside while Charlie and I picked up the slack. One day of this was amusing, but if this guy decided to keep showing up at the site, this whole thing could get old fast. Megan was obviously the type of person who took advantage of the fact that the owner rarely came in to check on things. And she had no qualms about letting Charlie and I do her share of the work. But I wasn’t going to put up with it for long.

  The cook, Garth, rarely asked for help, but I’d volunteered to help cut tomatoes and wash lettuce before the lunch crowd. I’d just finished with the last head of lettuce as the first of the lunch wave started streaming in. The energy and tension surrounding Megan was palpable and it seemed this would be a rather entertaining shift.

  “He’s coming,” she squealed to Charlie and then she raced back to the bathroom to check her hair and make-up. Seconds later, she emerged finely tuned and ready to attack. She tied on her apron, took a deep breath, and walked out of the kitchen area.

  I piled the lettuce in the colander. “Well, Garth, I need to get out front.”

  “Thanks for your help, Eden.”

  I tied on my apron, plucked some menus from the basket, and showed a handful of customers to a table. “I’ll be right back with some water.” I walked behind the counter and leaned down to grab out some glasses. As I straightened, two of the glasses slipped from my hand and bounced off the rubber work mat. Jude looked as shocked as I felt. We stared at each other for a moment, and Megan caught the intense but silent exchange. She slid past me and whispered into my ear. “Hands off, Bitch.”

  I ignored her warning and walked over to Jude. “How is she?” I asked.

  His gaze drifted over my face as if he was painting a picture in his mind. “She’s doing better. She’s on some medication, but it’s too early to tell how well it’s working. She misses you.” His long lashes dropped down, and he looked at his plate a moment before looking back up at me. “I miss you.”

  Megan came up behind me. “Uh, table three is waiting for their order,” she said sharply.

  I turned away and tried to get back to work but it was a struggle. My hands were shaking from the brief encounter and just seeing him again had sent my adrenaline into overdrive. I snuck around the corner to the kitchen to gather my composure before attempting to carry hot plates of food. I braced my hands on the work counter, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths to calm myself, but Megan came back to find me, obliterating my attempt.

  “I knew you were a snake the second I saw you,” Megan sneered. Her ridiculous drama was the last thing I needed.

  “Not now, Megan.” I took one last steadying breath and steeled myself against the fact that Jude was sitting at the counter just a few feet away from the food window. Without glancing his way, I scooted to the window and grabbed the three plates, hoping they were the meals my customers had ordered.

  My mind was in a flurry of emotion. Miraculously, I delivered the plates to the table without dropping them. Megan was leaning over the counter pouring Jude another cola. She had a smile plastered across her face as she talked to him. I was actually grateful that she was keeping him occupied.

  The remainder of the lunch hour was a blur. Somehow I’d managed to serve my tables with only one or two casualties, including a plate of wheat toast and a jar of strawberry jam. Jude sat at the counter for an hour, and I could feel his gaze on me every time I returned to the food window. But I didn’t look at him. Looking at him meant breaking down my
resistance. Of course, ignoring his presence was a bit like ignoring a giant, glowing meteor sitting in the center of the room.

  Megan watched me with a hawkish stare, and I wondered how she’d managed to get any other customers served with the amount of attention she was paying to the one at the counter. From the corner of my eye, as I reset a table with utensils, I saw Jude pay at the register. Megan laughed wildly about something he said. He was leaving and I had no idea if I’d see him again. My willpower failed and I looked his way. He headed to the door but stopped and looked back at me long and hard before walking out. The breath I’d been holding flowed out of me. Megan had caught the exchange but this time looked more defeated than angry.

  I was relieved when the last of the lunch rush had dwindled. My heart had finally settled to a steady beat, and the absurd trembling in my hands had finally gone away. But I desperately needed a moment alone.

  “Charlie, I’m going to take a quick break,” I said and slid into the restroom. The cool water from the sink did nothing to stop the tears that burned my eyes. I sat there alone for a good ten minutes sorting out everything that was going on in my head.

  At one point, I convinced myself that I’d overreacted and that I shouldn’t have walked out on them. But then I would replay the horrible moments when Jude had blamed me for everything, and I went right back to feeling justified in having left.

  I stepped out of the bathroom still in a haze of mind debates when Charlie grabbed my arm and pushed me back inside. She shut the door behind her. “What on earth was that all about?” she asked.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Megan is so pissed, she’s ready to spit bullets.”

  “So what else is new? What has you in such a lather?” Charlie often didn’t make sense when she explained things, but this was silly even for her.

  “Well, he gave Megan a really big tip and everything, so he must like her. But the guy didn’t take his eyes off you the entire time.” She took advantage of our cozy meeting in the crummy little bathroom to check her hair in the mirror. “And, boy, did Megan notice. She was shooting death rays out of those blue eyes of hers all the way across the dining room.”