SNOW GLOBE

by Jeanne Skartsiaris

  “Coming,” Aja said, hastily filling water glasses. She got to Mrs. Poston’s table and filled her glass. A few drops splattered on the tablecloth. “Sorry,” Aja said.

  “I want apple juice and decaf coffee,” Mrs. Poston demanded, blotting the water with her napkin. “And bring me a fresh napkin.”

  Aja set one of the pitchers on the table to write the order. Mrs. Poston gasped so loud Aja thought the woman had breathed her last breath. “Are you okay?”

  Mrs. Poston pointed to the sweaty pitcher. “Get that off my table. Where did you learn your manners? Bad manners, I might add.” The two women sitting with her squirmed in their seats. “Where’s Janie?”

  “She’ll be right back.” Aja grabbed the pitcher. “I’ll get your drinks in a sec.” She ran to fill up the rest of the diners’ glasses.

  “No, not in a ‘sec.’ Now.” Mrs. Poston glared at Aja.

  “Here, let me help.” Aja felt someone take the water from her hand.

  “Walker, this is not your job,” Mrs. Poston said.

  “But it would be my pleasure to serve such a beautiful group of women.” Walker bowed. The two women giggled while Mrs. Poston continued to glare at Aja.

  “Walker, don’t be gross.” Kendall came up behind him. “Don’t bring yourself down to this level. You’re not a server.”

  The way she said ‘server’ made Aja’s skin crawl.

  “I think I can handle pouring a few glasses of water.” Walker stepped away from Kendall and nodded at Aja.

  “Thank you,” Aja whispered.

  Walker winked at her and poured out water and charm at each table.

  Aja got the rest of the drinks and began with the food orders. She stopped short when she noticed Freddy Kruger, in full uniform, his big gun holstered at his hip, take a seat with one of the residents. He smiled, an eerily sinister smile at Aja, and waved her over.

  “Aja Harmon, right?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” She felt defensive and scared at the same time. “Are you eating here tonight?”

  “Yes, with my favorite uncle.” He waved toward an elderly man sitting next to him who didn’t respond much except to nod. The poor guy’s wrinkled, grimy button-down made Aja’s shirt look sparkly clean.

  “What can I get you to drink?” Aja asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

  “There’s not much here that I’d want.” Freddy Kruger sneered. “How about you and me go get something later?”

  Desperately wishing she’d been serving steaming hot coffee so she could pour it on his lap, Aja ignored his remark. “How about you, sir?” she asked his uncle.

  “What?” he yelled, cupping his ear.

  Aja heard a high-pitched whistle coming from his ear and noticed a hearing aid. “What do you want to drink?” she asked loudly.

  “Milk,” he wheezed. “Helps my peptic ulcer.” He patted his belly.

  Aja took their food order and went to get the rest of the drinks. She’d have to hustle to get the salads and soup out. Where was Janie?

  Walker stepped in beside her. “What else can I help with?”

  “Really?” Aja turned. “Janie should’ve have been back by now. Can you help serve the salads?”

  “Sure, show me what to do.”

  Kendall appeared in the kitchen and grabbed Walker’s arm. “This is not funny. Don’t you think you should eat with your family?” She looked with disdain at Aja. “I mean, it’s not like you need to train for future life skills here. There’s no waiting tables in law school.” She flipped her silky, shiny hair as if to make a point. Aja got a glimpse of her psychic aura as a colorless blob.

  Aja could practically feel the grease congeal in her own hair and noticed Kendall had on one of the new spring skirts from Abercrombie.

  “China girl, pack my dinner to go. I don’t have time to sit here all night,” Mrs. Poston shouted. “I don’t pay for my meals to be self-serve. Hurry!”

  Aja ran to the kitchen, where the cook had started serving the plates of food by looking at her order slips. “Thanks, Gabe. Janie’s still not back, and Mrs. Poston wants her food to go.”

  He gruffly waved her off. “I’ll take care of her. Get these orders out.”

  Aja grabbed a tray of food and ran out the door, crashing into Walker as he was coming into the kitchen. Food went everywhere, plates shattered to the floor.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Aja cried, grabbed a napkin and wiped blended roast beef off Walker’s shirt.

  Gabe took a broom and swept the mess into one big pile. “Go get the next tray and serve. We’ll finish cleaning up later.” He set the broom to the side and took another stack of plates, dealing them on a tray like a deck of cards. “I’ll re-do this order. Go on.”

  Aja didn’t have time to check on Walker as she took the food tray and began serving. After the third tray, she saw Gabe walk a box of food to Mrs. Poston.

  “This is unconscionable. I pay too much money to live here to be treated like trailer trash,” Mrs. Poston said. “You can be sure I will file a complaint.”

  “Sorry for your troubles,” Gabe said, as he placed the box on the table in front of Mrs. Poston.

  Aja served the two women who were sitting with Mrs. Poston. “I’m sorry for the delay.”

  “That’s fine, honey. They need to hire a few more girls, though,” one of the women said.

  Aja smiled at her gratefully, then ran to serve Walker’s table. Walker was in good humor with a bib tucked into his stained shirt. Kendall, fuming, glared at Aja.

  “Miss Stafford.” Mrs. Poston was suddenly next to Walker’s table, addressing Kendall. “Do you mind helping me carry my food and drink to my apartment? I need someone who can show some responsibility to help me.” Her eyes bore into Aja.

  Kendall grimaced, obviously not willing to help.

  “I’ll help you.” Walker stood.

  “No, I’ll do it,” Kendall huffed, and threw her napkin on the table. “You’ve done more than enough for this place,” she hissed, angrily scooting her chair away from the table.

  “Thank you, dear.” Mrs. Poston handed the box to Kendall. “You know, you remind me of myself when I was your age.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself,” Kendall whispered to herself, but Aja heard. She wasn’t sure that Walker heard and was certain that the elders didn’t because no one reacted.

  What an awful person, Aja thought as she left them and headed toward the kitchen. She felt a hand on her arm and turned smiling, expecting to see Walker. It was Freddy Kruger.

  “My uncle wants more milk and his dinner.”

  “Sure, let me get it.” Aja tried to wiggle from his grip, but he only held her tighter. “Let me go, so I can get your food.”

  He took her by both arms and faced her and pressed his body into her. “You look like you need some help.”

  “I can’t do anything if you don’t let go.” Aja did not want another scene, so she didn’t kick him in the balls like she wanted to.

  “Do you do any nude modeling?” he said contemptuously. “I want to take pictures of you.”

  “Well, look at that,” Aja heard Mrs. Poston say. “China girl, I don’t think you should be flirting with the guests, especially considering the disaster you served tonight.”

  “I’m not.” She wrestled from Kruger’s grip, darted to the kitchen and tried not to cry.

  An hour later, everyone had been served, and Aja was so exhausted and sore she could barely move. The kitchen still needed to be cleaned, and she felt obligated to help Gabe since he’d been so good to her during dinner. She still had hours of homework to do and would be up till 2:00 a.m. doing that and laundry.

  Janie walked into the kitchen and took in the mess. “What happened?”

  “Don’t ask. Where were you?” Aja asked, angrily rubbing her blistered feet.

  Janie shook her head. “We had to call an ambulance to take Mrs. Jensen to the hospital. She didn’t look like she’d make it through the night. Mr. Jensen is beside hims
elf, cried like a baby when they took her. I had to drive him to the hospital.” She grabbed a broom and began sweeping. “I’m sorry. I should’ve come by here first.”

  “That’s okay.” Aja sighed. “You did the right thing.” She wearily leaned against a counter. “But I’m probably going to be fired after this.”

  “Let me talk to them. It’s my fault.”

  “Well, don’t get yourself fired. This place would fall apart without you.”

  “I’ve worked here so long.” Janie shook her head. “I can’t help but get attached to the residents. It never gets easy when we lose somebody.” She swept the pile of broken plates and food together.

  “How is Mrs. Jensen?” Aja asked.

  “Not good. I hope she rallies, but I could see that her pee bag was empty. I’m sure her kidneys are shutting down. And then her breathing was ragged.” She bent and scooped the mess onto a duster. “The Jensens are people you want to see go together. He’ll be lost without her.”

  Then Aja felt it. Sorrow. Deep endless pain. “She’s not going to make it,” Aja whispered.

  “Don’t be so negative.” Janie looked at her strangely.

  “I…when I saw her the other night, she looked so sick.” Aja grabbed a mop and began cleaning the food spills. She’d always kept her mouth shut about her psychic abilities, hating to be thought of as a freak. The feelings she got didn’t happen all the time and they didn’t always come true. But sometimes she just knew things were going to happen before they did or she could envision scenes from a person’s past. Like a puzzle, but she never knew how to put it together.

  Aja heard voices in the dining room.

  “Don’t go in there. Are you training to be a bus boy?”

  “Kendall, stop. It wouldn’t kill you to help out a little.”

  “Eww, like I’d actually work in a kitchen?”

  The door opened and Walker came in, Kendall trailing him. He’d changed into a fresh shirt. “I thought you could use a hand here.”

  Janie, carrying a stack of dirty plates, laughed. “Walker, I wish everybody in the world was like you. But we’re good. Thanks, anyway.” She turned her smile to Aja. “Since you busted your butt tonight, why don’t you take off. I can get this place cleaned up in no time.”

  Gabe, standing by the sink, wiped his hands on his stained apron. “So I can leave too?”

  Janie’s smile faded. “Well…”

  Gabe waved his hand at Janie and kept rinsing the dishes.

  “Good.” Kendall pulled Walker’s arm. “Let’s get out of here. Now.” She looked with contempt at Aja, scrutinizing every stain and glob of food stuck to her. “How can you stand yourself?”

  “Kendall!” Walker said. “That was rude.”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” Aja said lightly, while seething inside. “Here, give me a big hug; we should all learn to get along.” Sarcasm laced her voice. She walked toward Kendall, arms outstretched.

  “Gross,” Kendall shrieked, and backed away out of the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry,” Walker said. “Now you know the reason I left Chicago.”

  Aja looked at Walker, all polished and handsome. She’d never felt so dirty or grimy in her life, especially with the stain of Freddy Kruger’s touch on her.

  In the parking lot, Aja saw Freddy’s car. Should she just confront the jerk? No, he’s a police officer. It’d be her word against his, plus he had a gun. The chill she felt when she looked at his silhouette in the car was profound. He was not one to mess with.

  It took a few tries, but her car finally started. As she pulled out, she noticed Freddy Kruger’s headlights come on and he followed behind her. She fought down nausea and a deep paralyzing fear. What if her car broke down? She chugged out of the lot and onto the main road, watching him in her rearview mirror. She nervously felt for the guardian angel coin in her pocket. Silly, she knew, but sometimes rubbing the etching gave her a minute to think.

  On impulse, as she drove by the hospital, she turned in quickly. Too quick for him to follow. She drove to the emergency entrance and parked. Aja saw him turn around and drive into the lot. Maybe she should sic her mother on him. He wouldn’t know how to handle her and her sit-in protests.

  Unless he retaliated.

  That sent another wave of fear over her, and she jumped out of her car and ran inside.

  “Can I help you?” an attendant sitting at a desk asked.

  Aja looked back at the parking lot and noticed Freddy parking near her car. “Umm, yes. I was checking on Mrs. Jensen.” Aja realized she didn’t know the woman’s first name.

  “Are you family?”

  “No, a friend.”

  “Visiting hours are over.” The attendant looked at a clock on the wall. It was after ten o’clock.

  “I know. I work at the assisted living home were she lives, and I just wanted to check on her.”

  The attendant took in Aja’s stained clothes and greasy hair, then typed into a computer. “She’s on the third floor, but they may chase you out of there.”

  “Thanks.” Aja ran to the elevators.

  The third floor was quiet. It smelled of stale mold, disinfectant, and urine. She didn’t want to ask a nurse which room and risk getting shooed out, so she walked the hall looking at the names posted on the doors. She should have brought some food or something but she hadn’t planned on coming here.

  Outside one of the rooms, she saw Mr. Jensen arguing with a doctor. “No, you need to make her better,” she heard him cry.

  “I’m sorry, sir. We can send her home with hospice care.”

  Mr. Jensen looked up and saw Aja. “Princess Bride,” he addressed Aja. “My Buttercup needs to get better. She’s real sick.” His eyes begged Aja for help.

  Aja sensed the loss again. Mrs. Jensen would not survive.

  “Spend some time with her,” the doctor said to Mr. Jensen.

  “Give her another IV,” Mr. Jensen pleaded as he turned back to the doctor. “She just needs to get healthy.”

  “Her kidneys can’t take any fluid, sir. We’ve done all we can.”

  Aja felt Mr. Jensen’s sadness. He looked so frail and small and completely helpless. “Come on, Mr. Jensen, let’s go and talk to your wife, your Buttercup.” Aja took the man’s withered hand and led him into the room. “Can I call your daughters?”

  He seemed shell-shocked but let Aja take him into the hospital room. Aja almost recoiled at the sight of Mrs. Jensen. The poor woman was even thinner than the other night, but her abdomen was bloated like a beach ball. Her eyes sunk into the sockets of her skull, and her cheekbones protruded like a Halloween skeleton. Aja didn’t want to look but couldn’t take her eyes off of her. Like when people hang around gawking at a car accident.

  “Isn’t she beautiful?” Mr. Jensen asked, as he took his trembling hand to try and move some disheveled hair from her face. Aja noticed a night kit with a brush in it on the bedside table. She took it and began gently brushing Mrs. Jensen’s hair.

  Chapter 11

  A loud pop started Aja out of a dream.

  Mrs. Dempsey stood over her, a book in her hand. She must have slammed the book closed, waking Aja up.

  “I’m sorry to have disturbed your sleep,” Mrs. Dempsey snapped.

  Aja swiped at a thin line of drool that ran from her mouth to her desk like a spider web. She sat for a second trying to regain composure.

  “I guess you partied too much last night?” Mrs. Dempsey scoffed.

  “Yeah, that’s it.” Aja glared at her fat English teacher. Aja had only slept two hours. She’d stayed at the hospital until 1:00 a.m., consoling Mr. Jensen while she used his old duct-taped cell phone to call his daughters. She waited until one of them arrived before she left.

  Aja asked for a security escort to her car and was relieved to see Freddy Kruger was no longer waiting for her. At home, she had to wait for the laundry cycle to run so she could get her clothes in the dryer. They were still damp and drying in the back of her car for her shift t
onight.

  “So, what was the answer to my question, Sleeping Beauty?” Mrs. Dempsey sneered.

  “I’m sorry, could you repeat the question?” Aja asked, still shaking sleep off.

  “No, I will not. If you can’t stay awake for my class, then maybe you should spend some time in the principal’s office.”

  “Maybe if your class was interesting I’d be wide-eyed and bushy tailed.” Aja crossed her arms defiantly and stared at the teacher.

  The other kids snickered and whispered.

  “I’ll let Mr. Carlisle know you’re coming.” Mrs. Dempsey snapped her fingers and pointed to the door. “Go on.” She clucked and shook her head. “Such a waste of a life. You only have yourself to blame for your troubles.”

  Aja wasn’t going to beg for mercy. She stood up, grabbed her books and bag and stormed out of the classroom.

  Aja flopped into a chair outside the principal’s office. The same chair she’d been in when she’d overheard them talking about her. The door opened and Principal Carlisle walked out with another student. Aja recognized him as the quarterback of the football team.

  “Get your grades up, son.” Principal Carlisle patted the boy on his back. “We need you on the team. You might have to miss a few of the pre-season games next fall because of the DUI, but we’ll help get you back on track.”

  “Yes, sir,” the kid said as he left.

  Aja shook her head. This kid had been caught drinking during the season. Now the principal was going to help him so he could continue to play football? What a whiff.

  “You again? You want an indefinite suspension? It’d sure be easier on all of us.”

  “Would I get my high school diploma with it?” Aja shot back.

  “No, of course not. But if you’re as smart as Mrs. Burnett says, then maybe you’ll ace your GED.”

  “Too bad I don’t play football. Sounds like I’d get some extra help if I did.”

  “Don’t smart talk me, young lady. “

  “Aja, how about we take a few minutes to talk.” Mrs. Burnett appeared from her office. “Mr. Carlisle, I need to meet with Aja anyway. Let me visit with her.”

  “Send her back to me when you’re done.” Principal Carlisle waved her on. “Did you pay the stolen money back yet?”