Her Feet Hurt

Her feet already hurt. She was not sure how many more of these days she could endure. However, since the rent was due in two days, the obvious answer was at least two more. A small run of bad luck had left her without a car, a shattered cell phone and very few resources. If she could just get through the rest of month, it was bound to get better. It HAD to get better.

The brakes of the bus screeched as it pulled up to her stop, she got off and walked the rest of the way to the bistro. Only a 6 hour shift tonight, but it was Saturday. Generally, that was “date night” for the masses, so tips would be good. No man wanted to look like a cheapskate in from of a date.

She went to the employee lounge which was really just a closet. It smelled bad, like feet, sweat and grease. Ugh. She put her bag and coat away, then a quick check of herself in the cracked mirror on the wall. As she gazed at her reflection, fractured by the crack, she thought to herself that is exactly how I feel, broken.

Walking out to the front of house she could see it was shaping up to be a good night. Couples settling in, light jazz playing at just the right level, lighting dimmed to create a warm atmosphere and compliment the look of the food and faces for those all-important selfies and social media posts. Maybe there was a little hope to be found.

A few hours into the night she was feeling a bit better. Able to ignore the discomfort of her feet because her tables this evening had been full of happy people who were generous tippers. She had still not quite enough to make the rent but she was getting closer. A feeling of encouragement that she would get through it swept over her. She remembered what her dad had always said, “If money can fix it, it’s really not a problem”.

It was fifteen minutes to closing when a man walked in to be seated. Why do people do that? So rude! Anyone who has ever worked in the food and beverage industry would not do that.

She walked over his table, set a glass of water down and in a monotone said, “Do you want to order a drink or are you ready to order food?” Without looking up, he said with irritation “I just sat down, I haven’t even had time to look at the menu.” She audibly sighed and responded with “Ok, I’ll be back in couple of minutes.” Before she could turn to leave, he said, “Cheeseburger, garlic fries and a glass of your house red. If it’s good; is the house red good?”

“Yeah, it’s great.” She quipped with an ever so slightly detectable sarcasm her voice. She quickly went to the bar got the wine and dropped off at his table. As she walked away, she heard him say “It’s good”. Turning back to face him she said “I’m glad you like it.”

Minutes later the food was ready and she dropped it off with a smile. Then went about the business of the nightly closing ritual. Another minute and she made the check back, “Is everything to your liking? Do you need anything else?” With a mouth full of food, he just shook his head no.

He finished his meal rather quickly, seeming to notice that he was holding them up. He paid the bill, left a very generous tip and walked out the door.

The night was finally over.

The next day was just like every other. Get up, get ready for work, get on the bus. It felt like the movie Groundhogs Day. Nothing ever changed. Oh, the faces of the customers were different, the specials were different, but none of if significant enough to make it feel any different. The same man as the night before once again showed at fifteen minutes to closing. Seriously?!

She walked over to him, set a menu on the table and said “Glass of the house red?” He looked up, smiled and said yes. She went to fetch the wine. When she returned with the wine, he had an envelope in his extended hand. He said, “This is for you.” She looked him square in the eyes, a quizzical look on her face. “What is this?”

“Open it.”

She opened the unsealed envelope to find a check, made out to her, in the amount of $20,000.00.

“I don’t understand.” She stammered.

He picked up the glass of wine and chugged it, then threw down a twenty-dollar bill, “Keep the change.” he said with a smirk, “You’re gonna need it.” And with that he left the building.

She was perplexed and thought to herself, “Why do I feel like one of my problems is solved, but many more are about to begin?” She felt strangely confident as she strode over to manager on shift, handed him her apron and said, “I quit”

Walked to the bus stop. Her feet still hurt.