Lost ...

"Good morning. What can I get'cha?"

The same phrase she says, day in, day out. It gets a little old, but it's a job, she thinks. Ringing in each person's order, making sure it's correct to a tee. It's just part time work. Just enough to get me by, she thinks to herself.

Then, as she's turning to get the next customer's coffee, her manager is right behind her.

"Oh!" She says, a little startled. "Excuse me ..."

"I'm standing here for a reason, Chella." He says to her with a little attitude. She looks at him, a little surprised. And, she wonders what it is he could want. "What time did you finish your morning tasks?" He asks her, and the thoughts in her mind scatter, and she's having the hardest time pulling them back together. She shakes her head, her eyes are wide, but she tries her best to answer him.

"I, uh. Five-thirty ... is that not okay?" She asks.

"I don't know. Is it?" He snaps back. She thinks for a moment. What could have happened in the cafe to make him take it out on her? He just came in, and he's already on fire. What happend this morning? She thinks as fast as she can while her manager looms. My supervisor was scarcely around this morning, dealing with dead wifi, and a grinder that wouldn't grind, new registers that wouldn't ring anything in, again, she's rifling through her thoughts rapidly. That has to be it, she thinks.

"Yes, I think that is fine. I dealt with it all the best I could while watching the front and helping customers." She answers, confindently.

"Well, I need you to be faster. You've been working here for a year now. It's time for you to step up. I'm thinking of making you a supervisor, so shotty work won't cut it. Got it?" He walks away, leaving Chella hanging. Her mouth is literaly on the floor.

"He .. you. Hey wait!" She calls after him, but he doesn't hear her. He's already gone to the back office to do what he does. Who knows what that is.

She then tucks that situation away in her mind as best she can, and scans the line of customers. One more hour, thank goodness.

Chella begins to get through the line, and it surprisingly goes by fast. Her supervisor comes out to relieve her since her shift has ended. She logs out as cashier, then puts in her order to take home. Once she's done that, she turns to him.

"Thanks, Tad. It was a doozy of a day, don't you think?" She says, and laughs. She's feeling lighter now that her shift has ended.

"Oh, yes. A fricken doozy. Thanks for all your help. You on tomorrow?" He asks her.

"Yes. I open."

"So do I. I'll see ya then." He says, and Chella goes on to grab her order, then heads on home.

During her car ride, thoughts of what her manager said is looming in her mind, and peaking her interest. "Supervisor ... I don't think I'm cut out for that." She says to herself. Besides, I don't want to be a lifer with Brew & Co.! Thinking while giggling to herself. She knows this to be true since, a few months ago, she's watched all her new supervisors. Chella can see how each one works, and it's very different. She sees what they deal with on every shift, and she's thought many times that she wouldn't want to be in their position. No way.

She's absentmindedly nodding her head. I can't deal with that, she thinks. Gonna have to tell my manager ... tomorrow.

Once Chella arrives home, she is greeted by her kitten who softly rubs on her legs. She gives her a scratch under her chin to thank her for the welcome she's given. Chella then settles her things, and changes her clothes. She brings out her laptop, and sets it on the coffee table in front of the television. She brings her breakfast, and puts it beside her laptop. She gets comfortable on a floor pillow, then opens her laptop and turns on the television. Flipping to her favorite application for streaming tv shows, she picks one of her favorites, then starts in on her breakfast.

As she's watching her show and eating her breakfast, she's scanning a story that is coming together on her laptop. Once she finds a spot to work on, she wipes her hands and crumples her breakfast sandwhich package, then throws it in the trash. She sits up straight, then starts typing. Her hands move swiftly as the story comes pouring out of her head. Her eyes are widening since she can see what's happning in her mind. It's a love story that she's working on, and she can feel every bit of it. So much so, that she grasps her chest as if she were holding on to her heart. "Damn! I'm a good writer!" She says to herself, then laughs. "What I wouldn't give for this to happen to me." Chella says, then continues typing.

Chella spends most of her day like this, on the floor sitting indian style, typing her heart out. Her breaks consist of stretching, playing with her kitten, and snacking. By the evening, her brain is all tuckered out, and now she is ready for dinner. Making something simple and fast, she comes back to the television, and settles herself on the sofa. Her kitty snuggles up next to Chella, and all seems right at the moment. The only thing missing is ... a man.

... To be continued.