So, here she was, running back and forth between tables and the kitchen wearing an apron, hairnet, and rubber gloves. The place was busy as usual, mostly filled with teenagers. They stared at the new woman curiously, wondering what advice she would have in store for them.
Ashley recalled a remark she'd once overheard Beverly make. "I feel like I've raised half the kids in Tulsa, the way I hand out advice and sympathy over their breakups and fallen-outs." Now, Ashley was beginning to understand what she meant.
The kids here were curious to know about her, and asked her questions like, "Where are you from?" and "Have you ever been married?". Some of the questions were personal, but Ashley really didn't mind answering them. They were all eager to supply information about themselves as well. Ashley wondered if she'd ever been like that, but knew without a doubt that she had.
True to the case worker's word, the work was hard. Ashley hadn't taken a single break since 10 o'clock that morning, and it was only her first day. Without having to learn how to operate any computer systems (because everything here was kept up with on old-fashioned adding machines), the only training Ashley had to have was how to place an order. She quickly picked up the trick of it. All she had to do was remember how Beverly had done it for so many years. The kids were quick to help out if she got confused, too.
"Ashley!" the boss called to her at around 5 o'clock. She stopped in the kitchen where he was to see what he wanted. He smiled and told her, "You should take a quick break. The supper crowd is about to come in, and it'll be really busy then."
Ashley couldn't imagine it being any busier, so she took a seat at a stool behind the register for a while and let the other waitresses take orders for a while. At 5:30, though, more people began to pour in.
Ashley got back on her feet and started taking orders again. Soon, she was so wrapped up in her work, she no longer had time to stop and chat. She was on her way back to the kitchen to place more orders when somebody grabbed her skirt. "MISS!" they called. Ashley stopped and whirled to see who it was. The blond woman sitting at the table blushed a bit, and smiled.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "But, you see, we've been sitting here for 30 minutes. We've tried to get others to stop, but they all said you would get it in a minute. Could you please take our order? We know what we want."
Ashley didn't even look to see who the others at the table were. She whipped out her notepad and pen, and said, "Sure. Shoot."
"I want 2 cheeseburgers, one plate of ribs, one kids' burger, two orders of fries, 2 Dr. Peppers, a Sprite, a tea, and...what do you want, babe?"
"Umm, I think I'll have a cheeseburger, fries, and a Pepsi," a familiar voice said. Ashley ignored the familiarity. She reminded herself that once upon a time she knew everyone in this area of Tulsa, and that the man's voice was probably that of someone she had known a long time ago.
"Kay," she said. "I'll be right-"
"Ashley?"
Out of habit, she replied, "Hold on a sec, Tay. Can't you see I'm..." She suddenly stopped, and looked up. Her breath got caught in her throat and her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. There sat Taylor Hanson, looking like he couldn't decide whether he was happy or dumbfounded.
