Creative Writing: Honest Day's Work
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 8, 2006 9:00 p.m.
Missy flinches as she receives the question. The customer, a man
wearing a suit with a red tie who looks like he went to college,
can’t see the cafe menu in huge letters right in front of
him. Every time we get this question, our answer is an answer
we’ve given before, like a child who doesn’t remember a
word you say the second after you say it. Trying not to look
annoyed, Missy points to the menu while the customer tilts his head
up and we get a good view of the insides of his nostrils.
“Oh, there it is.”
The man in the red tie contemplates the menu like he was a
contestant on that millionaire game show trying to give the right
final answer. It’s just a coffee shop for God’s sake,
order coffee already. The regulars behind him are tapping their
feet and glancing at their watches. While he takes his sweet time,
Missy whispers back to me, “It’s 7:36. What’s the
point of hiring new people if they never show up? God, she’s
probably hungover from partying all last night. No one can resist
that stupid laugh of hers. All she has to do is laugh that stupid
laugh and she doesn’t get fired. George doesn’t care.
He just thinks it’s cute. But I’m telling you,
it’ll get old. That cute act can’t last, and when
it’s over she’ll be outta here.”
Man in a red tie finally says something, and Missy snaps back
into employee mode. “I think I’ll come back
later,” he says and even though her back is turned to me, I
know what her face looks like. She adds the obligatory, “Have
a nice day,” and he says, “You do the same,” and
the bells jingle as he walks out the door. I wonder if any of us
have a nice day after hearing it every day. The only nice days I
have are when I don’t have to work.
Missy and me help more customers and finally the morning rush is
dying down. Forty-five minutes past opening and the new girl still
isn’t here. Now that there aren’t anymore customers to
help for the time being, I’m trying to wipe down the counter
the best I can, while Missy sees this as an opportunity to complain
again. For being so absent, the new girl sure isn’t really,
the way Missy goes on and on.
“And then that one day it was really busy here during
lunch hour, she decided to take her break just then while we were
busting our asses. For an hour and a half! She came back like she
did nothing wrong, with that innocent face. George didn’t
notice, of course. I do an honest day’s work. We all get paid
the same. It’s just not fair.”
“Uh-huh,” I say, and the bells jingle again. More
customers. Before they come up to the counter, Missy says quickly,
“Me and you. After our shift, when Kim gets here, we’ll
tell her everything. The new girl will definitely get fired if we
both complain.”
The customers are two more men in ties and they ask, “What
do you guys have here?”
Missy and I prepare ourselves for another long order when
finally, finally the new girl strolls in, wearing a denim miniskirt
and a pink polo with a jutting neckline. Definitely not protocol.
It’s fifty minutes past opening and Missy is fuming as she
watches the new girl saunter past the businessmen in ties, telling
them good morning. The business men watch her ass as she disappears
into the back room and I hear one of them comment and snicker,
“Screw the coffee man, I’m having some of
that.”
I roll my eyes and Missy whispers loudly to me, “She looks
so damn satisfied with herself. You know her nose isn’t even
real? She had her nose and her boobs done and her boyfriend paid
for everything. She cheats on him, too.”
Missy continues, watching the back-room door. She sighs loudly.
“It’s gonna be a long day. Don’t forget. Me and
you. After we clock out.”
After the businessmen decide they just want regular coffee, we
help more customers and Kim finally clocks in. Over the course of
our work day, the new girl collects many phone numbers. Missy
bitches some more. I wipe the counter down.
At the end of the day, it’s dark outside the coffee shop
and the smell still lingers as we put the coffeemakers away to
prepare for another day in paradise. Kim sends the new girl home
while she retreats into the office to count the money in the
register. But after we clock out, me and Missy, we do nothing.
Uykimpang is a third-year English student.
