Chapter 4
Bells jingled, sounding her arrival into the cafe. “Mindy! You’re here early,” Three Cheese greeted. He had been wiping off the counter, but looked up to wave when she entered.
“I thought I was late,” Mindy panted, glancing at the wall clock opposite the counter.
“Still got ten minutes, my friend,” he winked with a grin.
“In that case, would it be possible for me to get some breakfast, first?”
“Sure, but you know we don’t really serve breakfast foods,” Three Cheese shrugged.
“Any kind of food would work about now,” she sighed.
“Wake up late?” Cheese guessed.
“No, I’ve just had a busy morning.” After waking up alive, Mindy decided that Alley could stay after all. Feeding him on top of getting ready meant she didn’t have time to get any food herself. He’d kicked up a bit of a fuss when Mindy left, so she prayed that he would behave until she could get away to check on him. “The churros smell good,” she finally decided. Cheese nodded.
“One order of churros, coming right up.”
“Hey, sweetie.” Though the bells only rang once, two ponies entered the shop. One was Paw Print, and the other was a mare Mindy did not recognize. She had a rich violet coat and a black and purple mane, cut short with bangs brushed to one side of her horn and sweeping into one eye. She wore black lipstick, heavy eyeliner and eye shadow, two stud earrings in one ear, and a spiked dog collar that matched her cutie mark.
“Honey,” Cheese hesitantly greeted. “Who’s this?”
“Three Cheese, this is Black Lace. She was interested in the job opening,” Paw explained.
“Oh?”
“Here’s my resume,” the unicorn levitated a neatly typed paper over, and Three Cheese glanced at it.
“Fresh out of school, huh?” he said after a moment.
“Yeah,” was all he got out of her.
“Have you waited tables before?”
“No.”
“I see.” An awkward silence fell over them as he pretended to further scrutinize the paper. “You don’t seem to have listed any previous work experience...”
“I’ve never had a job before. Fresh out of school, remember?”
“Right. Of course.”
“But I volunteer at the pet shelter every weekend.”
“Her mother is one of my classmates,” Paw further explained with a smile. “Sorry, I probably should have said something before.”
“Oh! Well, I don’t see any problems,” Three Cheese slid the paper in a drawer for safekeeping. “Though... we do have a dress code here...”
“I figured.” Without flinching, Black Lace dampened a napkin and wiped off her makeup, then removed her jewelry and neatly tucked them in her saddlebags. Under all the heavy accessories, Mindy discovered that she was actually a very attractive young mare.
“Okay, then.” Three Cheese nodded. “You can just go get an apron from the back closet, and we’ll get you started.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now that you’re here, Paw, could you-”
“I’m sorry, honey. I can’t stay. My professors have been hounding me to get back to class, and I thought now that you had another set of hooves...” his wife trailed off. “Will you manage without me?”
“I suppose...”
“I’ll drop by at lunch and do what I can,” she kissed him farewell. She started heading out the door, and stopped. “Oh, and Mindy? Could you show Black Lace around?”
“Um... yes. Yes, I’ll try.”
“Three Cheese is always there if you have any questions, both of you. Alright. See you ladies at lunch.” The chimes sounded her departure, and the three were left in an otherwise empty restaurant.
“Well, Black Lace, go ahead and get your apron on and I’ll get your order ready, Mindy.”
“Actually, Three Cheese, that’s alright. I’m not that hungry,” the mule lied.
“I thought you said you skipped breakfast,” Cheese frowned.
“I’ll be alright. It’s past time for my shift, anyway.” Admittedly, she was a bit disappointed, but there was no arguing with the clock.
“You’re disciplined, I’ll give you that,” Cheese sighed, relenting. “Okay, then. Can I have you start out by showing Lace the ropes?”
“Yes, sir,” Mindy formally nodded.
“I’ll get the apron,” Lace ducked her head and let herself into the kitchen.
“Since there’s only one cook today, I need to get an early start, but don’t be afraid to come and ask if you have any questions,” the stallion reminded, heading after her.
“I’ll do my best,” Mindy vowed.
Black Lace emerged soon after he had ducked in, and Mindy waited patiently for her to finish tying the apron into place. “Hi,” she began. “I’ll do my best to show you around, but I only started working here recently myself.”
“That’s what Paw Print said,” Lace said in the most neutral, monotone voice she could manage.
“Well, maybe between the two of us, we’ll be able to figure this out,” Mindy continued, trying not to let the confusion seep into her voice. She cleared her throat, and led Lace to the front of the restaurant. “Now, from what I understand, there are twenty tables, and they’re numbered in a snake pattern. One starts there by the door, and behind it is two, three, four-”
“Five, six, seven. Yeah, I went to kindergarten too.”
“Sorry, I was just trying to show you the snake...” Mindy coughed in embarrassment. “Well, I can show you the drinks...”
“I think I know how to fill up a cup.”
“...Okay...” Mindy had been trying to repeat Paw Print’s crash course from her first day, but didn’t remember what the pegasus had told her next.
“Why don’t you show me something useful, like how to fill out the tickets?”
“Alright...” Mindy clumsily dug her ticket book out and consulted one of the menus. “It’s fairly easy. Paw Print told me to go around the table clockwise and ask for orders so we don’t have to ask who got what when it comes time to serve. Start off by writing their order here on the far left, then any alterations to the meal underneath, slightly indented, and start again at the left for every additional order. Oh, but always ask if it’s all on one check first. It saves everyone time and hassle when they go to pay.”
“Okay.”
“We’re responsible for seating them as well as taking orders and delivering food. Just from personal experience, I’ll tell you that it’s best to seat everyone ASAP, because by the time you’ve gotten two or three other groups settled, it’s time to go back and check on the first group for drink orders. Of course you want to smile, and introduce yourself, especially because you don’t have a name tag yet. I highly suggest you make a temporary one before we open up.”
“Right.”
“After you bring the drinks, ask if they’re ready or need a few more minutes. It looks more professional if they know you’re ready to take care of them already. If not, give it another five to seven minutes, unless they wave you over sooner. By the time you come back for the food order, they might need drink refills, so if that’s the case you should take the cups back with you, place the order and then refill. This place is absolutely hectic at lunch hour- you’ll need to manage your time wisely.”
“Got it.”
“Like I said, go clockwise so it’s easy to deliver the food. If someone happens to cut in out of order, just leave space on your ticket or if you think you can remember, take a mental note. There are all sorts of crazy tricks to help you remember: make up a rhyme, associate a customer’s name or traits with their food... just use whatever works for you.”
“I thought you only started working here yesterday.”
“That’s right.”
“You sound pretty experienced for a newbie.” Though the mare’s tone was still flat, Mindy thought she detected a hint of admiration in her voice.
“Well, I’ve been waiting tables most of my working life,” the mule proudly confessed.
“Really? You never moved on?”
“I’m happy where I am.”
“Not me. I’m saving up enough to open my own place, then I’m outta here. I’m not going to live my life just ‘satisfied where I am.’”
“Well, I welcome opportunities for advancement,” she justified, “especially with the little one at home-” Mindy’s eyes bulged as she
realized she’d said too much. Black Lace looked equally surprised at what had come out of her mouth.
“You’ve got a kid?! But you’re a mule!”
“Well, he’s my nephew, on my mother’s side. He’s a pony,” Mindy quickly saved, slightly turned off by the mare’s blunt (not to mention rude) phrasing.
“Oh,” Lace looked slightly relieved.
“What’s his name?”
“Alleyway.”
“What kind of a name is that?” Mindy was at a loss for words.
“I... I don’t know.”
“Hmm.”
“We should probably refill the condiments,” Mindy suggested.
“’Kay.”
“You take tables one to ten. I’m eleven to twenty.” Mindy showed her to the storage area, should she find an empty bottle, and quietly continued about her work.
It was still early, and no jingling bells had interrupted their work. Mindy didn’t take Black Lace to be a big talker, but maybe the mare found the silence awkward. “So your nephew... he stay with you often?”
“He practically lives with me,” Mindy quietly chuckled.
“You’re close then?”
“Uh...” She’d known Alley for all of a day, well, not even that, and she’d been utterly terrified of him the previous night. This morning had been better, but she couldn’t say in all honesty that she was completely comfortable with him yet. “Not particularly,” she truthfully confessed, “but I’m trying to fix that.”
“Just get him a bunch of toys. Kids like that.”
“Oh.” Somehow, Mindy got the feeling that there was a little more to it than that.
“Never liked kids much,” Lace went on. “They just scream and cry a lot. There was one that just wouldn’t shut up in my apartment building last night. Don’t think I got a wink of sleep.”
“You... uh... you live in the Hoofwell Residences?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
“I heard it too,” Mindy blushed.
“That wasn’t your nephew making a racket, was it?”
“Maybe?”
“Well, keep the kid quiet tonight. Some of us actually value our sleep,” Lace growled. Mindy had a feeling she would have liked to say something else, but for the sake of keeping her newly-acquired job, had remained silent. “Just get him the toys, ‘kay?”
“Sure,” Mindy gulped. “Will do.”