Chapter 2

Before I knew it, the shift was only an hour from completion. We had had a few complaints, but that’s usual, and Brandy always deals with those when she comes on, because of her stack of coupons. I had the day’s paperwork all ready for her, thanks to Weaver’s indomitability and excellent accounting skills, and was just ticking away the minutes before she relieved me and I was free to go. I had fallen asleep at the office desk a while back, so when I entered the restaurant proper and didn’t see Weaver, I was momentarily confused at his absence. But then I figured an e-order must’ve come in, explaining the fact that the phone didn’t wake me up, and he had made the order himself and taken the delivery. I made a mental note to remind him that only managers were allowed to make the pizzas. But it was nice of him not to wake me. He really is a decent fellow.

Anyway, while I had been tending the office, Weaver had started some music on the house system. The house system really only consisted of a little outdated boombox covered in marinara stains, but you take what you get, and that’s life. The music was actually pretty nice: some eastern instrumental sitar stuff, and it fitted my current state of mind perfectly. So I took my usual non-office stance, leaning on the counter between the two order-taking terminals and staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the passing traffic. I was just about to nod off again when his little, black, bestickered sedan pulled into the driveway, with none other than Kristen and Sarah as passengers. I felt my stomach drop. Jesus Christ, this was the last thing I needed.

Kristen and Sarah were a great couple of girls. Impeccable styles, beautiful smiles, and the respective ex-girlfriends of Adam and me. Kristen and Adam had been dating on and off for about four years until she found out about his multiple mistresses, so she summarily dumped his ass and started dating Weaver within weeks, which is an obviously inappropriate amount of time. Sarah, on the other hand, was my ex, and we broke up on mostly the same grounds, except that she didn’t find out about the other ladies until the relationship was over. I guess the guilt just got to me, pre-altercation.

Anyway, I watched Kristen and Weaver get out of the car while Sarah remained seated. My stomach moved around a little more, but I attributed that to the breakfast pizza from earlier. As the happy couple entered, I tried to look nonchalant, like I wasn’t trying to see what Sarah was messing around with in the car. Probably just more of Weaver’s hillbilly cousin-love music. That god awful entrance bell played accompaniment to the smiling faces approaching me, so I tried to assemble a welcoming grin.

“What’s up dudes?”

Kristen spoke. “Not much man. Weaver said you might be cool with us getting a pizza?” Bums. I swear to God.

“Of course. That’s what this establishment is all about.” Kristen wore an expression that was meant to disarm my care for the bottom line. I interrupted her. “What toppings?” Sarah was still a vegetarian, probably due to my comments about her love for the pig-dick that is sausage.

“Half meats, half veggies,” Kristen promptly replied. Weaver was wisely keeping his mouth shut. He knew this game as well as Kristen and I did.

“Same veggies as always?”

“Yep.” Damnit. I couldn’t let a poor animal lover like myself go hungry. “Alright, it’ll be just a few minutes. You can tell Sarah she’s welcome to come in if she wants.”

“Nah, I think she wants to just hang out in the car.”

“Right on, just a second.” I snuck another furtive glance at Sarah. She was just staring ahead at the side of the building. She could’ve come in, for Chrissake.

I made the pizza and popped it in the oven, and tried to make more conversation with Kristen, but she had been holding Weaver around the waist for the duration of the visit, and now they were whispering in each other’s ear. Sweet nothings and what have you. Sarah was still staring into space.

I listened to the sitar play a lonely tune for the eight minutes it took for the pizza to run through the oven, cut and boxed it, and handed it over to Kristen.

“Tell Sarah I said hello,” I ventured.

“Okay man.” I knew she wouldn’t.

Weaver awoke from his happy cuddling daze long enough to say, “Well, I’m gonna drop them off, and I’ll see you in a few.” I prayed that Brandy would come in early so I could leave before he got back. I waited to wave long enough for Sarah to look up when she realized that they were exiting and approaching the car.

As luck would have it, I saw Brandy walking into the parking lot as they left. It seemed like all the managers walked, while the drivers drove. Weird. Anyway, I went ahead and clocked out and got her screen ready to clock in, so I could meet her at the door. This seemed like a much more congenial way to switch shifts; not to mention that she couldn’t really question me about any problems, seeing as how I was off the clock now.

“Hey Brandy!” I exclaimed congenially.

“Hey John, good shift?”

“Oh yeah, same as always.” I thought I heard her groan, but I was on my own time now, so fuck her.