Page 105 of Total Obsession

Inside the place looked just like you’d imagine a run down diner to look. Red cracked vinyl cushioned seats, a bar with a window to the kitchen behind it, and a few booths at the front. It was a far cry from the glitz and glamor of New York City, but I didn’t care. In many ways I liked it better.

It felt real after a lifetime of fake.

“Have a seat anywhere you’d like,” the waitress called out to me from behind the bartop. She was an older woman with white hair pulled back into a bun. She had kind eyes but a face that told you she’d seen a few things in her lifetime.

“Actually,” I said, “I was hoping to apply for a job.”

“There’s no sunshine in here, sweets,” she said to me. I couldn’t understand her answer and then she pointed to my sunglasses.

“Oh,” I said sheepishly, pulling them off my face.

“Go sit in one of the booths,” she said. “I’ll be there in just a minute.”

The bell from the door rang as I was sitting down and I watched as Axe walked in. He was wearing his coat with his collar popped high and a scarf around the lower half of his face.

“Sit anywhere,” the older woman said to him, and of course he decided to sit in the booth right next to mine, facing me.

He was staring at me, and I pretended not to see him, opting instead to stare out the window at the street.

After about five minutes the woman came over to take Axe’s order, which was a cup of black coffee. After she delivered it to him, she came and sat down across from me. I could see from her name tag that her name was Annie.

“So, you ever waitress before?” she asked me.

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied.

“For how long.”

“A few years.”

“Where?”

I hesitated. If I told her Los Angeles would she recognize who I was? I’d been all over the television lately. So had Axe for that matter.

“Out West,” I decided to reply, “before I moved to the city.”

“What’s your availability?”

“I’m free,” I said. “I can work anytime and would be happy to have the hours.”

“You ain’t sick, are ya?” she asked, referring to my mask.

I shook my head. “No,” I replied. “I live with my grandmother,” I lied. “So, I’m just trying to be careful.”

“Alright,” the woman said. “Let’s see how you do. When can you start?”

“Now,” I said honestly.

“Great. Go drop your stuff off in the back and grab an apron.”

“Thank you, Annie,” I replied to her.

She looked down at her name tag and chuckled. “Sure, you can call me Annie. Pick out whatever name tag you want in the back.”

I didn’t really understand her comment until I went to the back. Each of the aprons already had name tags attached to them, none of which said Zoey. That was perfect by my standards. No questions. Working for tips in cash. Starting over.

When I came back outside to the front Axe was still there. I sighed and grumbled internally, but I knew that he wasn’t going to leave. I also knew that trying to make him leave would end up in a fight, and I’d likely lose my job before I’d even started.

So, I’d just have to live around him.