"Why did you do that?" Carla asked picking up her last tip of the night. It was a lousy one, too, two whole dollars. To just think it was the same group that landed Cookie the 2nd waitress job. She spit on both of George Washington's faces in dishonor before stuffing them in her apron pocket.
"Must you do that?" Sam asks in disgust as he takes another sip of coffee from behind the bar.
"Do what?" Carla shoots back.
"Spit. I've never met anyone who loved their own saliva as much as you do."
"Are you squirming around my previous question?"
"Yes," he said replying with a sly smile.
"Well, come on Sammy, spill your guts," she says slamming the tray of dirty glasses on top of the bar.
"Carla," he says crouching down to her level to look at her better. "I thought you would be happy to have another waitress around here to help you out."
"She don't belong here," she says moving on to a table that needed cleaning up.
"Hey, Carla," he says with a whistle to get her attention. "I'm the one running this joint remember? I get to freely choose who I want to work here and who I don't."
"You were giving her that look," she says knowing Sam had put her ego in check.
"What look?"
"You heard me," she says coming back to the bar and taking off her apron. "I can read ya, Sammy. You want her."
"I don't think so," protests Sammy in a scuff. "Even if I did, what business would it be of yours?"
"Oh my God," she says throwing her hands in the air in disbelief. "You want her so bad, you're in denial."
"There's nothing to be in denial about."
"Well," she says zipping up her coat. "I just want you to be careful. I've never been around a woman like that before in my life. She's way out of our league. Hell, she might as well be from another planet," she says carrying on while throwing her purse over her shoulder. "I just don't want us getting into that and getting ourselves into trouble..."
"Listen to me," Sam says stopping her. He goes over and puts his hands on her shoulders. "That woman has just had the worst night of her life. Sure, she seemed a little up her own ass but I there is a sweetness about her, I can feel it."
"You can't read people like I can," she says with confidence.
"Well, she's coming to work in the morning and that's final."
"Whatever," she says heading out the door. "I just hope you understand what a big leap of faith you're taking on this one."
"A wise person once said that you never truly lived unless you do something for someone who can never repay you."
That makes Carla stop dead in her tracks. She turns around to look at Sam and give him a staredown. Sam can only smile back at her, he got her good.
"You're using my own words against me," she says shaking her finger at him in defense. "I used to say that all the time to you when I was helping you out of your alcholic mess."
"Which one of your children was throwing up again?" Sam asks with the same smile that never left his face.
"Oh my God, Anne Marie!" She exclaims as she bolts out the door and up the stairs in record time while Sam looks on, laughing.
