Estrangement
Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious
A/N:
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Chapter 25 (Learning the Ropes)
"Good morning!" Melinda pat Tori on the back as she walked behind the smoothie stand for her first real day of training. She was ecstatic but weary at the same time. She spent most of the night checking on applications she'd filled out for scholarships, college information, and other opportunities. Her eyes were raw and her body felt like it was falling apart. "You okay dear?"
"Just tired," she yawned, "I've been up most of the night trying to figure out my college stuff. Also the health insurance. I may not be approved." Melinda frowned as Tori snapped her fingers in frustration. "My credit's messed up because of the evictions that are on my record…and I will admit to something, I did try a semester of college. Dropped out after a semester or two."
"Oh my. Well, have you considered just finding an apprentice who can teach you a trade? I am sure Trina doesn't expect you to stay with Gold's Gym if it isn't where you really want to be."
"I don't know. I've worked here a month and just got promoted to work with you. I think I'm still in the process of showing her I have what it takes to stick with something. To commit." She knew Trina first wanted to see her stick with a job, she just wanted to know when it would be good to show her she could stick with a family and not make everything about her. "There's two things she needs to trust me on, a career and family. I don't think she trusts me with her family yet…She's not given me any opportunities to show her that I'm not going to be fickle."
"Just give her time." Time? How could she do that when she kept wondering how much time was going to be necessary. All she wanted was Trina's approval and acceptance, to be given an opportunity to be a part of her family. How could she show her if Trina didn't give her a chance? "Now, I have a lot to teach you about making these smoothies. So, are you ready to learn? The rush crowd isn't here yet, so there's still some time for you to learn and practice. So if you're ready, we'll get started." Tori grabbed one of the paper cups and grinned, bouncing slightly on her heels. She handed Melinda the cup and watched as the woman walked over to the blender.
"Definitely." She looked to the cold section, studying the frozen slices of bananas, peaches, strawberries, and other fruits. The refrigerator nearby had several different types of drinks, but the primary was milk. "I guess I understand the basics. Throw the fruit in, put the milk in, and blend."
Melinda lifted a finger. Her cheekbones rose and her eyes squinted as she started to smile. "It is pretty simple as far as ingredients go. However you need to know just the right amount." Tori nodded carefully as the woman grabbed the processer and brought it to the sink. "First, after every use you must rinse the processor, make sure it's clean. That's why there's more than one at the station. You need to know how to multitask and work fast. Fill the sink, dear."
"Okay." She did as instructed and stopped the water at top level.
"Now let's start off with something simple." Melinda dipped the blender into the water and returned it to the machine. She opened the frozen compartment and grabbed the scoop in the frozen strawberries. "A strawberry-banana smoothie with a protein shot." Tori pressed her lips together and nodded as the woman scooped out the fruit. "Four to six strawberries are fine for this. You want to have the flavor but you also want to have a good balance." She dipped the strawberries into the blender and followed up with a few small slices of banana. "The fruit will be the base of your smoothie. Now, grab the milk from the refrigerator, please."
"Yes ma'am." She grabbed the milk and paused as Melinda pointed out the other items in the fridge. "I thought smoothies were made strictly with milk."
"It is the most popular choice, but it is not the only option. For the lactose intolerant we use soy milk. Remember to always ask the customer. Usually they'll inform us, but sometimes they don't. Greek yogurt gives the smoothie thickness if you use that. Some people request almond or coconut milk to give it a different taste. Water is also a good substitute."
"I've heard people use ice cream sometimes."
"That's true. We offer that option. I'll get to that in a minute." Tori shut the door and walked over to Melinda, setting the milk down beside her. Melinda poured the milk up to the first line in the blender. "The next step is the powder." She pointed to five small compartments beside the frozen fruit. "Energy, metabolism, protein, these will typically be added. In this case, I'd like to add energy." Each small compartment had a spoon in it. Melinda grabbed a spoonful of the energy powder and tossed it into the blender. "Great! Can you tell me the next step?"
"Turning it on?"
"Not quite. Ice. You always put ice in. However if ice cream is requested, that can take the place of it. Either two spoonfuls of ice cream, or four ice cubes per smoothie. Repeat that for me?"
"Two ice cream scoops or four ice cubes."
"Good!" Melinda tossed four ice cubes into the blender, then placed the lid on top. She placed her hand on the lid and struck the button to turn it on. Tori listened to the ice and fruit crackling as the machine whirled. She felt the excitement rushing through her as the smoothie became more fluid like. It took a few seconds before it was finished. When done, Melinda poured the drink into the cup. "Top it off with a lid and straw, then hand it to the customer." Melinda did as such and handed Tori the smoothie. She smiled warmly and spoke pleasantly. "Enjoy your drink, ma'am. You always say that to a customer, make them feel welcome and thank them for their time." Tori smiled and accepted the drink.
"Okay."
"Go ahead dear, drink." Tori nodded carefully and sipped the smoothie, delighting in the burst of flavor and the shot of energy rushing into her. As she pulled her lips from the straw, she turned to Melinda. "It's amazing. I don't suppose we should be making drinks for ourselves though?"
"Typically no, but since it's your first day, you need the practice before the crowd comes in. If you ever do make yourself a drink, it's a good idea to pay for it and do not drink in front of the customers. Best you make yourself a smoothie during break, lunch, or after work."
"Got it."
"Great. Now, I'd like to see you make a smoothie. You're just starting so you don't know the entire menu yet, it'll be a good idea for you to study the menu and get to learn it." Tori looked to the menu list above her head and raised her eyebrows. There were several different ingredients to the various smoothies. Fortunately there were only about eight or nine, but it was still extensive and took a bit of her breath from her lungs.
"That's a lot to learn."
"Think you can do it?"
"I can. It just looks overwhelming at first glance…" Melinda laughed and pat her shoulder.
"Funny thing is that's exactly what your sister said when she first started. You want to know how long it took her to learn every smoothie?" Tori snapped her gaze back to Melinda, eager to know and set a deadline for herself if possible. "About two to three weeks. She had everything down after that. Don't expect to get things correct right away, just do the best you can and have fun. Even after learning everything, you won't have it completely memorized, even I have to look back at the board just to make sure I know the smoothie properly. Don't worry about time, pace yourself. It shouldn't take five minutes to make a smoothie, but you don't need to get it out in ten seconds either."
"Patience then?"
"Exactly. Patience is the best thing to have when learning anything in life."
"You're telling me. I have to have patience even with my sister…" Melinda chuckled softly and shook her head.
"Of course, it's the only way you two are ever going to be on good terms dear. Both of you need patience with the other. Like I said earlier, give her some time. She will come around." Melinda looked up to the menu and tapped her chin. "I'd like to have the raspberry-peach-mango with a metabolism and soy milk. If you could top that off with sherbet, I'd appreciate it." Tori's eyes widened and she quickly nodded as she ran for the fridge.
She started scooping the frozen fruit and stopped when she saw Melinda shake her head. "What? What did I do?"
"Look at the blender, dear." She started to pale when she saw the remnants of the last smoothie. She groaned and quickly rinsed out the blender after dumping out the fruit. "It's okay dear, you're learning. Try again."
"All right. I got this." She took a deep breath and started to scoop the fruit. She made sure there was a decent amount of raspberry, peach, and mango. She almost grabbed the regular milk from the fridge, but caught herself and grabbed the soy milk. "Good, good catch." As pride swept over her, she poured in the milk, filling it up to the first line. She put the lid on the blender, but Melinda stopped her again. "You're forgetting something."
"I am?" She ran over the mental checklist and gasped at the item she forgot. "The ice cream and metabolism!"
"Right." She immediately corrected the mistake by tossing in the metabolism shot, followed by the ice cream. She had to pay attention to the steps, not to do it out of order. Next she blended it until it was smooth and creamy. She poured the drink into the cup and handed it to Melinda with a smile. "Enjoy the drink miss, and thank you for your time." Melinda beamed with pride as she took the drink and gave her a thumbs-up. After taking a sip, she breathed in deep and closed her eyes.
"Congratulations Tori, you've officially made your first smoothie!"
"Yes!" She pumped a fist in the air and immediately drew it back, looking nervously at the chipper woman. "Sorry, I don't normally get loud."
"It's fine. You're excited. Your sister did the same thing after she got the process down. If you just keep that up, you'll do fine." Melinda set the cup on the counter and looked up to the menu. "Because it's Monday, we'll be getting a rush crowd. I don't want you to start working the smoothie line yet, I'd like you to try and get the menu items down first thing tonight. Watch how the flow goes for a couple days. Keep practicing the menu, practice making the items at home if you can. I will handle the rush crowd, but I would like for you to help with maintaining the ingredients and let me know when we need to replace anything."
"Yes ma'am, I'll do that." She turned to the frozen fruit and looked to the door, eager to begin. She didn't know how long it would be till the customers arrived for the day, but she would be ready for them.
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Hope you liked the chapter, Tori's learning well her new job, I'd say.