Chapter 2 "New Town, New Problems"
"Here it is. Bed, sink, kitchenette. The toilet doesn't work, so you'll
have to use the public one for the floor, at the end of the hall. There's a
24 hour laundromat 4 blocks down. So what do you think?" The homely little
woman asked. Looking blandly at her as she rounded the tiny room. Testing
the bed, looking into the tiny closet with the bare lightbulb in it. At
least it was clean, which was more than she could say about any of the other
places she'd been to that day.
"I'll take it." Buffy said, feeling vaugely like she was signing away her
soul.
"First and last months rent up front." Mrs. Brimlin, as she had introduced
herself earlier, held an aged round little hand out.
Counting out bills from the money she had "borrowed" from her mothers
burrow, thoughts of home assailed her. What would Willow be doing right
now? Giles? He mother? Would they be looking for her?
"I'll bring the paperwork up for you to sign later." Mrs. Brimlin paused at
the door. "Are you alright? You look a bit peeked."
Shaking away the reveries and regrets, it was too late for that, she
thought, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "No, I'm fine. Uh, do you
know any place around here that might be hiring?"
"One of the girls said the diner she works in is looking for another
waitress. It's walking distance from here, plenty of the guests eat there."
"Could you give me directions?"
"Just go down Market for 2 blocks, turn right on 8th and it's right there.
Can't miss that big pink sign." Buffy could see concern in her eyes, but
she didn't know whether it was for her, or the possiblity of an unpaying
tenant should she not find a job.
"Thanks. Well I guess that's it then."
"Sure hon. You can pick up the keys at the front desk when you come down."
She closed the door behind her.
Looking around the room again Buffy plopped down on the bed next to her
suitcase. *Gee, I wish I had packed sheets* she thought dispassionately.
*And a comforter* as the rooms temperature dropped several degrees.
Shivering despite her usual resistance to the cold, she continued to stare
at the room that would hold her future, at least for now.
***********
"The Pink Caboose," read the big pink flourecent sign hung over the
restaurant. It had a very false front in the shape of a pink rail-way
caboose. Sure enough there was help wanted sign in the front window.
Buffy opened the door and the smell of greesy burgers, cigarette smoke, and
coffee asailed her. A sudden wave of nausea hit her with full-force. Could
she do this? Killing vampires sure, but juggling 5 plates at once, while in
a poodle skirt?
The owner was behind the register, a fairly greesy looking balding man in
his late 50's. He was nursing a cigarette while ringing up a bill. She
gulped in a breath before diving into the halo of smoke surrounding the man.
"Hello, I saw the sign in the window." Her voice was surprisingly even.
"Yah? Well I don't suppose you have any exprience at waitressing?" He eyed
her unenthusiasticly.
"No but I'm willing to learn." Oh god, she had to get this job.
"It's minimum wage 6 days a week, Tuesdays are off. And you have to buy
your own uniform."
"Sounds good to me, when would you like me to start?" Nausea hit again as
he blew a puff of smoke into her face.
"Hey, if you want, you can start tonight. You could borrow one of the other
girls extra uniforms."
She looked around at the crowded diner and sighed. What was she getting
into?
"I'll do it."
"Fine your hired." He turned away and called acrossed the diner to a
waitress busily filling coffee cups. "Hey Cindy, come here."
Cindy, a bleeched blond with heavy mascara quickly covered the ground
between them, dodging tables and customers with a practiced ease.
"Yah?" She ignore Buffy and looked impatiently at the owner.
"This is the new waitress....." He waited for her to fill in with her name.
"uhhh. . . Lucy."
"She'll be filling in for Naome tonight. Could you lend her your extra
uniform until she gets her own."
"Sure." Cindy turned to look at Buffy for the first time. Her face
softening into a smile when she saw the unease in the younger girls face.
"Come on, we'll get you all fixed up. Stick by me kid, and I'll show ya the
ropes." She continued to talk companionably at Buffy as she led her into
the back of the the diner. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
*********
"Hey lookin' good Luc. You look like waitress now."
Buffy looked in the mirror at the waitresses uniform. *At least its not a
poodle skirt.* Though that wasn't saying much, she felt like she was
wearing a potato sack. *I thought these went out with the 50's.*
"I'll get my own as soon as I can."
"Oh don't worry about it, they take 3 weeks to arrive anyway. You can use
mine until then." Cindy gave her a encouraging smile.
"Thanks." She looked back at the image in front of her, and wrinkled her
nose at the unflattering get-up.
"Ah Kid, you'll get used to it."
"Now what?"
"Now you learn to be waitress. Heres an order pad. Just write down what
the order, then pull off the white sheet and stick it here." Cindy had led
her back into the diner and pointed to a contraption looking vaguely like a
chandileer decked with clips and order slips. "Chuck'll take them off and
make the food. When it's done, just take it out the table. Got it?"
"I think so." She hoped that she didn't look as confused as she was.
"It's OK Kid I'll help you out till you get it. Just watch me and then I'll
let you take the next table."
"Ok." *I hope I'm ready for this.*
"Here it is. Bed, sink, kitchenette. The toilet doesn't work, so you'll
have to use the public one for the floor, at the end of the hall. There's a
24 hour laundromat 4 blocks down. So what do you think?" The homely little
woman asked. Looking blandly at her as she rounded the tiny room. Testing
the bed, looking into the tiny closet with the bare lightbulb in it. At
least it was clean, which was more than she could say about any of the other
places she'd been to that day.
"I'll take it." Buffy said, feeling vaugely like she was signing away her
soul.
"First and last months rent up front." Mrs. Brimlin, as she had introduced
herself earlier, held an aged round little hand out.
Counting out bills from the money she had "borrowed" from her mothers
burrow, thoughts of home assailed her. What would Willow be doing right
now? Giles? He mother? Would they be looking for her?
"I'll bring the paperwork up for you to sign later." Mrs. Brimlin paused at
the door. "Are you alright? You look a bit peeked."
Shaking away the reveries and regrets, it was too late for that, she
thought, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "No, I'm fine. Uh, do you
know any place around here that might be hiring?"
"One of the girls said the diner she works in is looking for another
waitress. It's walking distance from here, plenty of the guests eat there."
"Could you give me directions?"
"Just go down Market for 2 blocks, turn right on 8th and it's right there.
Can't miss that big pink sign." Buffy could see concern in her eyes, but
she didn't know whether it was for her, or the possiblity of an unpaying
tenant should she not find a job.
"Thanks. Well I guess that's it then."
"Sure hon. You can pick up the keys at the front desk when you come down."
She closed the door behind her.
Looking around the room again Buffy plopped down on the bed next to her
suitcase. *Gee, I wish I had packed sheets* she thought dispassionately.
*And a comforter* as the rooms temperature dropped several degrees.
Shivering despite her usual resistance to the cold, she continued to stare
at the room that would hold her future, at least for now.
***********
"The Pink Caboose," read the big pink flourecent sign hung over the
restaurant. It had a very false front in the shape of a pink rail-way
caboose. Sure enough there was help wanted sign in the front window.
Buffy opened the door and the smell of greesy burgers, cigarette smoke, and
coffee asailed her. A sudden wave of nausea hit her with full-force. Could
she do this? Killing vampires sure, but juggling 5 plates at once, while in
a poodle skirt?
The owner was behind the register, a fairly greesy looking balding man in
his late 50's. He was nursing a cigarette while ringing up a bill. She
gulped in a breath before diving into the halo of smoke surrounding the man.
"Hello, I saw the sign in the window." Her voice was surprisingly even.
"Yah? Well I don't suppose you have any exprience at waitressing?" He eyed
her unenthusiasticly.
"No but I'm willing to learn." Oh god, she had to get this job.
"It's minimum wage 6 days a week, Tuesdays are off. And you have to buy
your own uniform."
"Sounds good to me, when would you like me to start?" Nausea hit again as
he blew a puff of smoke into her face.
"Hey, if you want, you can start tonight. You could borrow one of the other
girls extra uniforms."
She looked around at the crowded diner and sighed. What was she getting
into?
"I'll do it."
"Fine your hired." He turned away and called acrossed the diner to a
waitress busily filling coffee cups. "Hey Cindy, come here."
Cindy, a bleeched blond with heavy mascara quickly covered the ground
between them, dodging tables and customers with a practiced ease.
"Yah?" She ignore Buffy and looked impatiently at the owner.
"This is the new waitress....." He waited for her to fill in with her name.
"uhhh. . . Lucy."
"She'll be filling in for Naome tonight. Could you lend her your extra
uniform until she gets her own."
"Sure." Cindy turned to look at Buffy for the first time. Her face
softening into a smile when she saw the unease in the younger girls face.
"Come on, we'll get you all fixed up. Stick by me kid, and I'll show ya the
ropes." She continued to talk companionably at Buffy as she led her into
the back of the the diner. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
*********
"Hey lookin' good Luc. You look like waitress now."
Buffy looked in the mirror at the waitresses uniform. *At least its not a
poodle skirt.* Though that wasn't saying much, she felt like she was
wearing a potato sack. *I thought these went out with the 50's.*
"I'll get my own as soon as I can."
"Oh don't worry about it, they take 3 weeks to arrive anyway. You can use
mine until then." Cindy gave her a encouraging smile.
"Thanks." She looked back at the image in front of her, and wrinkled her
nose at the unflattering get-up.
"Ah Kid, you'll get used to it."
"Now what?"
"Now you learn to be waitress. Heres an order pad. Just write down what
the order, then pull off the white sheet and stick it here." Cindy had led
her back into the diner and pointed to a contraption looking vaguely like a
chandileer decked with clips and order slips. "Chuck'll take them off and
make the food. When it's done, just take it out the table. Got it?"
"I think so." She hoped that she didn't look as confused as she was.
"It's OK Kid I'll help you out till you get it. Just watch me and then I'll
let you take the next table."
"Ok." *I hope I'm ready for this.*