If I Could Be Who You Wanted - Chapter 2
"Would you like to try our $2.99 pork chop special?"
The man with balding grey hair and wrinkles lining his face grunted in reply. He then picked up his fishing magazine and began right where he left up.
Kay groaned in frustration as she took his menu back over to the counter. Her feet ached like hell, and her body was covered with beads of sweat from those long, humid hours spent tucked inside the tiny cafe. But still there was no end in sight. There was at least another three hours until her shift ended, which would leave enough time to rush to pick her daughter up from daycare, pop a tv dinner in the microwave and attempt to get some sleep before her baby would wake up screaming. What a fun life she led.
Fun doesn't keep you afloat, she reminded herself as she slapped two slices of process cheese onto a greasy hamburger. A bit of ketchup splurted on her blue and white waitress uniform, but she didn't even stop to wipe it off. Time, which she used to take so easily for granted, was now of essence to her.
"You look damn tired, Bennett. Go take a rest, I'll take the next couple of orders," Treena, a tall brunette with tacky highlights, offered.
"No, I'll be alright," Kay protested, but she wore a grateful smile on her face. "Besides, I need the tips."
"Those daycare fees must be busting your bank. Why don't you just get a friend or family member to watch Anna while you're at work?" Treena asked innocently. She really did not know the situation that Kay dealt with at home.
Kay was about to say "I haven't got any," but she didn't want to evoke pity from her fellow waitresses. The one thing she did have left was her pride, and she was not going to give it up without a fight.
"They're all at work, and I can't afford a sitter," Kay lied, frowning. It was sweet that Treena seemed concerned but she didn't want anybody butting into her personal business.
"Girl, you need to get yourself a man! You're far too young and far too cute to be working at a joint like this," Treena wiped some BBQ sauce off the counter, making a face as she threw the tissue into the trashcan.
"I tried that once. It didn't work out," Kay said solumnly, thinking back to all the times she plotted to snag Miguel away from Charity. And look where it had gotten her! She hadn't spoken with Miguel since that last faithful afternoon in Harmony, and she doubted she ever would again. Hell, she hadn't even spoken with her parents.
She felt a pang of guilt at the thought of them, but brushed that away quickly. It's not like they had even noticed her when she WAS around. She predicted they had moved on with their lives as if nothing had happened, not even giving a second thought to their flawed daughter.
A sharp voice broke her out of her internal battle. "Bennett? Bennett? Is anyone alive up there?"
She raised her head back up to come face to face with Steve, the manager of the tiny cafe. He had a mixture of concern and annoyance on his face. Kay had to blush. This was the fourth time that week that Steve had to reminded her to snap out of her fantasy world.
"What gives, Kay?" he said more gently this time. "Why do you continue to slack off like you do? You're a hard worker, but sometimes I wonder if your mind is all there."
"I-I'm sorry," Kay stuttered, trying to collect the words that were on the tip of her tounge. "I'm just tired. You know, with the new baby and all. She keeps me awake practically half the night."
"Take a chill pill, Steve," Treena snapped. "Not everyone is a workaholic like you. Some people do take the time to do little things such as, eat, breath, talk, you know...actully LIVE?"
Steve couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Treena's feistiness. "You're lucky I'm desperate for waitresses, or else you'd be outta here looong ago."
"You know you love me," Treena gave him a playful punch to his left arm. "Besides, I bet that's not ALL you're desperate for." She winked at him, before hurrying away to help an angry customer with their menu.
"Well you know the old saying, good help is hard to find," Kay teased.
"Ain't that the truth," Steve groaned. He propped his elbows up on the counter and leaned forward towards Kay. "Now, are you going to tell me what has you so beat, Bennett? You looked awfully down just a minute ago. And don't tell me it's just stress. That's what I hear from everybody."
"Part of it IS stress," Kay said defensively. "I know you may not believe this, but not everybody gets paid to sit behind a counter and look sharp all day. I'm in so much debt I can barely see straight. Add to the fact that Anna has been sick..."
"Okay, okay, I get it," Steve held up his hands as a sign of peace. "I guess this is a hint you want the day off, huh?"
"You are such a jerk," Kay said playfully, laughing.
Steve opened his mouth in mock horror. "Ooh, how you wound me with your words!"
Kay's voice took on a serious tone. "Were you really serious about the day off? It would mean a lot."
Steve groaned inwardily. "I knew this was coming. Go on, get out of here Bennett. But don't think you don't owe me for this! Spending the day with Treena isn't exactly a walk in the park, if you know what I mean."
"Hey, I heard that!" Treena called out from the back room. She stuck her head through the door, revealing a large chocolate stain under her lip.
"Oh lord," Steve mumbled under his breath. "You REALLY owe me for this, Bennett."
"And I intend to pay back all my debt," Kay said smugly, already on her way out. She couldn't wait to get out of that cramped building, as much as it made her laugh sometimes.
Treena hurried to catch up to her, once she got to the sidewalk. "I can only talk for a minute," she said loudly.
Kay twirled around and groaned when she saw who it was. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Steve, of course!" Treena squealed, and at that moment she reminded Kay of Simone, only about 5 or 6 years older.
Kay raised her eyebrows. "What's to say?"
"Girlfriend, you've been holding out on me! I've suspected there was something going on between you two for awhile, but today just confirmed it. Steve NEVER gives anybody the day off unless he really likes them."
"You're tripping again, aren't you?" Kay rolled her eyes at her friend's excitement. She had to laugh at some of the wild stories she came up with. This really took the cake, though. Her and Steve? She wasn't even sure she was totally over Miguel yet.
"Not this time, I swear!" Treena hurried to catch up with her. "Come on, Kay. Admit it. You like him. Just a little? You have to admit he IS pretty cute. That wavy, dark hair. Those intense green eyes. He has those basic latino good looks, which are to die for! If he weren't such a jackass, he'd be perfect!"
"Speaking of Steve, isn't it time you get back to work? I bet he's just about having a heart attack now - at the thought of having to do real WORK if his top waitress doesn't get back," Kay said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
As Treena headed back to work, Kay reflected back on their conversation, while walking home.
Kay knew she wasn't prepared to give her heart to somebody again, let alone somebody like Steve. He was cocky, lazy, and didn't know the value of a hard days work. A year ago he would have reminded Kay of herself. But things had changed.
And then there was Miguel. The man who haunted her dreams every night, making her wish she could just slip into a fantasy world and never return. In her dreams, he loved her and wanted to build a life with her, and there was nothing blocking their path to happiness. But she knew the dreams were fake as soon as they began, life never got that good. At least not for Kay Bennett. That didn't stop her from letting herself dissolve into those dreams, pretending they were reality for a moment.
If only reality could be that good.
"Would you like to try our $2.99 pork chop special?"
The man with balding grey hair and wrinkles lining his face grunted in reply. He then picked up his fishing magazine and began right where he left up.
Kay groaned in frustration as she took his menu back over to the counter. Her feet ached like hell, and her body was covered with beads of sweat from those long, humid hours spent tucked inside the tiny cafe. But still there was no end in sight. There was at least another three hours until her shift ended, which would leave enough time to rush to pick her daughter up from daycare, pop a tv dinner in the microwave and attempt to get some sleep before her baby would wake up screaming. What a fun life she led.
Fun doesn't keep you afloat, she reminded herself as she slapped two slices of process cheese onto a greasy hamburger. A bit of ketchup splurted on her blue and white waitress uniform, but she didn't even stop to wipe it off. Time, which she used to take so easily for granted, was now of essence to her.
"You look damn tired, Bennett. Go take a rest, I'll take the next couple of orders," Treena, a tall brunette with tacky highlights, offered.
"No, I'll be alright," Kay protested, but she wore a grateful smile on her face. "Besides, I need the tips."
"Those daycare fees must be busting your bank. Why don't you just get a friend or family member to watch Anna while you're at work?" Treena asked innocently. She really did not know the situation that Kay dealt with at home.
Kay was about to say "I haven't got any," but she didn't want to evoke pity from her fellow waitresses. The one thing she did have left was her pride, and she was not going to give it up without a fight.
"They're all at work, and I can't afford a sitter," Kay lied, frowning. It was sweet that Treena seemed concerned but she didn't want anybody butting into her personal business.
"Girl, you need to get yourself a man! You're far too young and far too cute to be working at a joint like this," Treena wiped some BBQ sauce off the counter, making a face as she threw the tissue into the trashcan.
"I tried that once. It didn't work out," Kay said solumnly, thinking back to all the times she plotted to snag Miguel away from Charity. And look where it had gotten her! She hadn't spoken with Miguel since that last faithful afternoon in Harmony, and she doubted she ever would again. Hell, she hadn't even spoken with her parents.
She felt a pang of guilt at the thought of them, but brushed that away quickly. It's not like they had even noticed her when she WAS around. She predicted they had moved on with their lives as if nothing had happened, not even giving a second thought to their flawed daughter.
A sharp voice broke her out of her internal battle. "Bennett? Bennett? Is anyone alive up there?"
She raised her head back up to come face to face with Steve, the manager of the tiny cafe. He had a mixture of concern and annoyance on his face. Kay had to blush. This was the fourth time that week that Steve had to reminded her to snap out of her fantasy world.
"What gives, Kay?" he said more gently this time. "Why do you continue to slack off like you do? You're a hard worker, but sometimes I wonder if your mind is all there."
"I-I'm sorry," Kay stuttered, trying to collect the words that were on the tip of her tounge. "I'm just tired. You know, with the new baby and all. She keeps me awake practically half the night."
"Take a chill pill, Steve," Treena snapped. "Not everyone is a workaholic like you. Some people do take the time to do little things such as, eat, breath, talk, you know...actully LIVE?"
Steve couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Treena's feistiness. "You're lucky I'm desperate for waitresses, or else you'd be outta here looong ago."
"You know you love me," Treena gave him a playful punch to his left arm. "Besides, I bet that's not ALL you're desperate for." She winked at him, before hurrying away to help an angry customer with their menu.
"Well you know the old saying, good help is hard to find," Kay teased.
"Ain't that the truth," Steve groaned. He propped his elbows up on the counter and leaned forward towards Kay. "Now, are you going to tell me what has you so beat, Bennett? You looked awfully down just a minute ago. And don't tell me it's just stress. That's what I hear from everybody."
"Part of it IS stress," Kay said defensively. "I know you may not believe this, but not everybody gets paid to sit behind a counter and look sharp all day. I'm in so much debt I can barely see straight. Add to the fact that Anna has been sick..."
"Okay, okay, I get it," Steve held up his hands as a sign of peace. "I guess this is a hint you want the day off, huh?"
"You are such a jerk," Kay said playfully, laughing.
Steve opened his mouth in mock horror. "Ooh, how you wound me with your words!"
Kay's voice took on a serious tone. "Were you really serious about the day off? It would mean a lot."
Steve groaned inwardily. "I knew this was coming. Go on, get out of here Bennett. But don't think you don't owe me for this! Spending the day with Treena isn't exactly a walk in the park, if you know what I mean."
"Hey, I heard that!" Treena called out from the back room. She stuck her head through the door, revealing a large chocolate stain under her lip.
"Oh lord," Steve mumbled under his breath. "You REALLY owe me for this, Bennett."
"And I intend to pay back all my debt," Kay said smugly, already on her way out. She couldn't wait to get out of that cramped building, as much as it made her laugh sometimes.
Treena hurried to catch up to her, once she got to the sidewalk. "I can only talk for a minute," she said loudly.
Kay twirled around and groaned when she saw who it was. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Steve, of course!" Treena squealed, and at that moment she reminded Kay of Simone, only about 5 or 6 years older.
Kay raised her eyebrows. "What's to say?"
"Girlfriend, you've been holding out on me! I've suspected there was something going on between you two for awhile, but today just confirmed it. Steve NEVER gives anybody the day off unless he really likes them."
"You're tripping again, aren't you?" Kay rolled her eyes at her friend's excitement. She had to laugh at some of the wild stories she came up with. This really took the cake, though. Her and Steve? She wasn't even sure she was totally over Miguel yet.
"Not this time, I swear!" Treena hurried to catch up with her. "Come on, Kay. Admit it. You like him. Just a little? You have to admit he IS pretty cute. That wavy, dark hair. Those intense green eyes. He has those basic latino good looks, which are to die for! If he weren't such a jackass, he'd be perfect!"
"Speaking of Steve, isn't it time you get back to work? I bet he's just about having a heart attack now - at the thought of having to do real WORK if his top waitress doesn't get back," Kay said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
As Treena headed back to work, Kay reflected back on their conversation, while walking home.
Kay knew she wasn't prepared to give her heart to somebody again, let alone somebody like Steve. He was cocky, lazy, and didn't know the value of a hard days work. A year ago he would have reminded Kay of herself. But things had changed.
And then there was Miguel. The man who haunted her dreams every night, making her wish she could just slip into a fantasy world and never return. In her dreams, he loved her and wanted to build a life with her, and there was nothing blocking their path to happiness. But she knew the dreams were fake as soon as they began, life never got that good. At least not for Kay Bennett. That didn't stop her from letting herself dissolve into those dreams, pretending they were reality for a moment.
If only reality could be that good.