An hour later, Mara was hard at work, with big yellow rubber gloves covering her hands and an oversized apron tied at her waist. She washed the constant flow of dirty dishes in a practiced and methodic way, but didn't seem to be paying much attention to her work. Instead, she was peering out into the restaurant, watching the single waitress struggle with the vast quantity of customers now packed into the small building. She was a good waitress, to be sure, but she couldn't handle the entire restaurant on her own. Mara smiled a little secret smile. When she got off work, she would have a talk with the owner of the little tavern, the bartender with whom she had spoken earlier.
It was pitch black outside when Mara finally washed the last dish. With a sigh, she removed her gloves and apron, stepping back to admire her completed task, piled high on the drying rack in a wetly glistening tower of plastic and metal. The entire building was empty, except for Mara, the owner, and one extremely drunk man, passed out with his head on the bar. Stealthily, Mara slid into a barstool in front of the owner, behind the bar drying glasses like he was when she had first met him.
"This is an awful busy place in the evenings," she said casually. The bartender just nodded, then turned around and grabbed a tinfoil-wrapped plate from a shelf behind him. He slid it across the bar to her. "Here. Your dinner."
"Oooh…I didn't know dinner was part of the deal!" she exclaimed happily as she unwrapped the tinfoil.
"You thought I'd work you all night for only one meal?"
"Don't doubt it. It's happened to me before," she said, before digging into her baked chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. After a few bites, she put down her fork and started talking again. "Y'know, your waitress was having an awful hard time trying to handle with place on her own. Ever thought about hiring another?"
"I had two until a day ago. My other waitress quit without even a warning, leaving just Yvonne and me to run everything. I've been trying to find a waitress, but nobody's responded to my help wanted ad."
"Well," Mara said with a sly smile. "If you're looking for a waitress, I'm going to be in town for a while, or at least until I earn enough to pay for a bus fare, and I'd be glad to take the job." The bartender looked her over a little suspiciously. "You got experience?" he asked brusquely.
"Yes, sir." The man gave her a suspicious, inquiring look.
"I've waitressed my way across Gunsmoke, sir. How do you think I made it this far on my own?" The bartender sighed, and then nodded.
"Alright then. Can you start immediately?"
"As soon as you want me to."
"Then be here at 6:30 AM tomorrow."
"Sure thing…but, um, do you know of anyplace I could stay for the night?" she asked sheepishly. "That might let me pay them back later since I don't have any money right now?"
"You mean to tell me that you've already got yourself a job, but no place to stay?"
"I got off the sandsteamer just this afternoon." The bartender sighed a heavy sigh of exasperation, letting Mara know that he was reluctant about what he was going to say next.
"Oh, all right then. I've got an empty bedroom in my apartment above the restaurant that you can stay in until you can find a place of your own. Oh, and I'll need to get you a uniform. Follow me…" The man led Mara into a small storage closet behind the kitchen where he dumped into her arms a short, puffy black dress and a white apron. "That's your uniform. Wear that when you come down tomorrow morning. It should fit you well enough. By the way, the name's Frank Earle."
"I'm Mara, Mara Reckless."
"Heck of a last name you got there." Mara smiled at his remark. She got that a lot. "Well, it's unique anyways. People don't usually forget '…that Reckless girl.'" They both laughed, and then Mara helped Frank move the unconscious drunk onto the bench just outside the tavern's door and then lock up. Frank showed Mara where her room was, and then disappeared down the unlit hall. "Well, that was a successful day," Mara said quietly to herself before turning in for the night.