Chapter 5 Facade
"Saiyuri another customer needs to be seated!" I quickly rushed out of the kitchen to serve the food I was carrying. The restaurant I worked in was small so I ended up playing the part of both waitress and steward. Most of the time it wasn't a problem as I worked late at night which circumvented most of the hassle. Most of the time wasn't Sunday right before the lunch rush. Expertly I served three tables in a row and ran back to the kitchen to drop off the tray. It was miraculous how I never once dropped anything while at work but I guess the stress made me efficient. I once again charged through the kitchen door and up to the entrance to seat the new customer. At this point I was in full work mode so it took me a few seconds to believe who was in front of me.
Why was he here?
To his credit he looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. He even did a double take to make sure.
"Saiyuri?"
"Ryoma?"
"Saiyuri another orders ready!" I flinched and did a quick glance behind me towards the kitchen before grabbing a menu from the steward's desk and dragging him to a table. I then handed it to him and told him I would be back in a minute. Sprinting back into the kitchen I picked up the tray full of food and steadied it on one hand to push open the door. Once clear I ran to and fro from table to table delivering food and refilling drinks. Only once things began to calm down did I return to his booth. His gaze followed me when I approached and I could only assume he had watched me flit around as I worked. I knew he would have questions but I never could have predicted what his first one would be.
"Do you always wear a skirt?" I looked down at my knee length black skirt and blushed slightly.
"Not intentionally." The fact of the matter was that the owners enforced a dress code for all employees so it was either slacks or skirts; I obviously chose a skirt.
"Well I like it either way." I blushed harder and took out my pen and notepad. If regular Saiyuri couldn't speak to him, work Saiyuri could.
"Okay what would you like to drink?" I gave him the biggest brightest smile I could. That was another thing the owners enforced. Smiling. Whatever you do smile, whatever you feel smile. Smile, smile, smile. It was an art that I had come to master over the course of my work and I had to admit it was useful.
However late the meal was could be fixed with a grin and a free dessert. A bad day could be made into a better one with a well-timed smile and a few kind words. It seemed that whatever problems life could throw at you a smile would make it a little better. However, it was an action that I used solely for work. Once I had tried doing it around my classmates and people had gotten the wrong impression of me. That was when I decided to keep my work persona away from the normal me.
I clicked my pen as he looked over the menu for a minute before ordering his drink.
"Grape soda." I smiled again and this time it was completely genuine.
"Coming right up." I scanned the tables and booths to see if I was needed anywhere before heading back to the kitchen to fetch his drink. When I returned the menu was already neatly folded and placed on the side of the table.
"Here you are." I placed the soda on the table and fetched a straw from my apron.
"I assume you're ready to order." He rolled his eyes and I scribbled down his order and headed back to drop it off at the kitchen. I felt oddly unnerved having Ryoma visit my workplace mostly because the entirety of my work persona was fake.
The enforced rule of constant smiling gave me an air of confidence that I was far from feeling. It was a mask I had become accustomed to wearing during work and yet now I was struggling to decide between, the facade and the true me. I tried my best not to think about it as I fetched customers' checks and delivered more meals. The good thing about waitressing was that It was methodical work, only interrupted by seating more customers and occasional interactions.
I remembered how my first day of working here was nerve-racking, but it became better once I realized no one cared who I was. To them I was just a face that served their food and refilled their drinks; I wasn't a person to them. I suppose it was the same both ways. I hardly ever remembered a customer's face unless they regularly visited and even then I couldn't recall their names.
And now to have Ryoma here felt strange.
"Here's your food." I picked up his plate off the tray and set it down as the fake cheeriness invaded my voice and mannerisms. The lunch rush was in full swing and I didn't have time for chitchat. I placed the empty tray under my arm and turned on my heel to head back to the kitchen. The iron grip on my hand wrenched me back from the depths as I stared at him wide eyed.
"Sai- Saiyuri another order!" The shout from the kitchen interrupted what he was about to say and I looked from him to the kitchen door in panic. He looked deeply disturbed about something and I was afraid of what would happen if I left. However, at last he let go of my wrist and nodded that it was okay as I rushed back through the kitchen door.
It was amazing how much was accomplished during the lunch hour. Somehow I managed to be everywhere at once and no customer was left unattended for too long. The time always seemed to pass by in a blur whenever lunch came around probably because I was twice as busy as anyone else in the restaurant. I breathed a sigh of relief when the clock struck one thirty. I was allowed a half hour break so I could eat and I was always so exhausted I would collapse into a booth, only this time I had company.
"You look horrible." His bluntness was unwanted at this exact moment.
"You do this every Sunday and we'll see how you fare." I teased him playfully and he chuckled humorlessly. Just then the person filling in for me came to take my order. He was only half committed to the job and I always had to make amends with customers afterwards when I took over. I made it a point to annoy him whenever he had to wait on me for lunch because no matter what he always had to smile.
"May I take your order?" The grin on his face was clearly plastered on and he was struggling to keep it in place.
"Orange soda with the breakfast platter." My order almost never changed but he still had to come take it anyway. He left and I heaved a sigh.
"Saiyuri what happened earlier." I gulped slightly. He was staring at me intently as if searching for answers from the slightest movement.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I had a vague idea of what he was referring to but I still hoped it wasn't what he had wanted to talk about.
"When you served my food you seemed so impersonal." I cringed inwardly.
"You're not the most expressive person either you know." He shook his head and bit harder on the candy in his mouth.
"You're more open than you think Saiyuri. You might not know it but you give enough to where I have an idea of what you are thinking. To see you so closed off like that was…..disturbing." I thought about what he said.
I was in full work mode at the time and the only thought on my mind was what I had to do next and the consequences of failing to achieve it in time. I knew that I was putting on an act but I didn't think it was as bad as what Ryoma was saying. Before I could voice my conclusion the waiter came back with my drink and the most sarcastic smile on his face. Once he left Ryoma glared daggers at his back.
"What's his problem?" His voice had gone down an octave to the point where it was almost a growl. I didn't know his voice could go any lower.
"We're just not on good terms, ignore him." Ryoma continued to give the waiter the death stare until he retreated into the kitchen. I decided to pick up where we had left off.
"I honestly think you're overreacting about this." He slowly took his eyes off where the waiter had disappeared.
"No I'm not Saiyuri I know how it looks when people fake emotion and every part of you at that moment was false. The only time you stopped pretending was when I grabbed your wrist, if I hadn't you would have kept up the charade." I could see he was getting aggravated but whether it was at me or himself I couldn't tell.
"I don't know why it's so important how I act at work." He was grinding his teeth on the cigarette and it finally snapped in half.
"Because you of all people shouldn't have to put up a front!" He had never raised his voice in my presence and now that he did it shook me to my very soul. The sheer determination in his eyes meant the world to me at that moment and for once in my life I felt like I meant something more than just, well a nobody. He had meant every word and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. I didn't even notice when tears cascaded down my cheeks and a smile took over my whole face. The joy in my heart was real and if I had died right there I would've died happy.
"Did I say something wrong?" He misinterpreted my tears and I shook my head and smiled brighter.
"I'm just so happy I'm crying."
For the rest of the day nothing could shake my spirits, not when the waiter served me lunch five minutes before my break was over, not even when Ryoma left the restaurant. I was truly on cloud nine and my heart was gliding through the sky. I couldn't help it when I danced from table to table, the joy was just to overwhelming to contain it. Then when work was finally said and done I hung up my apron and waved goodbye to the chef. Yet no matter how happy I was today tomorrow would be even better, after all tomorrow was Monday.
So how do you like it? Forgive me if their are more mistakes than usual I couldn't edit quite as much as I normally do because of play practice and my proofreader (a.k.a my sister) has been slacking of as of late.
