Zena Wynn - Mary and the Bear

Enough introspecting. She'd been cooped up in this apartment long enough. It was time to get out and meet some of the locals. She'd start by eating dinner at the diner. From there, she'd find out what Refuge had to offer in the way of entertainment. If nothing else, there had to be a local watering hole. She didn't drink, but even the bar scene would be better than spending another night at home.

It was about five when Mary Elizabeth entered the diner. To her surprise, Anne was still working.

Anne called out to her as she rushed by with a platter full of food. “Grab a seat, Hon. Be right with you."

"What are you still doing here? I thought you got off at three?” She grabbed her usual seat at the counter. She and Anne had become friends over the last week. Mary Elizabeth came down for breakfast every morning, more for the company than for any other reason. She usually stayed for an hour before going back to the apartment to finish whatever project was slated for that day.

"Cyndi called in—again. Hugh didn't have anyone else so I'm working a double.” She distributed the food and rushed back to the window to pick up an order that was ready.

Ouch, that had to be rough . Business was picking up as the dinner crowd streamed in. Coming to a sudden decision, Mary Elizabeth grabbed Anne on one of her passes by. “Point me to an apron and an order pad and I'll help."

"Oh, that's sweet honey but you don't have to. I can handle it. This is not the first time this has happened."

"Let me help. I don't mind. I was tired of being upstairs. This will give me something to do and let me meet some of the locals. Besides, I know what I'm doing. This is how I supported myself in college."

"Okay, Hon. If you're sure you want to help, the aprons are over there and the pads are under the counter. You handle the counter and I'll handle the tables. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure. Whatever you say."

Finding the items right where Anne said, she donned the apron right as the first dinner rush began. Behind the counter she took orders, greeted customers and basically handled herself like a pro. She could see Anne watching her closely, but once she saw that Mary Elizabeth knew what she was doing, she stopped and concentrated on her own customers.

The next few hours went by quickly. Many of the male customers chose to sit at the counter where the pretty new waitress was serving. It had been a long time since men flirted with her. She actually found herself enjoying it, not taking any of the things they said seriously. She was a lot more mature and self-confident then she'd been in college when she'd last done this.

Finally business slowed down and even the men lingering at the counter ran out of excuses and were forced to leave or appear foolish. When business trickled down to just a few customers, she made Anne sit down and take a breather while she took their orders. She knew Anne had to be tired. She was slightly tired herself and she hadn't been on her feet for twelve hours. She placed a ticket in the window and then sat at the counter beside Anne while she waited for the order to come up.

"Thanks, Hon. You're a life saver."

"Is it like this every night?"

"Most nights, yes. I think we had a few more tonight than usual. There were folks coming in to check you out, but for the most part, this was normal."

"And there's only the two of you? I mean, doesn't Hugh have more waitresses?"

"Actually there are five of us, two for each shift and one relief. Candy is out on maternity leave and won't be back for another two weeks. Misty had to go out of town unexpectedly to see about a sick relative and we aren't sure when she'll be back. The other girl quit. Hugh is going to have to hire some more help. I can't keep doing this and that Cyndi's getting more and more unreliable."

When the bell rang, Mary Elizabeth got up and took the food to her waiting customers, checking to see if they needed anything else before coming to sit back down. “Will he have any problems finding help?"

"Lord, no. Jobs in Refuge are hard to come by and Hugh pays good. The tips are decent, too."

"Speaking of tips, where do you want me to put yours?"

Anne looked at her in astonishment and then shook her head. “Hon, you keep the tips. They're yours. I appreciate the thought but you've more than earned them."

Prepared to argue, Mary Elizabeth let it go when she saw how adamant Anne was. The longer she sat, the more she realized how hungry she was. It was close to nine. It was a little later than she liked to eat, but she was hungry. She wrote out an order for a burger without the fries and stuck it in the window. Anne took advantage of the quiet spell to eat as well.

Instead of placing the food in the window, Hugh brought it out of the kitchen and sat it on the counter. He usually came in to help with the lunch and dinner crowds before disappearing into his office to handle the paperwork. He was surprised to see his new tenant helping out in the diner, and doing such a capable job of it, too. He hadn't seen her since the night she arrived. Hugh set the plate down in front of her, grabbed a cup of coffee for himself, and then sat on a stool next to them.

"Dinner's on the house. It's the least I can do for all your help. You handled yourself well. Where'd you learn to waitress like that?"

Anne spoke up, beaming like a proud parent. “She used to waitress in college and I was glad for the help. Hugh, you have to do something. I'm too old to keep working these kind of hours."

He smiled at the idea of Anne being old before responding. “You're not old and I'm working on the problem. When I get into the office, I'll pull some applications and see if any of the applicants are still interested. Thanks again for staying over. I know it's not easy."

He finished his coffee and moved to get up. He still had paperwork to do in the office. Before he could rise, Mary Elizabeth placed her hand on his arm. Her action caused him to stop and stare at her hand, which she snatched back. “I need to give you my rent and deposit, but I left it upstairs. When do you want it?"

"If you have it ready and you're done eating, I'll come up and get it now."

"Now is fine.” She finished her drink and said goodbye to Anne before leaving. He was right behind her. He waited while she stopped to take a deep breath of fresh air before continuing up the stairs to her apartment.

Mary Elizabeth opened the door and stood aside to allow him to enter before crossing over to the table where she'd left the check. He stopped right in the doorway. The difference in the place was amazing.

"You said I could fix it up. I took you at your word. I hope you don't mind?"

Her words snapped him out of the daze he was in and he looked around. He closed his eyes, and then looked again. The change was incredible. “ This is what you've been doing up here all week?"

"Yes, I only have two weeks to get settled in before I report to work. I wanted to get everything situated."

"You mind if I look around?"

"No, help yourself. It's your place after all."

He walked into the kitchen and took in all the changes. He liked what she'd done with the hooks, displaying the pots while at the same time placing them within easy reach. On the counter was a mouth-watering, chocolate cake, a favorite of his.

"You made this?"

"Yes. Would you like a piece? I like baking but haven't learned the art of making smaller portions yet."

Rubbing his hands in anticipation, he sat at the kitchen table while she served him a slice. He moaned in pleasure as the rich chocolate flavor exploded in his mouth. Man, this was good. It was so moist that it was melting in his mouth. All he needed was a glass of milk and he'd be set. He wondered how he could get more without appearing greedy. “This is really good. My customers would love this."