Special

“Bonjour, Agnes,” I said as I walked over to the marble counter of the shop Griddy’s Doughnuts. I worked a night shift here from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., although sometimes Agnes, the old woman who owns the shop, let’s me off early.

“Hello Samantha,” Agnes said in her warm and sweet voice that made me, and can make anybody, feel really good inside. “Now that your here, I’ll go in the kitchen and you can handle everything out here.”

Agnes opened the kitchen door labelled ‘the kitchen’ and closed it gently behind herself. I grabbed my pink and white apron that I despised, and slipped it over my head. I sighed, relieved that she was gone and I had the whole shop to myself for now. I grabbed my blue and black headphones from my leather bag, and popped them onto my head.

Music was already blasting in the headphones speakers from before I came in here to work. I bobbed my head to the rock music blasting as I pulled out my notepad that I wrote orders in from my back pocket and a pencil from a little tin can of pens and pencils.

Ding!

The little ring tells you that a customer was coming and in and ready to eat some good donuts. I pulled off my headphones and sat them down on the floor behind the counter, as if I wasn’t even listening to music in the first place. A tall, thin young woman came into the shop. She had black, tidy hair that was tied into s bun on the top of her head. She was wearing a white dress, which was a bad choice of clothing for a donut shop, because eating donuts could get very messy. She was also wearing long black high heel shoes. It looked like the woman was supposed to be going to a fancy dinner party, but her cab accidentally took her to this shop.

“Hello! Welcome to Griddy’s Doughnuts. What can I get ya?” I say, trying to sound polite and welcoming like Agnes.

The woman sat down onto one of the red leather-seated stools that were behind the counter.

“I would like a glazed donut.” The woman thought for a bit and then said, “that’s all just a glazed donut.”

There was no need in writing down her order, it was so simple. I pull opened the kitchen door, and shouted, “one glazed donut!” back to Agnes, who started cooking quickly.

“I hope this food is as good as it claims it is,” grumbled the black-haired woman.

I tried to put on a smile. “It is, I assure you!”

Agnes rung her little bell she always rung when the order was ready, and I burst into the kitchen. I grabbed the glazed donuts that was put in a Griddy’s Doughnuts bag. I handed it to the woman, who snatched it from my hands. Rude much. She stood up from the stool, and walked away quickly.

“Wait, hey!” I shouted. “You didn’t pay for that!” By the time I shouted out, the woman already ran out.

Without hesitation, I ran out of the shop, and after her. I didn’t even warn Agnes about this, it was better if Agnes didn’t know. But, I hope she didn’t come out of the kitchen while I was gone, so she didn’t suspect I just ran out of the shop just because.

I saw the woman speed-walking away with the bag. She turned the corner by a pawn shop. I followed after her. She ran in between many buildings, but I still managed to follow her every move. I was determined to make her pay, and if she didn’t, I woke take the donut. It’s simple.

“Get back here! You didn’t pay!” I screamed, causing people to look at me in weird ways. I ran after the woman still. I finally caught up to her, but when I blinked, she disappeared. Wha- where had she gone?

“Where are you?!” I shouted in the alleyway, even though I knew she wouldn’t answer to such a thing, she wouldn’t want to get caught.

I decided to stop, and I walked back towards the donut shop. I was looking at the sidewalk. I can’t believe I let some woman steal from here. I’m so stupid. Then, thump! I bumped right into someone, and they knocked me right onto my behind.

“Ouch!” I say. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” When I stood up, nobody was there. How did I manage to bump into air? Yet again, stupid me. I thought I bumped into someone, but I really didn’t. Typical.

I arrived at the shop, and Agnes was standing behind the counter, her hands on her hips. I opened the door, and Agnes greeted me with, “Where have you been?”

“Some lady took a bag of donuts and just ran off. I tried to make her pay, but then she just disappeared,” I said, rubbing my arm awkwardly.

Agnes didn’t seem to believe me. “People don’t just disappear. Now, get back to your job.” This was the only time I’ve ever actually seen Agnes get mean. Usually she’s nice and sweet.

I got back to my job, and grabbed a wet cloth from a bucket. I scrubbed the surface of the marble counter, miserably. I still can’t believe I let her get away. The bell rang again at 8:30, while I was listening to music. I pulled off my headphones once again, and put them away.

This time it was a boy, about my age, walking into the shop. I grabbed my notepad, ready to take his order. The boy had messy, brown hair, and was, oddly, wearing a school uniform. I mean—it’s night time, why would he still be wearing a school uniform? And it’s summer break, so school basically didn’t exist right now.

He sat down on one of the stools.

“Hi, welcome to Griddy’s Doughnuts, what can I get-“

“A coffee, just a black coffee,” interrupted the boy, tonelessly.

“Uh, okay,” I say, sitting down the notepad once again because this was a simple order. “Are you sure you don’t just want a donut? Or an eclair?”

He looked offended. “No I don’t want a donut or an eclair,” said the boy in a high pitched voice, mocking me.

“I do not sound like that!” I snapped back.

The boy scoffed. “Feisty, are we?”

I fold my arms, not responding. I opened the door, popped my head in the crack of the kitchen door and told Agnes what the boy had ordered. “One black coffee!”

“Oh, what happened to this place. I remember what it looked like 30 years ago, when I used to go with my siblings,” said the boy, staring off into space. Finally, he stopped staring into space and waited for his coffee.

“30 years ago? You don’t look a day over 16,” I replied, then laughed at my joke, but the boy didn’t seem to be amused.

The boy gave me a fake smile. “Yep.”

“So, what’s your name?” I said, trying to be friendly to this boy.

“Five,” replied the boy quickly.

“Five?” I laughed. “Five is an...uh....unique name. Was your mom a mathematician or something?” I cackled again at my own joke.

“Ha ha ha,” laughed Five sarcastically. Then, Agnes’ bell rang, and I knew to go and collect Five’s black coffee. I handed Five the black coffee.

“So, uh, what’s your name? I want to laugh at a stupid name as well,” snapped the boy.

“Ouch,” I said, kind of offended. “And by the way, mine’s Sam. Ha ha, laugh all you want.”

“That’s a guy name,” said Five, smiling. “Did your mom want a boy instead of a girl, and burden you with that name?”

Five took a sip of his coffee.

“I very much have a girl name. It’s Samantha, and but I actually prefer Sam,” I snarled back to Five. He was really getting on my nerves, this boy. “Are you almost done with your coffee? I’d like you to leave.”

“Oh now because you want me to leave, I’ll just sip my coffee very slowly and it’ll take years for me to finish.”

Five sipped his coffee very, very slowly, like a zombie just to annoy me, because he knew I didn’t like him.

“Okay, fine, take your time!” I growled back through gritted teeth. “I don’t mind.” I pulled my headphones back from the floor, and listened to my music while Five slowly slipped his black coffee.

“Isn’t black coffee, like, super disgusting though?” I asked Five, still listening to my music, and banging on the counter to the beat.

“No,” snarled Five, sounding really offended about that. “Black coffee is the only thing that keeps my old body running.”

I bursted out in laughter, and quickly pulled off my headphones, and placed them on the counter. “Did I hear you right? Did you just say ‘my old body’? How old are you again?”

“I’m physically sixteen, I’m mentally sixty-one,” growled Five, like that was the simplest thing ever.

“Uh, yeah,” I said, like that was a normal thing. “Have you ever thought about seeing a therapist? There’s one right across the point.” I pointed in a forward direction.

Five scoffed. “I’ve found myself a jokester, haven’t I?” joked Five.

“You haven’t found yourself anybody,” I snapped in reply to Five’s little joke. “I’m not yours.”

“Yeesh,” Five replies. He finally took his last sip of coffee. He handed me the empty cup, that just had a few drips at the bottom. “Keep the cup.” He handed me two dollars and a few dimes.

“Bye,” I said to him. I honestly hoped I never saw him again.

But, when I blinked, the boy was gone.