Summer Doesn't Have to Suck

With the beginning of summer come the busiest months of the year for seaside towns like Coastal Shores, Florida. Each year thousands of tourists stream into the city to visit the beach, and when they get hungry they come to places like my aunt’s restaurant. With these big quantities of customers, that’s when my jobs as an errand girl and waitress intensify. Today is Monday, the day when things need to be done for this week to be successful. It’s also the day when I work until the story closes and the stars come out.

“Luna!” The voice came from my aunt, calling me from downstairs. The restaurant would open in about two hours and she wanted me up and about doing things right before it opens. “Come downstairs, I have your list for the day!”

I grabbed my backpack and ran downstairs and into the restaurant. The room already smelled like good Filipino food, almost ready for the lunch rush. Just a few things weren’t ready, and I would be the person to fetch the necessary ingredients to get those few things done. Tita was holding a list of tasks in her hand and I grabbed it quickly, rushing to the front door. “Bye Tita! I’ll be back before closing, I promise!”

I snuck a quick glance at the list, already knowing what the first task would be: getting groceries. I hopped onto the bike that was always left outside the restaurant and pedaled off into the world.

Coastal Shores, Florida is your average seaside town, famous for its white beaches and emerald-colored waters. Tourism made it a great location for restaurants and knick-knack shops. The constant flow of people and traffic made for a predictable lifestyle I could rely on. I liked being able to predict what I would do at any given time. I never really liked change.

I would know my routine for the day without having to look at my aunt’s list. I knew that the day would start off with trips to the oriental market and other stores and that it would end with me visiting grandma and giving her a plate of dinner.

Summertime gave me a sort of freedom that I could never get during the school year. Pedaling my bike down the streets gave me a sense of adulthood. I laughed, feeling the wind in my face as the wheels guided me to the grocery store.

Soon I reached the storefront of my favorite oriental mart. The lady who ran the shop, Rhonda, knew me well, as I would see her seven days a week. I looked at the list for the things Tita needed for the day. She needed a restock on ginger, lumpia wrappers, coconut milk, and a few other things.

“Hello, Auntie!” I called out to Rhonda, walking to the back. She wasn’t really my auntie, but she liked the nickname. She said that it helped her feel young.

“Good morning to you too, Miss Luna. What are you looking for today?” She smiled at me over the counter, getting the register ready for me.

“Just a few sauces and simple things.” My hands were already filled with soy sauce bottles, a few bags of Jasmine rice, and a few ginger roots. “Auntie Cora ran out of lumpia wrappers and ginger back at the restaurant.”

“Alright, if you can’t find anything on your own, just give me a call,” She replied. I heard the distinct ding of the register opening as I grabbed the last ingredient on the list. Glass bottles and essential cooking ingredients were stacked meticulously in my hands. I walked over the register carefully, not wanting anything to crash onto the tiled floor.

I set all the items at the counter, waiting for Rhonda to ring them up. I pulled my wallet out from my shorts pocket, using the allowance money I got at the beginning of each week.

“How’s your Auntie Cora doing, Luna?” She was punching numbers into the register, typing in the prices put on the bright orange labels.

“She’s doing pretty good. The restaurant’s been doing good, too. We’ve been getting a lot of positive reviews on yelp and all of that mess.” I watched as the bottles of soy sauce, mirin, and patis were being put in a big brown paper bag.

“I see that she’s still making you go run errands for her, huh? How old are you now, sixteen?” She smiled over at me, checking to see how tall I had become.

“Yes, ma’am. I just turned sixteen last May.” I saw the total on the register and began fishing in my wallet for the correct bills.

“Your total comes out to $17.53. I bet you have exact change, don’t you?” She was watching me meticulously picking out quarters, pennies, and one-dollar bills. If nobody was behind me in lines I would always try and get close to the exact change. Here at Rhonda’s, I was always one of the first customers.

“Yes, ma’am.” I laughed a little bit, fishing out the last three pennies. “Seventeen dollars and fifty-three cents.” She counted them out quickly before handing me the big brown paper bag that just fit in my bicycle’s basket.

“You have a good day, Miss Luna. And be careful on those roads!” I folded the top of the bag and walked out of the storefront.

“Thank you, you too!” I heard the little ringing of the store’s bells as I exited. Throwing the bag in my basket, I looked at the next item on the list. Tita was sending me to the florist to pick up some flowers for decorations. I pedaled my little bike down the steep road and headed on out to the flower shop on the corner of Main and 6th Street.

I visited the florist once a week and every single week I went to get the same bouquet of flowers, a mix of jasmine and chrysanthemums. Every week the transaction was quick, as the florist never really liked to talk much to customers. I would hand him the money and he would hand me the bouquet without so much of a “hello” being said. That’s just the way it went today.

Consistent events like visits to the grocery store and the florist gave me a sense of security. My summers here in Coastal Shores would never change. I would always be stuck to the same routine of running errands and helping in the restaurant, and I felt freedom in the normality. I felt almost like a normal person, even though I knew deep down inside I never was. Life with Tita Cora in the restaurant helped me escape the reality that I had strange abilities.

Behind the average city girl facade, I was just a freak of nature with an odd power. Ever since I was a little girl, I could manipulate people’s emotions and it scared me. Just a simple touch on someone’s skin gave me access to the thoughts and memories running through their minds. The thought of controlling someone’s emotions and thoughts had always freaked me out and made me too scared to use the strange abilities. Seeing the look on people’s faces when their deepest memories resurfaced had terrified me too much to take advantage of this. I thought about it on the bike ride back to the restaurant, and I shuddered at the mention of it.

It was eleven o’ clock by now and the restaurant had just opened, just in time for me to start helping out as a waitress. Parking my bike outside the restaurant and securely fastening it to the bike stand, I took all of the groceries and bouquets inside.

“Done with your morning duties already, Luna? You must have forgotten something.” Tita was behind the counter and next to the register, not believing that I could have made it to two ends of town in that amount of time.

“Tita, I bought everything on your list, I promise. I even got the bouquet with the exact ID number you wrote down.” I walked over to the counter and set the bag down, handing the bouquet over to my aunt. My hand briefly touched hers when passing it over, and a few memories of hers slipped into my mind. They were mainly memories of me; there were scenes of me forgetting to do my chores and leaving my room a mess. Freaked out by my powers surfacing, I quickly jerked my hand away.

“Something wrong, Luna?” I blinked my eyes a few times and shook my head, rubbing the back of my neck. “No no, it’s nothing, I promise. I, uh, better hurry up and get my uniform on, right?”

I started heading to the back to pick up the black apron I had to wear when waiting on tables and delivering food. It was where it always was, hanging on a coat rack right next to the washer and dryer.

“This is going to be your last day as a waitress, Luna, so enjoy it!” Tita called out to me from the kitchen. My fingers stopped right before they reached the cord of my apron. What in the world was she talking about? I slipped the apron over my neck and tied it around my waist, rushing back into the kitchen.

“My last day as a waitress? What in the world do you mean?” My short hair was bouncing back and forth, my steps hurried. Did something big happen while I was gone?

“Well, since you asked, Luna, I’ll tell you. I found a summer job opportunity for you that involves you getting out of the house.” A wad of papers appeared in her hands and she slapped them down in front of me. I could tell that it was paperwork from the jumbles of text demanding my personal information. A summer job, out of the house? This seemed to come out of nowhere.

“A summer job? What do you mean, Tita? I’m working full-time right here in the restaurant!” I spread my arms out, referring to my surroundings. What more could I ask for? The comforting interior of my aunt’s Filipino restaurant was the perfect place for me to be spending my summer break.

“Luna, we could use the extra cash around here. You know how I’ve been nagging for ages about needing a new register!” She pointed to the beat-up hunk of metal occupying a big chunk of counter space. “Besides, I think that this is a good opportunity for you to meet new people and get social.”

I looked distressed, trying desperately to find an excuse to not get a job anywhere else. She was right about the need for extra money, but she needed me here at the restaurant. The other members of the wait staff weren’t exactly the best helpers for her. I always felt like she absolutely needed me at the restaurant, but maybe I was wrong.

“Luna, don’t take things too personally. I’m going to miss having your help here at the restaurant, but this can be an exciting adventure for both of us.” She gave me a smile, patting my cheek gently with her hand.

“Well, when do I start this new job? What even is it?” I picked up the stack of paper, looking at all of the questions that were being asked of me. My eyes stopped when one of the questions read, “prior experience with children.” My grip tightened on the paper as I waited for the answer to come.

“There’s a camp being held at the college downtown. They need teen workers to help monitor the kids while they’re in classes.” She smiled at me, thinking that this job would really interest me.

“You got me a job as a babysitter?” I was incredulous. Surely my assistance was needed here more than it was needed at some kids’ camp!

“Not as a babysitter, but as a teaching aid! It would look great on your resumé, Luna, think about it!” I kept flipping through the papers, trying to find more things that would upset me. I hit the jackpot on the fifth page.

“Roommates? Tita, you aren’t telling me that I have to live over at the college, are you?” My eyes must have been as wide as dinner plates, but Tita didn’t care much for my whining.

“All of the volunteers are going to be living in college dorms throughout the duration of the program. It’s going to last at least five weeks and you will be staying for at least five weeks.” A smug smirk was on her face. To me, it just seemed so random. Why had she chosen this job for me? Where did she find the application for this?

“I mean, I’m thankful for the thought of you finding me a job, but why this? What made you think of this job for me?” I set the papers down, taking a deep breath. I rubbed my forehead, trying to take this all in.

“Because, Luna,” Tita said, choosing her words carefully, “They’re recruiting teen volunteers with special abilities that might aid in entertaining or monitoring the children.” My ears pricked up at the words “special abilities.”

“Wait, are you trying to tell me that the other workers have powers the same way I do?” I didn’t like talking about this one bit. I used this place to escape the reality of my abnormalities and now I would have to embrace them.

“Yes, Luna! Someone reached out to me and told me about the program. I definitely think that you could help with the kids! With your emotion-controlling powers, you could calm kids down and cheer them up! You’ll be like a mini-superhero.” She smiled at me, not wanting to hear another word out of me. “It’s been decided. Now go enjoy your last day before you pack up for camp.”

I was incredulous. Something was going to break my normal everyday routine, for better or worse. A change was coming into my life, a change I couldn’t stop. The opportunity of meeting and rooming with teens like me made me all the more stressed. What in the world was I getting myself into?