Chasing Kiarra

“Belle!!! ”

The roaring voice of my boss rang out through the dinner, just as I was refilling one for the regular customers coffee mug.

“Uhh someone’s in trooouble” Joe laughed as I just rolled my eyes.

“Who knows Joe, maybe he finally realizes my name is just the perfect alternative to swear words.” I shrugged my shoulders and gave the middle aged man a wink before making my way back to the kitchen.

“Ha he’s known that since he hired you honey. I haven’t heard him say fuck in a month. But that last name of yours seems to be his knew favorite word” I heard him laughing from behind me. Like a lady, I gave him the finger without turning around and continued to make my way towards the kitchen where I knew I would find my boss, tomato red with visible steam coming out of his ears.

I didn’t really care that much, this was just a temporary place to be anyways. Marlin’s Diner, that was placed at the edge of town with a maximum of 50 customers per day, wasn't exactly where I planned to have my dreams of being a full-time waitress at minimum wage fulfilled.

As suspected I found my fat old boss standing with papers in his hand, red as a tomato and steaming like a kettle about to whistle.

“What’s up Boss?” I gave him an innocent smile, which I wasn't really using ironically since I had no idea what had gotten his panties in a twist this time.

Last time it had been because I had forgotten to take out the trash after a 12 hour shift, the time before that was because I had gone on a rant in front of a customer. Excuse me but if someone answers my “anything else I can get you sir ” with a condescending answer about giving him a blowjob behind the diner, I tend to go a little psycho. Sue me, at least I didn’t get physical.

So my point was that my boss got angry at anything. I could’ve forgotten to put in the last 1 of the 5 sugar cubes in his morning coffee and he would be a dick about it.

“Explain to me Belle, what the fuck is this?” He shoved the pieces of paper into my hands and I could see his veins throbbing in his forehead.

I sighed and took a look at the papers. I read the first few lines and looked back up at my ass-hat of a boss and rolled my eyes.

“This is obviously a lawsuit being filed at the diner, so what?” I knew what was coming next and I was already packing up my stuff in my head, thinking about where my next stop would be.

I may need to find a more friendly town next time. This hasn’t been the worst, but definitely not the best I’ve been in either.

“This is a lawsuit against my dinner because you chose to fling hot fucking coffee at a customer!.” At that point Marlin was fuming.

I found it funny more than threatening though.

Actually it was hilarious.

Picture a walking tomato at about 5 feet tall, rounder than that, and so fuming and steaming that at any minute there was gonna be ketchup all over the walls.

I snickered at that thought. Bet it would be my job to clean up the mess.

“Yes well if you remember correctly, the guy smacked my ass and called me sweet cheeks, which by all accounts is sexual harassment. If I’m not mistaken you told the fucker to get the hell out of the diner and told me that I did nothing wrong. So. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is this fucking lawsuit I now have against the diner Belle! Your temper is gonna cost me! And I’ll be damned. If you don’t sit in front of that jury and tell them all that the bastard basically raped you, I will make sure that you spend the rest of your life repaying me”

I just stood there looking at the short fat man that had been paying my checks for the past month and I felt absolutely nothing, except for impatience to get on with it.

“Sure Marlin, but I need to get back out to the customers now. Oh and don’t forget I get my weekly pay today” I said as I walked back into the diner.

No use in arguing about the court stuff, I wasn't going to be there anyway. I just needed my last paycheck before packing up and leaving my resignation.

The good thing about me never staying one place for long was that I never got past the first two months of training in the job, so last minute resignations wasn't a big deal.

The rest of the day went by like usual. A few customers here and there.

When the clock finally said it was 8 pm I was happy to see Charlotte walking through the doors to take over for the night shift.

“What happened to Marlin?” Charlotte was tying her apron while looking mildly amused at me and back towards the kitchen.

“Ah nothing much. The pervert from the other day filed a lawsuit based on nothing. Marlin is using it to get a payday out of it.” I shrugged my shoulders and gave her a smile.

It was true that Marlin was using it to get a little extra cash. He could’ve fired me if he didn’t think he could win the lawsuit and settle it that way.

But since there were hidden cameras in the diner, which the pervert obviously didn’t know about, Marlin could counter it with a sexual harassment complaint.

I wouldn’t be here for it though, so it would be settled with no payout or payday for Marlin. He wouldn't be too happy about that but honestly, the ass-hat shouldn’t try to use sexual harassment as a payday anyways.

Charlotte frowned for a second, before she literally turned it upside down and laughed out.

“That would do it. Well I’m ready to start working so you head home hon’. Sleep tight! ”

And with that she picked up the coffee pot and went around to the 3 customers in the diner asking asking if anybody needed refills.

Before heading home I made sure I got my last paycheck from Marlin whose mood had turned from boiling to brewing, probably contemplating what to do with all the money he wasn’t gonna get.