A Victory Hard Fought
Sonya Byers was not your average college student, not by a mile. Between being on mathletes and being a cheerleader, her classes often defeated her mood way before her shifts at her family's restaurant.
Coming in at a near sprint, she burst through the back of house entrance and nearly slammed into her brother, Adrien.
"Woah there, Kentucky Derby, you're not even late!" Adrien was often the buffer between Sonya and her other family members. He was carrying a box with a whole hog inside of it for the event tonight.
"Sorry Adrien," Sonya said over her shoulder while she tied her apron on. "The subway was delayed." Her brother shook his head and pointed at the clock. Two PM on the dot, not a minute too late. Thirty minutes early, in fact. Sonya smiled at Adrien thankfully before clocking in and going into the kitchen.
The kitchen was an ever bustling place, Sonya often admired the zest of life that came with these shifts. She washed her hands and gloved up, heading over to the list that was stuck on the whiteboard next to one of the prep shelves. Tonight, she was exhausted, but she'd make it work until one of her siblings could relieve her. However long that would be, of course.
"Hey, Mali, what's left to get started on for the Eason party?" Sonya called. Mali didn't answer right away, but it wasn't long before she appeared at her sister's side. Sonya could tell her sister was also full of piss and vinegar today, as she often was during events.
"Adrien is taking care of the hog right now, but we have no bartender tonight." There was a hint of annoyance in her response and Sonya almost didn't ask which of the twins wasn't coming in for this event.
Almost.
"So if you'd rather bartend and do Tweedle Dumb's job than do a plate up, that's open."
"Which one is Tweedle Dumb, again?" Sonya forgot.
"Paola." Adrien called out on his way into dry storage. Mali threw a confirming glance at her siblings and put her hands on her hips. What was she going to do with those two? Being the oldest wasn't an easy task, but it was a newly necessary one. At least Vivianna was here. However, she was the hostess out front, so she couldn't very easily be called upon tonight. She wondered how her parents were doing.
"How many hands are on deck?" Sonya's question seemed to awaken Mali from a trance. Mali seemed to deliberate on this before answering.
"Not enough of them. "
"When is the plate up?"
"The Easons get here at seven o'clock tonight so plate up will be at about six thirty, so they don't sit in the hot boxes past seven thirty." Sonya wrinkled her nose and groaned.
"Fuckin' Paola." Mali simply nodded. Sonya then suggested closing the bar long enough for the plate up, then reopening it after. Private bookings and an open restaurant required lots of balance, especially nowadays.
As though he heard his sisters' collective sighs, Adrien came into the kitchen all bloodied and smelling of allspice and rum.
"Maybe the weather will slow them down." He said, optimistically. He was washing his hands as he listened.
"Locals sure, tourists on the other hand-" Mali started.
"No." Sonya said, finishing the sentence. "A rainy beach restaurant is exactly why those people come here."
Adrien laughed, "I thought they came for the Pasta Fagioli." The two women in front of him grimaced and then proceeded to work. He wondered if Paola skipped out to be with their parents instead of that dumb boy, this time. The way Viv was acting, that seemed to be the case.
He really hoped so. He moved out of the kitchen and onto the back patio to arrange the tables with Viv and one of the other employees who he wasn't related to.
When he got out there he saw that the other guy was alone and Viv wasn't around.
"Hey Frankie, where's Viv?" Frankie looked up at him from wiping down the tables and threw his hands up in surrender.
"She said your sister called and that it wasn't going to take long."
"Surely she doesn't mean Paola?"
"Paola is the one that is dating that creep from the university?" Frankie asked, tucking his towel in the waist of his apron. Adrien rolled his eyes, nodding in response. "Then that's correct information."
"I hate that it's this way and not that she was with my parents."
"I'd be with my parents for sure if my brother just got back from deployment utterly comatose." Adrien nodded.
"Eilian would kick her ass stupid if he found out she and Viv skip work for boys. I should myself, but alas." Frankie wasn't listening. Adrien followed his gaze and found it on his sister Sonya. "She won't give you the time of day, man. She's ambitious as hell and even more busy. Boys cry because of her." Frankie tore his gaze away from her and focused on Adrien.
"Good thing I'm a man and not a boy, then, right, Adrien?" Raising his eyebrows, Adrien nodded in response.
"If you think you can handle the other five of us and Sonya at work, let alone on a personal level, you've gotta be the one right? You've got my blessing. Mali is the one you're going to have to battle with."
"Mali thinks someone like me would be good for Sonya."
Adrien was beside himself. He agreed, but he didn't expect his eldest sister to fold so easily.
