Chapter 3: Chapter 2 - A Puff of Smoke
Kyle stood speechless holding the ten dollar bill, the chime on the door still vibrating from its sudden movement.
"Huh," she breathed as air returned to her lungs. That smile was enough to knock the wind out of anyone. She bit her bottom lip to stop her thoughts from going any further. Slowly, she made her way to the register, pulling his check from the book of receipts, lost in her own thoughts of the firefighter's smile.
She walked up to the large woman sitting behind the register. The apples of the woman's rosy cheeks partially hid her bright hazel eyes. A pair of gold framed reading glasses clung to the end of her rounded nose, thin gold chains wove their way from the corners of her glasses through the her reddish blonde hair. They exchanged polite smiles through the gaggle of gossiping waitresses.
"Oh don't you worry sweetie," a short woman with blue tinted hair and pink lipstick said in between cracking her gum, "He'll be back. He's always in here; all of the firemen are. Never seen him smile like that, though."
"So close to the station, they are always around. Come to think of it, neither have I," another one with curly black hair with silver glasses finished.
"Oh, if I were a few years younger," the blue haired waitress started. They all erupted into clucks of mischievous laughter.
"Here you go darlin'" said the one she had handed the check and cash to. She was now handing her back six dollars. "Four dollar check and a six dollar tip, not too shabby for your first night."
Kyle smiled, "Thank you, ma'm."
"Oh, darlin', none of that ma'm crap here," she smiled through issuing the reprimand. "Name's Mary." She extended her pudgy hand. Kyle took it appreciatively.
"I'm Kyle."
"What an odd name for a girl," said the blue haired woman taking her hand as it was offered to her, "I'm Florence, just call me Flo though."
"I'm Louise," the black haired woman with silver glasses, said while vigorously shaking Kyle's hand. "Everyone calls me Louie though."
"Oh, is this the new girl?" a woman said breathlessly joining the banter at the front desk. Her skin was like hot chocolate, strands of grey streaking her black hair. "I'm Michelle."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Kyle said with a smile.
"This your first waitressing job, Kyle?" Mary asked.
"No ma'am, I mean Mary. I have worked at a few restaurants and diners."
"How come you aren't working the day or night shift with the rest of the other young things?" Flo asked, while the others tsked at her.
"I go to school and work another job in between classes, graveyard just fits me better."
"When do you sleep darlin'?" Michelle asked, gently touching her arm.
"On buses and bank holidays," she said shrugging, "I gave up on sleep a long time ago. I'll work hard now and sleep later."
All of the other waitresses fussed over Kyle for a few more moments before they broke up and went back to their stations. She now had many mother hens. Some girls would have balked at the idea, but Kyle found it comforting.
She made her way back behind the long laminate counter to clean the area where her customer had been. After clearing the dishes and depositing them in the kitchen sink, she made her introductions to the cook and dishwasher.
Kyle had been working some sort of night job consistently for the past 3 years. She went to classes during the day and worked in the evenings and at night. Sleep was a luxury lost long ago. When there was a break in semesters or during the summer, she usually picked up another job or two to save as much money as possible.
Along with sleep went any sort of social life. She had a small group of friends who understood. The people who hadn't supported her had fallen to the wayside. She was halfway through her second to last semester and was feeling pretty beat down. Three years of work had taken its toll on her mind and body. But a few more months and she would graduate, hopefully get a real job, move out of the old neighborhood and start a new life.
Kyle wiped her rag over the counter a few more times and picked up the paper the fireman had left behind stowing it behind the counter. She knew that the graveyard shift had its lulls, so she would need something to help pass the time later.
Her station clean, she busied herself with whatever else she could find to do around the diner. Kyle knew keeping busy made the time go faster and kept her mind from wandering. It also kept her from falling asleep standing up.
"Trying to make us look bad," accused Flo.
"No ma'am, just trying to stay awake," she said with a confident smile that the veteran Flo had to respect.
"Well, save some energy, little girl. The bar crowd comes in about 2:30am and you'll need all the spunk you can get."
"Thanks for the warning."
Flo was not exaggerating. At 2:30am the chime on the door could not keep up. Even on a Thursday night, the diner was bustling with an inebriated crowd. She found herself more than once looking towards the door, hoping to see the silent firefighter.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone