Chapter 104: Roberta
After delivering a cup of hot coffee to a customer, Emily made her way to the counter and leaned against it, just a few days at the diner and she was already getting the hang of things. Her accuracy when it came to things like taking orders had increased, and though she often made a few mistakes here and there, thanks to her not getting as much sleep as she needed, it was never anything that could not be easily corrected. She also moved faster now, whether she was carrying plates laden with food or not, her speed had greatly improved.
While it was not something that she saw herself doing long term, Emily enjoyed the job, even if she had to wear a truly awful looking purple uniform. Not only were the tasks mostly dependent on muscle memory, she actually enjoyed serving people. And not just any random people either, but the people who she had come to realize would now be her regulars, since they came in quite a lot. She and the regular patrons never really talked about anything in particular, but the little that she knew about them was more than enough in her book. They had a special bond that only people who only ever saw each other outside of normal hours could.
There was the single dad who came in almost every night like clock work, his name was Ethan, and he used the free Wi-Fi at the diner to study while being sure that his baby was relatively safe in the baby chair that the diner provided. He had shared with her that the change in scenery helped him study, and also kept his sweet little girl, Ella, occupied while he was busy. Sometimes when Emily was just going about her work, she would look up to find Ella looking at her, the baby sending her a sweet mega watt smile before turning back to her toys. The tiny gesture making Emily want to coo.
There was also Marcus, the elderly gentleman who came in to read his books. He never really said much, he would just give his order. Then once it came he would eat it slowly while reading, and then when he was done, he would close his book and go. He never forgot to say thank you, and he was also a big tipper. Marcus gave Emily the impression of someone who was not really outgoing, but still enjoyed being among people, she liked that about him.
Then of course, there was miss Beth, Beth was the exact opposite of Marcus, she talked a mile and minute. From the moment she walked in, to the moment she left, the woman was never silent. Somehow she managed to even keep talking with her mouth shut while she chewed. It was a skill that Emily had never seen before, and she often had to remind herself not to stare no matter how curious she was.
And just as she knew a little something about the regulars, even though they did not share their personal lives with her. Emily had also shared something with them. The name tag that she had been given had been made for someone named Roberta, and rather than let them think that it was her name, she had told them her real one. It was worth it, seeing the way the regulars would share a smile with her whenever those who were not regulars called her Roberta. Plus having some people know her real name made her feel seen.
But as much as she enjoyed certain parts of the job. When it came to dealing with certain types of people, she did not enjoy the job at all. And Emily had quickly come to realize that, despite all the good that they did in keeping the community safe, police officers were her least favourite customers.
The older detectives were grouchy, and were constantly looking around like something was about to jump out from the shadows and attack them. It was like they were either waiting for a fight, or waiting to start one, sometimes even looking at Emily, and the food she had brought with suspicion in their gazes. Those who were around her age often tried to ask her out, and were often visibly offended when she said no. They thought very highly of themselves, almost as though administering the law gave them immunity from having to follow it. But there were never any unwanted touches, so she could deal with them, besides, they never really stayed long so she did not have to keep faking a smile for them, for more than a few minutes at a time.