Page 28 of Captain Santiago and the Sky Dome Waitress
“Oh, Ollie! What’s going on?” Lucie whispered.
Olivette wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. “There’s nothing you can do about it, Lucie. Don’t worry about it.”
“It looks like you’re doing more than enough worrying for everyone. Is the restaurant in trouble, Ollie?”
Olivette gave a great sniff and tried to laugh.
“I mean…we’re always so busy. Are you charging enough?”
Olivette sat back and looked at Lucie with a fondness that made Lucie feel both small and warm at the same time. “You don’t get it, do you? Of course we’re busy all the time. Everyone wants to eat here. The view, the food, the coffee and the friendly waitresses. How do you think I can pay you so much? Any eatery down on the plaza level pays next to nothing.”
“I know,” Lucie said. “I still can’t figure out why you hired me. You could have your pick of wait staff. Anyone would work for the wage you pay.”
“I picked you because you’re sweet and kind and everyone just wants to hug you on sight,” Olivette said. “Everyone can see you’re fresh as a daisy, with that blush of yours and your earnest need to make everyone happy. Who cares if you mix up the orders a few times until you figure it out? And you did figure out it, really fast, which I knew you would. It’s that digital side of your brain.” Olivette dropped more shards on the tray.
Lucie sat back on her heels, flummoxed. “I don’t understand,” she said at last.
Olivette shook her head. “Of course you don’t. You might remember it from when you were running a city, but it’s purely intellectual. Or maybe you just didn’t bring that memory over. It’s not fun stuff.” Olivette waved her hand around. “This is prime real estate, Lucie. Any business operating up at this level is guaranteed to make money.”
“Okay?” Lucie said.
“So someone else wants the spot.” Olivette said. She reached for another big chunk of white porcelain. “They made me an offer through intermediaries, six months ago. It was paltry and I refused. Since then, they’ve upped the offer every month until last month, when they said it was their final offer. It still wasn’t enough for me to walk away from the revenue this place brings in.”
Lucie was beginning to see the shape of it. “They’re trying to force you to sell.”
“At the original price,” Olivette said.
“Sona Shearer!” Lucie cried. “That’s why she tried to trash the joint!”
Olivette sighed.
“And why you wouldn’t press charges!” Lucie added. She looked around at the small ocean’s worth of broken plates. “They came here again this morning.”
Olivette got to her feet. “They won’t hurt you. They won’t hurt any of us. But they’re doing their best to ruin the reputation of the restaurant. Make sure no one wants to come here, so that revenue drops, and I’m forced to sell. If people are too scared to eat here, Iwillhave to sell.” She brushed her hands on her apron. “I’ll get the big vacuum. It should be able to pick up what’s left.”
?
Lucie worked and worried. And each morning Elijah was in the city, she would chat as she served him breakfast, and would linger while he finished his coffee. At the same time, she tried to make sureeverycustomer was happy and stuffed full, and urged them to return tomorrow.
The forty-day lease on her apartment was three days away from ending and the tension in her middle never seemed to go away. The slightly ill feeling lingered like a cloud, which she tried to ignore so that she could be the sunny, happy waitress Olivette needed.
But when she got home after her shift, she couldn’t eat. There were rocks in her stomach, ruining her appetite.
“You have to eatsomething, Luce,” Barney urged her, as she headed listlessly for the bedroom.
“I don’t, actually. The human body can go three weeks without calories.”
“You’ll go into autophagy before then!” Barney cried. “You’ll start consuming your own organs! And you paid ransom money for that body!”
“It’s just one day, Barney. I just need a complete day of rest, or something.” She curled up under the covers.
Barney’s voice came from the screen emitter by her bed, which made it sound like he was right next to her, crouched down and examining her face. “Do you want to watch that video again? The transit hall one?”
Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, making her eyes ache. “No, Barney, I don’t.” Elijah had done nothing but chat with her for ten days. The hope she’d clung to had evaporated.“In three days’ time I’ll be on the liner for Nicia.” It was the only choice she had.
Perhaps Barney guessed, in the way an AI could string together algorithms and make hypotheses, what was going through her mind. “He didn’t say anything, Luce?”
She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth until she could speak without blubbering. “No.”
