Really Something Good(Sean)

[Deleted]

Angie shrugged her shoulder up, giving it a rub with her opposing hand as she walked down the main aisle of the diner carrying a near empty pot of coffee in the other. Another day, another day. But it was coming up on the weekend when she'd be able to work a shorter shift and spend most of her days at home doing whatever she will. Maybe they could make a day drip to the lake and just...hang out by the water all day? If it was warm enough, they could bring their swimsuits! Oh, that was definitely a plan!

The curly blonde was already smiling with glee at the thought, her step gaining a slight bounce in it as she rounded back behind the counter and set the pot back on the burner. She continued to set the brewer to make another fresh pot then relayed the next set of orders to the grumpy old puss that worked the grill in the back.

Business was going pretty quickly this afternoon, but that was to be expected. They often got a crowd with the rush hour traffic, lots of Pilot Ridge residents had their day jobs in the city, in Burlington, rather here in this small town. They were all coming home now, which meant that there were a lot of people with the afternoon munchies. You know, that time when you get hungry and it's not quite time for supper yet? Even if it was a quick snack, there was always somebody ordering something every few minutes at this time of day.

But it certainly was busy. And absent-minded Angie just couldn't keep up with everything. They really needed to hire one or two more workers for the afternoon shift already. Angie was called away to another table who'd just sat down and take their drink orders. By the time she came back to the drink counter...

Oh, no!! The coffee!!

Silly little Angie had accidentally set the brewer to make a full pot of coffee over a pot that had just a little too much in there. Truthfully, they were supposed to pour out the old pot so that this didn't happen, but when in a rush, sometimes they tried to fit the remains of the former pot in with the fresh brew. Most of the time, it worked out okay. But this time...the whole thing overflowed...and it was still going! Oh, dear! And the chime on the door rang again, indicating that there was yet another person waiting for her service. "I'll be right with you, hold on just one moment!" she practically hollered out from behind the counter as she grabbed a couple of white wash-clothes and started dabbing away at the super-hot, overflowing coffee.

And it was still coming out! oh, no! What should she do, Angie was so going to get fired over this!

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean did not commute to his job, unless one counted driving from one side of town to the other, where Hammel was located. He was fortunate enough to live close to his workplace, which was particularly important given the sub-standard state of public transportation in small-town Vermont. Even Burlington paled in comparison to some metropolises (if one could call it that) of similar size, and certainly when compared to cities like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

Still, the telepath worked hard at his job. With only one month left in the term, he had to balance scheduled sessions with pre-graduation evaluations, with pre-graduation administrative duties, and with planning for the end of the term and the commencement with the Student Activities Council. All of that while assisting with his partner’s political campaign and while planning for the LGBT prom at the Youth Center.

Sean worked hard, and, as a result, he believed that he was as entitled to coffee and pie as the next person in Pilot Ridge. Perhaps slightly more so, not due to merit as much as need, since his psychic powers resulted in his brain’s increased need for glucose, and because caffeine helped to counteract headaches, as well as keeping him perky.

The psychiatrist had frequented this diner for years. Its location was convenient, it was 24-hours, which meant that he could go whenever he needed, regardless of the hour, and, as far as he was concerned, it had some of the best pie in the state.

He could wait for that pie. Even if he had not possessed his seemingly superhuman patience, he could wait for that pie, because it was worth waiting for. So, when the smell of old, burning coffee reached his nostrils, coupled with hearing Angie’s somewhat frantic call to him, he understood that it might be a slower (and yet hectic) afternoon and early evening.

He accepted that. He was a regular, after all.

“There’s no rush!” He called back, to let Angie know that he would not grow agitated while he waited.

[Deleted]

Had Angie not been so frantic in trying to be superwoman, she might have noticed that is was the dear Dr. Sean Neville waiting up at the front, a man of understanding and patience. She remembered speaking to him on several occasions when she was a student, and then being pleasantly surprised to find he was a regular customer of the diner she had managed to land a job at a few months back.

Instead, Angie was flailing about, trying to soak up an overflow of hot(very hot) coffee that was pouring and steaming onto the burner and then to the floor with white towels that were sure to become stained brown by the time she was done using them for this. Which meant she would have to get the laundry started before the end of her shift and the night crew came in to take over. They told her she had to do it, even though it was a night shift task. Dummies, they just didn’t want to do any work, well, Angie didn’t either! Dummy-heads!

Angie took a deep breath, trying to get the prickling in her eyes to subside while she attempted to think of what to do next. Carefully, she gripped the handle of the coffee pot with one of the unused washcloths and set it upon one of the other burners(which was currently turned off. Droplets of brewing coffee continued to pour out, so she grabbed an empty pot from the top burner and held it underneath, while using her other hand to soak up the rest of the coffee that had spilled onto the device before finally setting the new pot down once the undersurface was dried. She knelt down and draped the washcloth over the spill on the floor, letting it soak up the remaining liquid and shuffled it about with her shoe. It’d probably be okay to leave it just like that. The spill wasn’t going anywhere.

With that, Angie finally dusted herself off, fixed her hair and wiped the dampness from her eyes before poking her head out from behind the wall to greet the new customer with a deceptively bright smile. “Hello! Welcome to Bessie’s” That’s when she realized who it was. “Ohh, Hi doctor! How you doing? It’s great to see you today!” Her smile became more genuine in that moment, pleased to see a friendly familiar face. “Are you by yourself?” she asked, blinking about and around for a possible companion of the psychiatrist.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean had nothing but admiration for food service employees. The psychiatrist had never had to work in a service job (while his profession involved working directly with other people, neither psychiatry nor medical internships qualified as the service sector), and he remained aware of his privileges there. Particularly in this harsher economic reality, he understood the various pressures. As such, he remained patient, trying to give Angie the ability to fully concentrate on the coffee and other tasks at hand.

He was still only in his mid-fifties; as much as he might complain about knee and back pain to Josh in private, the telepath was more than capable of standing while he waited.

When Angie finally turned towards her, he offered the young woman a smile. “I’m doing well, Angie, and it’s great to see you too.” This was the truth; she was one of his favorite waitresses in Pilot Ridge, not merely at the diner. “And how are you?”

He could venture a guess, given the delay and her appearance; he could venture a more accurate guess with telepathy. However, he would prefer to hear her self-assessment while engaging in conversation.

His smile became slightly self-deprecating at the question. “I’m afraid that I am alone today.”

[Deleted]

Angie had lots of experience in the service industry, albeit the actual service that she’d done was for a specific one person for several, several years. Back then she was always made to feel like a complete failure in her ability to serve others. Nowadays, Angie had a little bit more confidence, but it was days like today that seemed to give it a good swift kick in the tush, and every time it happened she felt like all she could do was pray to God that she didn’t lose her job over such a folly.

She tried to keep her chin up, though. No point in letting her shortcoming keep people from getting their coffee and pie. Angie offered the doctor a smile. “I’m…surviving,” she said honestly, a slight blush coming in her cheeks.

Angie’s smile reversed into a tight, disappointed frown. “Aww, that’s too bad. It’s alway funner to enjoy these things with someone else, I always say.” Angie snagged a menu from behind the register and motioned towards the seating area. “Sorry, we don’t have too much free seating this afternoon, so I’ll have to set you up at the bar if that’s quite all right?” With most customers it was just fine, as she assumed it would be with a patient, flexible person like Dr. Sean Neville. But sometimes she did have the patron or two who demanded an entire table capable of seating a family of four all to themselves.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Surviving?” Sean repeated back to her. That was hardly a ringing endorsement for current events, and he wanted to check in with her. “When you get a free moment, we can talk.” That was an offer; the telepath wouldn’t force her to converse with him if she didn’t want to, and he was mindful of her busy shift. Still, the offer was there.

For the most part, Sean agreed; as a social individual, he enjoyed the company of others. The telepath went through periods wherein he preferred solitude, but coupled with that urge came the desire to remain at home. Rarely did he go out to eat in one of those moods; instead, he preferred takeout, if he could not muster the energy to cook.

“That’s fine,” the telepath assured her with a smile and a small shrug. He had sat at the bar and at the counter in this diner countless times over the years, and countless more in other establishments. His easygoing nature and low-maintenance level ensured his willingness to ease seating burdens when out alone. “Do you care which seat I take?”

If she preferred that he take an end, in case a couple came in, Sean was happy enough to do that. Otherwise, he might choose a center seat simply for the convenience.

[Deleted]

Angie just smiled. “Oh, it’s nothing as terrible as it sounds. I mean just living in general,” she tried to play it off. While her words were true, living in itself was a task that sometimes seemed more than she could handle. But maybe… “I have a break coming up pretty soon. Soon as my help shows up. I think she might be running a bit behind.” Especially since she was already 30 minutes late without any word of where she was or when she'd be there.

“No, whichever you like,” she insisted. If Angie needed him to move later, then she’d ask, but usually only single customers and couples used those seats. Even with the high volume of customers this time of day, she didn’t anticipate needing the extra space.

Angie waited for Dr. Neville to sit before placing the menu in front of him. “Can I get you something to drink to start off?” She looked at the crowd behind him. Angie would have to make a pass through the tables in a moment to touch up on coffees and waters.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“My offer is still on the table.” Sean was glad to hear that there was nothing acute affecting Angie, but he remained happy to listen and chat, if she was so inclined. Then, when she indicating that she had a break on the horizon, when her shift assistant arrived, he nodded. “You’re welcome to join me then.”

With the permission to sit where he liked, the telepath walked up to the counter and settled at the nearest center seat. Fortunately, although the diner was crowded, he had nobody on either of his immediate sides, which provided him with the necessary arm and leg room.

At the question, he nodded and replied, “Coffee, if you’ve sorted out that pot. Otherwise, I’ll take an iced tea.” He would prefer the caffeine boost that accompanied a fresh pot of coffee, but he knew that she had had difficulty with it, and further that she was short-handed. That had been the scene upon which he had entered when he had arrived mere moments ago.

Then, Sean picked up the menu and began to peruse. He had eaten at this diner so many times over the years that he nearly had the menu memorized. Still, they changed their daily specials, and he liked to take advantage of those.

[Deleted]

“Thanks!” she said, her smiling gradually brightening at the thought of such a nice gentleman being so courteous. Of course this wasn’t just any nice man we were talking about here, this was Dr. Sean Neville, from the Hammel Institute, her very own alma mater. The man had been there when she was still a very young thing at the school herself, and now he was overseeing the care of her own boy. Well, not directly, at least she didn’t think. He’d never said anything about going to see the gentle doctor for anything.

“Of course I have,” she assured him. “It was nothing at all, in fact, just a little slip up on my part.” Because it was busy and thus she hadn’t been paying nearly enough attention that she ought to have while working the machine. “I’ll be right back in a jiffy!” And so she was!

Angie practically skipped down the small lane behind the counter to the beverage area and promptly collected the freshly brewed coffee(it wasn’t ruined, just overflowed) in a normal sized mug and brought it down to the polite customer. “There you go, Doctor. Nice and hot. And fresh too.” She giggled at her little joke that wasn’t really a joke.

Her eyes made their way across the room again. “Why don’t you just take a look there and figure out what you gonna have. I’ll be back in a minute, okay?” She really was proud of herself, for being able to bounce back so cleanly after such a stressful blunder. Angie flew out from behind the counter to check up on the other tables, taking mental notes of what each wanted or didn’t want, then returned to the grilling area to pick up a few things, then made one last fly by through the diner before finally returning to check up on Dr Neville. “And how’re things going over here? You all ready?”

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean overheard her mental compliment, and he held back his smile. He appreciated the thought, even if it had not been articulated aloud; he did try his best to bring manners and understanding to others.

He smiled and reached for the coffee. “Thank you,” he replied, and he could tell the coffee was fresh before sampling it. Bringing the coffee nearer to his face, the scent of the fresh brew reached his nostrils, and he smiled wider. This was precisely what he needed.

“Of course.” Sean had long familiarity with the menu, as he had eaten at this diner so frequently over so many years. However, the specials changed daily and weekly, and it had been a while since his last visit. Despite the fact that the telepath was largely a creature of habit, he wanted to at least see the new items, in case those were enough to change the trajectory of his order.

He wanted pie. However, if there was something else on the menu, he might order that in addition to pie.

He had just closed the menu when Angie returned to his side. “I am. I know how this sounds, but I’d like a slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie and a side order of Farro salad.” Those were not typically flavors that went together, as Farro salad as grainy and savory, and pie was pie. He fully intended to wash the taste of one with his coffee before eating the other, but he did not often have the opportunity to eat Farro salad. Inwardly, the telepath was glad to see it under the specials list.

[Deleted]

So…table number one needed a refill on soda. Number two was fine. Number three and four needed ketchup and syrup respectively and….Mmm what did number five need? Shoot, Angie forgot. She’d have to make a run-around after checking back in with Dr. Sean and picking up his order.

Angie gleamed down at her old mentor, pleased that he was one of the good kinds of customers that came in here. These days, the kids(and even some adults) come in with their phones and silly electronics and spend then good part of 30 minutes diddling around on them before they even bothered to take a gander at the menu. Now she was all for the fun and games those things provided, but at least get your ordering out of the way first before you go checking out of reality. For goodness sakes! Now Angie knew it was her job to be waiting on the fine patrons of the diner, but customers like that were the reason why the diner got so hell of busy during these rushes. Well, part the reason. She couldn’t place all the blame on them, the customer was always right, after all. She just wished that there were more customers who were courteous and contentious towards their server’s plight.

Like Sean.

“Strawberry-rhubarb and Farro salad? Nothing strange about that at all, at least I don’t think.” Whatever strange combinations customers wanted to eat together was their business, after all. Who was she to judge? “I’ll get that right out for you as soon as I can.”

With that Angie whisked herself off to put in that order with the cook. She’d serve up the pie herself.

Angie had completely forgotten about table number five.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean also wished that more customers were courteous and contentious towards their servers’ respective plights. The telepath was fortunate in that he had never needed to work a service or retail job. He was a white-collar professional, the son of a white-collar professional. His job was respected by larger society, even if individuals and small groups denounced psychiatry as a sham or professed to be experts themselves with no training and no desire to use clinical methods. Despite that gulf between them, he was able to empathize with the people in the service industry, and by that same token, other people should be able to as well.

Still, he kept those thoughts to himself. Nobody needed to listen to him say that.

He smiled in gratitude when she took his order. “Thank you. There’s no rush.” He knew that it was busy, and he didn’t want her to feel additional pressure. Sean had nowhere to be for a while, which meant that he could relax, and that she could take her time.

Still, he looked forward to having delicious pie.

While he waited, he added the milk and sugar to his coffee to make it tolerable. Then he sipped and looked around the dining floor, to see who he recognized among the patrons today.

[Deleted]

Despite Sean’s good intentions, it was next to impossible for there the pressure to be lessened in this job. The customers were never going to go away, at least that’s how it seemed sometimes. The best she could hope for was a lull in the traffic, which still wouldn’t leave her much with time to just relax as she would then have other tasks to take care of quickly before another rush decided to roll through. There was always something to do, at least during the day. On night shift, there was practically nothing to do, which didn’t make it any better. Angie wasn’t sure which she preferred.

Angie wanted to take her time, though. Dr. Neville was a man who’d given her a lot of help and advice in the past over her specific situation. She was still trying to work past a million things all at once and sometimes it could be overwhelming. Perhaps that’s why she threw herself so completely into her work like she did. It was easier to deal with being overwhelmed by something like waitressing than it was dealing with her dark history. She didn’t have to think about it when she was working.

Angie rounded the counter and sent the order to the back for the farro salad, then grabbed a plate for the pie he requested. She cut it carefully, not wanting to lose too many of the strawberries and filling during the transfer from the pie pan over to the plate. She smiled when it was finally laid out successfully.

The farro salad would take a little bit longer. The bell rang for a couple other dishes that were ready and she nabbed them up in her arms and carried them out to their respective tables. She ended her run back at the front counter whereupon she picked up the pie she’d left in front of the case and set it out in front of the psychiatrist. “I hope you don’t mind me bringing this out first? The other will be done shortly.” Angie at him from across the counter.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Intellectually, Sean knew that any efforts he made were a drop in the bucket compared with the tidal wave of stress that was food service. Still, he had to do what little he could for Angie, as he did for all of his servers, because they were entitled to that much. He hoped that her other customers would treat her well for the rest of her shift, so that it could be easy.

He sipped his coffee while he waited, and then, when she arrived with his pie, the telepath gave her a smile. “It smells delicious,” he remarked, although he was not surprised. Pie was one of this diner’s many specialties. More than once, he had stopped by this diner entirely for a slice of pie, while waiting for someone, or if he simply needed a pick-me-up. “And of course I don’t mind.” He would far prefer to start eating pie than wait for the farro salad.

Of course, he also allowed his sweet tooth to make meal decisions for him.

He picked up his fork and took a small bite, smile widening at the flavor. He chewed and swallowed, before he remarked, “It’s even more delicious than it smells. My compliments.”

Before taking another bite, he asked, “When does your shift end?”

[Deleted]

Though, even if it didn’t help much, a kind and considerate customer like Sean was a blessing when faced with all those who weren’t the same. Sometimes, it was that one person who smiled, that one person who said something kind, that made the day that much better. And often, that’s what Angie tried to be for her customers, the one person who smiled and gave them hope of a better day, no matter what they were feeling.

“Excellent, I hoped it would,” she replied. Angie always did her best to make sure the pies served here were the best they could be. The boss had told her that they’d gotten much better since Angie was put in charge of creating the recipes. She didn’t always have the time for it, though, so that’s why she was told to teach it to the cooks on staff. That way they didn’t always have to be waiting on her to have time to make more for a restock.

“Thank you, I do my best.” Yes, this particular pie she had made, so that made the compliment even more special to Angie.

She shrugged. “I only have a couple more hours,” she explained happily, relieved that it was only just a little bit longer that she’d have to be working before she was allowed to go home and relax. “I get off at seven.” Angie smiled, wanting to engage in conversation just a bit longer before going back to her work. “How’s your work at the school? They treating you alright over there?”