“Well, enjoy your lunch. I hope it’s to your satisfaction.” She was finished with him and was departing when he called her back.
“Excuse me, Sara. May I get a take-away plate?” he asked. “I have to be somewhere.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll wrap it up for you then,” she replied after a moment of hesitation. She stepped back, took the plate, and walked away. She returned quickly with his food nicely packaged in a Styrofoam plate in a plastic bag.
“I put some ketchup on the side. I have a feeling you like ketchup,” she said as she handed the bag to him. She had a little more than a hint of a smile on her face.
“Thank you,” Nick said as he slipped her a few hundred dollar bills as a tip when she wasn’t looking. He didn’t look back to see her reaction as he walked to the door. He would see her in a few days. No need to push any more buttons.
SARA
When the man left, I went back to wipe the table and pick up the tip I had seen him leave. In as much as I didn’t want a tip from him since I hadn’t done much, my salary was minimal and I had to make up my earnings with tips. I assumed he had left a couple of dollars, and even though it wouldn’t do much for me, it could at least add to my savings for gas money that week. I picked up the loose change and the cash. Five hundred dollars!
My first instinct was to run after him and return the money because it had to be a mistake. He must have meant to drop five singles and had inadvertently left five hundred-dollar bills. I looked up, but he was already out the door. I ran out to catch him.
“Excuse me,” I called, but he didn’t hear me with the distractions and noise of the busy street. “Hey, Mister!” I called even louder, but he had already crossed the busy street.
I tried to follow him, but a bus slowed right in front of me. I waited for the bus to come to a complete stop so I could navigate around it, but I was too late. Before I could get to the other side of the road, his sleek limousine had pulled out.
I looked at the money in my hands, wondering how I could return it to him, but a thought hit my mind. The money wasn’t a mistake. The man wore a Rolex and had a limo. He probably had meant to tip me the exorbitant amount, which I was not opposed to. What I would be opposed to was if his rich ass came back wanting more from me. I debated what to do with it. It was legitimately mine; I had earned it as part of my privileges of serving Mr. Rich. Even though I thought it was way too much, I decided to accept it. My rent was due and the money would go a long way to subsidizing it. And even if I didn’t have impending rent, I had a party to go to.
Amy had promised to shop for me, but I couldn’t leave everything up to her. I needed to pay for some stuff myself. I took a second look at where his limo had been parked, which had been quickly replaced by two cars. It was almost as if he hadn’t been there. I whispered a thank you to no one in particular, pocketed the money, and went back to work.
Throughout the rest of my work day, my mind remained on the stranger and how deeply he had looked into my eyes with his dark brown, sexy eyes like he could see the depths of my soul. I smiled as I remembered the way his lips had curved into a slight smile when he spoke. I bet those lips tasted like sugar, no honey. He had to taste like honey. Men like him didn’t taste any less sweet.
I needed to get a grip on myself. I almost poured coffee on a client while lost in my imagination. Mr. Rich had distracted me like no one else had. I got through the day like clockwork - smiling at customers, taking orders, serving food, cleaning up after them. Each time the door opened, I looked up in anticipation, expecting Mr. Rich to come through the door, but I was disappointed every time.
By the time evening rolled around, I was a hot mess. All I wanted to do was get home and sleep him off. I was probably never going to see him again anyways.
I didn’t have to work the next day, and though I would have liked a chance to go in just in case he showed up again, common sense told me a man like that had more to do with his weekends than come to a deli chasing after a waitress, if that was what he was truly doing.
After tossing around on the bed for a few hours and getting nowhere with my day, I decided to get up, shower, and take a walk. My walk didn’t clear my head like I hoped it would. Thoughts of Mr. Rich kept playing like a movie. After a few miles, I gave up and walked home, put my PJs back on, and got back into bed. I had more important problems than my raging hormones to worry about. I had yet to solve the problem of what to do about the stupid elite ball I had no business going to. Funny how I could still be influenced by peer pressure even as an adult!