Drift by Manuel Luis Martinez

Author:Manuel Luis Martinez
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466889071
Publisher: Picador

CHAPTER 12

Marie is my favorite waitress, hands down. Not just because she has a beautiful face and a slamming body, but because she doesn’t kiss gut-ass like the others do, then come back to the kitchen and bitch and complain about them. Out of respect, I don’t rip off her tips. Those others, that’s a different proposition. Every time Flora brings her fat Filipino ass back to the kitchen and starts screaming that she needs help “right away” loud so that Ayala or Ponce can hear, I smile because I know I’m taking her shit to the cleaners whenever I get the chance. Delores, too, although she’s not as obnoxious as Flora. But she’s malevolent in her own way, always talking down to us when some fucking gut complains about no salt or that there’s a grease streak on the table. “You gotta keep things clean,” she’ll say, shaking her droopy little face so that her chin waggles like a chicken’s. She’s skinny and smells sour. I take her shit, too. Fuck ’em both. But Marie. She’s different. She gives me something to look forward to, something besides the home situation to think about.

One night I’m standing at the edge of the kitchen door during a momentary lull, waiting for some table to free up so that I can clean it. I’m the only busboy working because Tuesdays are dead-dog slow. Marie comes up and stands next to me, just taking a breather like. She leans up against the wall. I can smell her hair because she’s standing close. It smells like coconut. It’s straight, thick, reddish brown. It looks soft, like if you ran your hand through it, it’d make you feel like keeping it in there all night. “What are you thinking about?” she asks, a big sexy smile playing across her face. I can’t tell her that I’m thinking about running my fingers through her pretty hair so I say the first stupid thing that runs through my mind.

“I was wondering how high the center beam of the roof is.” I gesture up at the ceiling. Stupid, I know.

“Why are you wondering that?” she says, looking up at where I pointed.

“Oh, I play basketball and it just came into my head what an incredible leap it would be to be able to take a running start and just jump so high that I could touch it, maybe jump out of this whole building.”

She gives me a mercy laugh and bumps her hip against me. “I bet your legs are strong, aren’t they?” She gives me another smile and goes back to work. I look at her walk away. Even through that clunky uniform, I can see that she’s got the full package, and I’m thinking that there’s some chemistry thing going on between the two of us.

That night Marie trades with Flora so that she can close with me. I’m back there cleaning up, and Marie comes in and stands against the wall.

“You need any help?”

“I can handle it,” I say, sweating my ass off.

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