Page 10 - Contrast2005
P. 10
Mary tried not to let her anger in her head without counting the way
show, but she was tapping her pen veteran waitresses can do.
against the order pad. {un'l you see I
gol a mil/ionpeople 10 wuilon? "Yeah, you're covered. Would you
like everything on the dog?"
Her customer had a pocket-full of
change scattered on the table. "N ... No. Just mustard. Please."
"OK, Han. Mustard's on the table.
"How much is a ... a hot dog and I'll be right back with your drink."
... and a drink?" "Thank you," he said to the now
distant woman.
"Three-fifty, Han. Is that what you
want?" Mary swept around the counter,
slid a glass on the fountain, pushed the
"I ... 1 have to count my money ... " auto-fill, called "Order in," picked up the
He started to count, one - coin - at - drink and returned to the corner booth.
a - time.
Mary almost screamed. Hurry up/ She thought he was kind of cute,
dumnyou. like one of her teenage son's friends:
large, wide-set dark eyes and curly
Three booths away, Jerry, a regu- black hair. Certainly not a man, but too
lar, held up his coffee mug. Mary nod- worn and weary to be a boy.
ded to him, motioning with her order
pad and pen. Jerry half nodded his "Here ya go, Han." She noticed he
understanding. had the money counted out in neat little
square.
"I'm sorry ... I'm holding you
... up. Do I have enough money?" By the time he glanced up, she was
gone. He moved his comic book to one
Mary focused on the young man. side, carefully smoothing it flat. When
For the first time she really saw him, both hands were free of this task, he
sitting in the dark corner booth, and picked one hand, his right, and reached
began to understand. for the glass. Pulling it near, he used
both hands to lift, tilt, and drink, just a
"let me see. little.
Two fifty ... three ... thirty-
five forty-five ... " Mary saw the total
8 Contrast 2005
