Chapter 2: Flippin' Patties, Jocelyn, Night Shift
Today was a big day. I hugged my mom and my sister goodbye. I was moving only 30 minutes away, but it was the first time I was going out on my own. I had assumed the role as the 'man of the house'. I was not perfect, but I tried my best. My younger sister never knew her father, and my mother didn't have the best track record with relationships. I took the responsibility of providing, and nobody could tell me otherwise. I could not be a 'father' to my sister, but as a good brother, I tried my best.
I was moving in with my best friend that I've known since high school, but before my first night as an independent young man, I had to go to work. I was already wearing my uniform: a bright-red collared shirt, on the back in bold golden lettering: FLIPPIN' PATTIES. I got on my skateboard and rolled to work with slip-proof shoes in my backpack.
"Order up!" I shouted from the kitchen, setting the fresh burger wrapped in white paper on a red plastic tray. 8 patties were searing on the grill. It was a large rectangle divided by heat levels. Far left was high, far right was low where I kept burgers ready to be served out with the quickness. 10 minutes max holding time. Morning crew abided by this rule; night shift, not so much. I was the only nighttime employee that took pride in my craft. For $12 an hour, I broke my back every day for this company. Fresh food on a consistent basis, served quicker than the first time you busted a nut.
Flippin' Patties was a drive-through, so there were no seating arrangements inside. There was a drink section, where the beverages and shakes were made, and the kitchen section. The kitchen was tight, cramped, and sweaty. I got very good at moving sideways for 8+ hours a day, and despite walking sideways I'd still brush ass with my fellow cooks all the time.
"Not so bad with a female coworker…"
"Huh?" Andy replied.
"Oh, nothing man. Just thinking out loud."
Andy laughed. "Alright bro."
I took off my disposable plastic gloves and tossed them in the trash. The lunch rush was over. The busiest part of the day—morning to evening, around 6pm. After that it was wash the dishes, minimize the cooking utensils and count down the hours till closing time.
I laid my apron over the dishwashing station. "Ima smoke a stogie."
Andy raised a thumb into the air with his back turned, doing something on his flip phone. Throughout the night we'd be taking turns on who hold's down the fort while the other gets their nicotine fix.
If it was particularly busy, I'd stay close to the back door and speed-smoke. Today wasn't so bad, so I made my way behind the dumpsters and took a seat on the milk carton that made shapes on my ass after sitting for too long. Also a little bit itchy…
I heard the sound of wheels grinding over the asphalt, across the concrete cracks, then a screeching halt.
Jocelyn peeked her head around the corner, her long black hair drooping down.
"Hey hey hey," she flashed that devious smile I've grown to adore.
I repeated her greeting, "Hey hey hey," and she giggled. Her cheeks were always pink against her pale skin. Jocelyn stepped off the concrete and wobbled through the rocks and dirt. She took a seat on a sturdy tomato box.
Jocelyn was one of the few carhops that wore roller skates to work. She complained that it made her feet hurt after 4 hours, but she always got more tips. Jocelyn was tall, with legs so long they could wrap twice around me. It was especially noticeable in her skates that acted like high heels or stilettos. I always had to look up as she towered over me. It was a nice dynamic between us.
She straightened out her legs, crossed her ankles and took out a cigar-shaped tube from her pocket. Inside was not a cigar, but a joint. To the uninitiated, it appeared as a cigarette with no filter. At this point in time, dispensaries were not so commonplace and it was still illegal to partake in the green stuff.
I continued puffing on my cigarette while she sparked the joint that reeked like a skunk. Sip, inhale, she held her breath and reached the joint over to me. I grabbed it with my free hand then took a puff… To be honest, I wasn't that big of a weed smoker, but I wanted to impress Jocelyn…
I took another half-puff and coughed my lungs out. Jocelyn burst out laughing, yanking her head backward and cracked her skull on the stone wall.
"Aw, fuck!" Her hand covered the pain as she leaned forward, still laughing through the sting.
"You-you-you ok?" I said, clearing my throat. I swallowed. I was already stoney baloney.
"I think so." Jocelyn checked her hand for blood. "Yup, all good."
Jocelyn noticed my extended hand. She took the joint and saw my face.
"Aww, are you ok?"
My face was flushed. I really shouldn't have taken that second hit.
"All gravy… in the Navy," I replied. Jocelyn giggled, took a final hit and scraped the ember against the stone wall. She put the black-tip joint in the tube and in her pocket. She looked down at the ground and began laughing again. I didn't notice I dropped my cigarette when I hacked up a lung. Jocelyn squeezed her knees together and hugged her own waist as she kept laughing.
"Oh, shit," Jocelyn wiped her eyes dry. "You're so funny."
"Thanks," I replied, a little embarrassed… I peeked around the concrete wall and saw a row of cars in the drive-through. Me and Jocelyn looked at each other in horror. She laughed, but me? The paranoia was kicking in.
The blaring sound of buzzers could be heard from the back room. I rushed inside and grabbed my apron, leaving it untied for now.
BEE BUR BEE BUR BEE BUR over and over again.
I took command of the fryer station and shut off every alarm and lifted the baskets from the fryer oil. Andy was wrapping up tens of burgers. The screen depicting our orders was stacked and I didn't know where to even begin. When it got this bad, I would just make sure to throw everything onto one red tray and have the carhops divvy up the rest.
"Order up!" I said, my voice shaky.
"About damn time," Andy said.
"My bad, dude…"
"You're good, just let me take my break now," Andy said as he finished the last burger wrapping. "Everything should be made already."
I nodded. Andy took his apron off and went out the back door. I watched Jocelyn bagging the orders with a smile on her face.
She skated to the final customer's car and got a gracious tip. These were the days when people still carried cash. As she rolled back inside, she brushed her sweaty hair and let out a feminine "whoo". The AC felt good against her skin. She rolled toward the kitchen and saw my bloodshot eyes staring at her from afar. Oh man. I felt like a creep. I flinched and looked away.
Normally I play it cool, give her a subtle head nod or make a funny gesture of some sort… But that weed gave me rapid-eye-syndrome. I felt terribly paranoid, like everyone was looking at me, so I tried my best to appear normal, which ironically made me look even more blitzed.
I was scrubbing the grill and Jocelyn rolled next to me, slowing down her approach in case of any oil splatters on the ground.
"Soo…" Jocelyn stared down at her skates briefly, then looked up at me. "Why were you staring at me with those red eyes of yours?"
I brushed my eyelids with my wrist as if it would erase the red pigment. Jocelyn flashed her teeth at me, her cheeks lighting up even more pink.
I hesitated and looked away… Confidence, I thought to myself… I forced myself to look in those blue eyes of hers. "I was looking at you."
Jocelyn raised both eyebrows with a cheeky grin. "Well, duh." She lightly pushed my shoulder. I had to make a move. It was written all over her face. Even a virgin like me knew when a girl was being flirtatious.
"Do you wanna go out tonight?" I said, diverting my eyes toward the grill… I forced myself to look back at her. She was squinting her eyes while maintaining that wide smile.
"I'd love to, but I can't."
My heart dropped into my stomach and came out of my ass. I had never hung out with Jocelyn after work because I was too much of a poon to ask. I should have known better…
"Buuut, it is my birthday, and I'm having a party tonight," she tilted her head and looked at me invitingly.
"What the fuck?" I said. Jocelyn raised one eyebrow. "Sorry, I didn't know it was your birthday. Happy birthday."
"Thanks. I turned 19 today."
I thought she was at least early 20s. We were the same age.
"What?" Jocelyn said. I shook my head.
"Nothing. I just thought you were older. I mean, you act mature… For your age. And not just the smoking stuff."
I was losing the girl, I thought. Jocelyn rolled a little closer, intimately close…
"Give me your phone." I obeyed.
Her phone vibrated with a message from mine.
"I'll text you my address later." She smiled then rolled away. My heart was like a submachine gun. I turned back toward the grill and saw the black streaks had solidified. I poured more oil on the grill and scrubbed again, making sure to finish the task this time.
Andy walked in from the back door. "Any customers?"
"Nope."
"Alright," Andy looked up at the clock. 4:04pm. "Time for me to clock out."
Fist bump. Night shift was me and Ariel, the store owner.