Hello my friends. It’s Saturday and time for another chapter. I found myself contemplating scraping this book and starting a different one. But, I told myself I wasn’t a quitter and I would press on. After all, I’m still learning to write this genre. Guess I’m used to more action in my writing. Well, let’s see what I can come up with in Chapter 4 of What Would You Do.
Chapter 4
“Order up for table five!” Daniel peered through the window, looking to see if the correct waitress had heard him. It was busy at the diner that day and between the jukebox and the customers it was hard to hear much. Tessa appeared at the window.
“Table five, right?” He nodded and she took the two plates and headed into the dining room. Daniel couldn’t help but smile as he turned back to helping the kitchen staff. Tessa was the youngest waitress at the diner. In fact, she was the youngest employee. Most teens didn’t want to work at the classic diner due to how old school it was. They used older tills, notepads instead of iPads, and played older music. Even though she was the youngest, Tessa was his hardest worker. When she asked for more hours over summer break, he was more than happy to grant her wish.
Tessa approached the table of an elderly couple, placing the plates of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and toast in front of them. They both smiled up at her.
“Do you need anything else?” Shaking their heads, the couple began to eat as Tessa bustled over to another table, piling the dirty dishes and balancing them before heading back through the swinging door into the kitchen. “Here you go Travis. How are you managing?” Travis, the dishwasher on shift, looked up from the sink, soap suds in his greying beard.
“I’m doing alright, little missy. Don’t you worry about me. Though I could use some more coffee.” She smiled.
“Coming right up.” Plucking up his travel mug, she went to the front and started another pot of coffee as she emptied one into his mug. One of the older waitresses walked over.
“Hey Tessa, Madison called in sick. Again. Would you want to stay a few more hours till I can get someone else in.” Tessa nodded.
“For sure Meredith. I can stay till four if that helps. I’ll just need to text my parents to let them know.” The older woman sighed with relief.
“Thanks hun.”
What Would You Do
Tessa finished wiping a table just as a man walked in. He looked around the crowded dining room before seeing her wave him over.
“I just cleaned this table. I’ll grab some cutlery and a menu. Do you need any coffee?” He slid into the booth, his green eyes gazing up at her.
“Coffee sounds great, thank you.” She flashed him a smile before walking off, collecting a few dirty dishes on her way to the kitchen. Soon after she returned with the promised coffee, cutlery and menu. As she poured his coffee, he looked over the menu, his blond hair falling into his face. “Are there any specials right now?” Tessa shot a glance at the clock.
“Breakfast just ended, so those are out. Our lunch special is a chicken club with your choice of soup or salad.” He closed the menu, handing it back to her.
“That sounds delicious. What’s the soup of the day?” Tessa pulled out her notepad and pencil, jotting down his order.
“We have two options. Butternut squash or tomato.” He took a sip of his coffee.
“What do you recommend?” Tessa glanced at the door as a family walked in.
“I think the butternut squash is the best here.” He nodded, indicating that he would take that and Tessa darted off to help the family find a table.
Chapter 4
Tessa returned to the table, the man’s order in her hands.
“Here you are sir. Is there anything else I can get you?” He looked up at her with a smile.
“A name would be great. That way I can tell your boss what terrific service you’re providing.” She smiled, but inwardly cringed. This guy was clearly older than her, and the way he looked at her made her uneasy.
“It’s Tess.” He nodded and turned to his food, leaving Tessa to head over to another table. As she bustled about, she could feel the strange man’s eyes on her. As she stood at the counter, filling up napkin dispensers, Meredith approached her.
“Why don’t you break for lunch? I’ll watch your tables.” Tessa’s stomach growled. She laughed.
“I guess I could use a bite to eat. By the way, Meredith. Do you know the man at table seven? I’ve never seen him before and he’s giving me the creeps. I can’t really explain it.” Meredith glanced over.
“That’s Adrian Bentley. He owns a big clothing store here in LA. For some reason he likes coming here for lunch. Don’t pay him much mind. He’s harmless.” Tessa nodded and headed through to the kitchen to ask the staff for some food. One of the perks of working at the diner, her boss gave each employee a free meal on their shift. And closing staff could take leftovers home, rather than throw them out.
What Would You Do
The rest of Tessa’s day passed in a blur. Adrian had left while she was on break. She didn’t think much more about him as the day stayed consistently busy. By four she was exhausted. Shedding her apron, she grabbed her things, collected her tips from Daniel and headed outside. It was still hot outside. Hearing a car horn, she turned and saw her dad pulling up alongside the curb.
“Hey kiddo. Your mom just got home so I came to pick you up.” Relief flooded through her as she hopped into the passenger seat.
“Thanks Dad. I wasn’t looking forward to walking home. My feet are killing me. The diner was so busy.” He smiled as she filled him in on her day. Tessa decided to keep her uneasiness about Adrian to herself. After all, Meredith did say that he was harmless. They arrived home and she was tackled by her sister as she walked through the door.
“I missed you Tessa.” The teen smiled and hugged her younger sister. Amanda walked over, seeing the tiredness on her daughter’s face.
“How about we order pizza tonight? I had a client who gave me a generous tip today. And I have a feeling we are both too tired to make supper.” Tessa smiled with relief as her sister cheered. “Alright Susie. Let’s let Tessa go take a shower.” John smiled.
“How about we all just have a relaxing evening? Pizza and movie night. Come on Susie. Let’s go pick up a movie.” Susie squealed with delight and rushed to the living room with her father in tow. Tessa laughed and headed to the bathroom, letting the water rinse away the tiredness, thoughts of the day vanishing from her mind.
Chapter 4
Tessa awoke and lay still. She wasn’t sure what exactly had woken her up. Then she heard a retching sound and leapt out of bed, racing to her sister’s room across the hall and flinging on the light. Susie looked up, covered in vomit, tears in her, usually, bright eyes.
“Tess -” She threw up before she could say anything and Tessa rushed to her side, calling out for her parents. They came running in as Susie’s vomit turned to blood. The young girl started crying. Her family sprang into action. John rushed to get the car keys, Tessa and Amanda helped Susie out of her vomit covered pyjamas and into clean ones before Amanda scooped up her daughter and rushed to the vehicle. Tessa sighed. She wanted to go with, but she also had to work early in the morning again. John saw her dilemma.
“It will be a long wait in the ER. Try and get some sleep. We will keep you posted.” Before she could object, the door closed behind them and she heard the car pull out of the driveway. Tears filled her eyes, the image of her sister burned into her memory. She pulled herself together, wiping her eyes and heading back to her sister’s room. Sleeping was not an option right now. Grabbing the bedding and pyjamas, she headed to the laundry room. At least she could get these washed up for her mother.
Poor Susie
Man, poor little Susie. If Chapter 4 didn’t tug at your heart strings I either did a terrible job writing, or you have no heart. I’m hoping to really get the story moving and fall in love with writing it. It’s a very different style of writing and I must say, I’m not really a fan. But, I’m learning, so I’ll keep going. Hopefully you all stick around for it. Have a great weekend everyone and I’ll see you on Monday.
