Smoke Break

Success as a waitress

In the alley out back behind the restaurant was the smoking area where most of the employees took their breaks. If it had been an office building that is where the water cooler would have been.

Jessica was not a heavy smoker. It took her at least two days to finish a pack of smokes. But there were two cigarettes each day that she simply could not do without.

Waiting tables for eight hours would be impossible without the two smoke breaks she was allotted each day. Jessica was sure that she would be in a mental institution by now if it were not for those two cigarettes.

As the dining room mostly cleared out after a particularly grueling lunch rush, Jessica had only one table left with people still eating. She asked her waitress friend Cathy to cover that table so that she could take her smoke break. Cathy agreed and did not have to say anything to know that when Jessica came back that it would be her turn for a smoke break. Waitresses who smoke have their own psychic language.

Jessica grabbed her purse and headed out back to the smoking area. It was so nice to briefly get out of the constant humming noise in the restaurant. Once outside, she went over to a spot against a brick wall and closed her eyes as she tilted her head back to allow the sunshine to wash her face. It was so good to be outside.

Taking five deep, long breaths she released all thoughts from her noggin. She then fished around in her purse for her smokes. Finding the pack she pulled out a cigarette and put it between her lips. She then went on a fishing expedition for her lighter.

With the lighter found, she was about to light her cigarette when the back door of the restaurant swung open. Out came Rolondo (a cook) and Scooter (a bus boy). They were talking very loudly as they went over to the brick wall opposite from where Jessica was standing. As the two men lit their cigarettes without missing a beat in their loud conversation Jessica rolled her eyes and, without lighting her cigarette, left the break area.

She walked down the alleyway until she was out of earshot of the two men. Leaning against the back of a building that housed a greeting card store she finally lit her cigarette. She took a deep drag and let it out very slowly. Oh, it was so, so, so good!

Jessica always kept her noggin free of all thinking while she smoked. Thinking distracted from the pleasure of smoking. She fully immersed herself in the act of smoking, luxuriating in the smoke and the silence. She watched the smoke she exhaled as it rose up to the heavens and dissipated. She observed her surroundings but did not think about them. She felt herself relax as all her anxieties melted away.

When she was finished she put the cigarette out on the ground then put the butt back in the cigarette pack. Most smokers just tossed their butts on the ground but Jessica found that unacceptable and disgusting. She disposed of her butts in a more friendly way.

Most businesses spend a lot of money and time into the appearance of the front of their stores — the facades — but never seem to take into consideration the appearance of the backs of their stores facing the alleyway. Perhaps it is not important since it is only the employees and delivery people who see the stores from the backside.

Walking back to the smoking area behind the restaurant, Jessica took note of the ugliness of the alleyway — and the hundreds, if not thousands, of cigarette butts littering the ground.

Back at the break area Rolondo and Scooter were still smoking and talking loudly. Rolondo broke from their conversation to address Jessica, “You know, we’re not supposed to leave the break area in case they need to call us back.”

“Yeah, I know. But how the hell can I meditate with you two women gossiping at a hundred miles an hour?”

Rolondo and Scooter looked at each other. Did Jessica just call them women?

Back inside, Jessica put up her purse and got back to work.

Cathy came up to her and handed her some money, “Here’s your tip from your table. They left a few minutes ago. I’ve got two tables right now. I just served table 8 with their food so they should be okay for a while. The couple at table 12 have been their for hours and they’re just talking. You’ll probably have to bring them more coffee. See ya.” Cathy left for her smoke break.

Jessica took a deep breath as she surveyed the dining room. Then looking at the clock she saw that she still had two hours and twenty minutes left on her shift. She liked this slow time of the afternoon. Since it was not so chaotic and rushed she could focus more of her energy on spreading as much love as she could to each individual customer.

Copyright by White Feather. All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction. White Feather Archive Index

Speaking of coffee…