Mystery Song

"Excuse me, miss, can you change the station?" one of the patrons asked Ramona as she served him hot tea at the bar.

"Sure," she answered with a smile, turning around and bumping into Miles, who was about to pass behind her. He caught her before she could fall, his hand grabbing her own to stabilize the teapot she held.

"Nice catch," the customer commented with a wink before taking a sip of his tea. The teens stumbled apart. Miles darted towards the entrance to greet a new customer while Ramona changed the station on the radio.

"You know, he seems to be getting embarrassed by the interactions too," commented Sierra. Ramona turned even redder as she walked onto the floor to assist a customer who requested a drink refill. Sierra looked for Miles to tease, but he was on the other side of the restaurant.

"When are they going to start dating already?" grumbled Sierra

"They are two high schoolers dealing with new emotions and the opposite gender. No need to get so curious," rebutted Shasta.

"But it's fun. Plus, Ramona already likes him. Now to get Miles to realize he likes her. Plus, it's not like you and Anita are making headway since she has gotten friendly with Norman."

Shasta glared, a deadly aura almost escaping, only for him to calm down as he took a new order slip.

"Don't you have an order to start?" he chastised, starting on the order.

"Always, but I do find my co-workers' interactions a little more interesting."

"We do not need romantic drama in this restaurant."

"Not just romantic drama – entertainment. Ramona is crushing on Miles but is too juvenile to say anything. Miles will start to put the pieces together now. Anita is progressing with Norman, so Leigha tells me. Then there's Oliver with his…" She looked over Oliver sketching two older women instead of working. "Sketching. And then there's you with your inability to communicate to another woman how you feel. Who, I might add, you lost to the district manager."

"It's not a loss until she finds her soulmate. Norman is another obstacle or chance for her to figure out she doesn't need a soulmate."

Sierra shrugged, not inclined to agree or disagree. Shasta could take care of his relationship problems.

"And then, of course, we can't forget the most painful of the bunch. The pitiful manager and his love life."

Shasta raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he set the food on the plates Sierra had started.

"Order up," he called out as he took the plates to the window, where Miles was already waiting.

Seeing that Shasta wasn't going to respond, Sierra began to hum her usual tune, mixing up the rice that sat waiting. Shasta passed her with another slip in hand, to start the next meal. Sierra continued to hum, while noticing Ramona set a sheet down on the window sill. She was looking elsewhere.

"Sierra?"

"Yes?" Sierra walked up to the window to take the slip.

"Does this sound like your song?"

Sierra looked to where Ramona had pointed – where the radio sat hidden. She craned her neck to listen to the speakers, hearing a familiar noise.

"Turn it up." She tapped the counter as she strained to lean out of the window and hear the music. Ramona obliged the request, turning up the volume. The poor quality of the radio garbled the lyrics and tune, but this sounded like Sierra's song.

The other workers paused what they were doing to listen to the sudden rise in the radio’s volume. They turned to the bar to see Sierra smiling as she tuned in to the radio with Ramona, who was holding back her own smile.

"Do they name the song?" she whispered to Ramona.

Ramona bent down to check.

"No, but it says its radio station 81.6."

"They should have a phone you're able to call," Sierra whispered as she ran out of the kitchen. Before she could run inside the break room, Cyrus blocked her path.

"Not your break yet."

"But I need to get my phone; my song is playing on the radio.

"You can get it later. Why don't you listen at the end of the song? They usually announce names then."

"Right!" Sierra raced back and sat in front of the radio. Ramona was beside her, getting the order Shasta had completed at the same time that Miles gave an order.

Ramona turned to deliver the order, tripping over Sierra. Miles grabbed Ramona but was unable to catch the plates as the food fell to the floor with a loud clamber.

"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry," Ramona apologized as she scrambled out of Miles' arms and went to pick up the food. Miles bent down to help, leaving Sierra still in front of the radio.

"And from an up-and-coming boy band…" Sierra frowned. The song over the radio had sounded female a moment before. Defeated, she returned to the kitchen, where Shasta hit her on the head with a ladle.

"So impatient," he chided.

"But that was the closest hint I've had to my song in like ever."

Shasta sighed and returned to work. Sierra wandered to the window where Ramona and Miles had cleaned up the mess. Ramona was still apologizing.

"Maybe try calling on your break and ask about the song," offered Shasta. Sierra nodded, looking at the clock to figure out the time. She smiled to herself before resuming work.

---

"Sierra, you can go on break now," called Oliver once he had returned from dinner in the break room.

Sierra had already prepared her dinner and was dashing to the break room. She set it down on the table and then went to grab her phone. She searched her phone for the station’s number, finding it on their contact page as she sat down. She dialed the number and the line started to ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, what song played at 4:58 this afternoon?"

"4:58? Sorry miss, but my co-worker who runs the afternoon show left a couple of hours ago."

"But do you have a list of the songs he played? I must find out!"

"Let me see if he left it here on the computer...Sorry, I see the songs but not at what time they played. What's so important about the song?"

"I've had this song stuck in my head for years, but I have no idea where I first heard it. The song today sounded like it."

"Huh? Well, we'll be playing these songs for the next few weeks, so maybe you'll hear it again."

"OK, thanks." Sierra hung up the phone before he could give her a spiel on listening to their station. It was a step forward to finding her song but it felt like half a step.