Graduation

Leigha looked at Oliver as he handled the bar; she was waiting for an order to come in from Sierra.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Leigha squinted her eyes before deciding something. "I think you were lying to me about Shasta liking Anita."

"Why would I lie about that?"

Leigha shrugged. "How can a depressing, no-nonsense guy like Shasta love a bubbly, sunshine like Anita?"

"How can Miles, who is a hard worker and rarely distracted share genes with a busybody, distracted girl like you?"

Sierra passed Leigha the plates, loving the interaction as Leigha squinted at Oliver.

"Touche. But I'm going to need more convincing."

"He's not good at expressing himself."

"An understatement."

"He's got this whole weird story. You'll have to ask him when he comes in."

Leigha frowned, not satisfied by the answer as she moved to serve the customers.

The doors to the restaurant opened. Leigha's friends from medical school entered. Anita seated them in Leigha's area. She approached the group after serving another table.

"Hey everyone," she greeted as five of her friends situating themselves in the booth.

"Leigha, I didn't know you worked here," one of the women exclaimed.

"Yeah, got a job here after coming home. Working with my brother."

"Aw, the cute boy you tackled on Christmas? Is he here?" another girl asked, earning a ribbing from the boy sitting next to her.

"He works afternoons."

"Aw," her friend moped.

"What would you guys like to drink?" asked Leigha, changing the subject. She would much rather have Ramona as her sister-in-law than these girls. Especially considering two of them were on the same medical path as her mother, and the other was aiming to be an ortho surgeon.

The group glanced at their menus.

"I'll have water."

"Oolong tea."

"Water for me."

"Same."

"I'll have a coke."

"Alright, I'll be right back with your orders."

Leigha made her way behind the bar, readying everyone's drinks.

"Not going to join them?" Oliver teased."

"I can be professional whenever I want thank you," Leigha huffed. She finished setting the drinks on her tray before returning to her friends' table.

"The residency here isn't so bad. It's the late hours that have been throwing me off," commented the girl who had mentioned that Leigha's brother was cute.

"You would not believe my supervisor. He always has an attitude."

"Probably because he has such unstable hours. Some days he works the day shift and night shift with no time to sleep. I would be upset too."

"You two are lucky you get to do your residencies together. I don't know anyone in my department."

"That's what you get for choosing an obscure residency rather than waiting a year to retake the test."

They hardly acknowledged Leigha as they continued their conversation. None of them was ready to order as the menus were in the same place after making their drink orders. Leigha moved along back to the register, seeing as how another one of her tables was close to finishing.

She had forgotten her friends had all graduated last spring and were now in residency, which is where she would be if she hadn’t quit school. They were moving towards their goals in life while she was stuck trying to figure out her new path. It was almost comical the way she had worked so hard. These friends were people she had met in her classes or study group. They were more carefree than she and had their futures all set. She wavered and now suffered from uncertainty.

"You alright?" asked Oliver, stepping beside her to ring up a customer's payment.

"Yeah, questioning my life choices," she answered.

"I know the feeling," Oliver responded, glancing up at the mural before pulling up his customer's order.

Leigha looked to the mural, still the happy spring mural with various young people enjoying the Sakura season. Some even looked like graduates from school.

"We'll find our way," he encouraged before returning to his customer with the paid receipt.

"You should change the mural," Leigha countered, Oliver only waving her off. He would change it tonight if he had a good enough idea.

Leigha took a deep breath, feeling a little better. She didn't have to know where she was going now, only that she was making it one day at a time moving forward.

She took the receipt over to the table.

"No rush, but here's your receipt. Let me know when you're ready," she stated with a smile, before noticing her friends waving her down to order.

She would find her own goal and move at her own pace, but for now, she would be the best waitress she could be.