(??????) All in a Day's Work

You know, sometimes work is just not it.

Like sometimes you just gotta take a day off, or like a week off. Maybe even a month.

It’s pretty easy when your boss is chill. But I kinda owe it to him (and to my bank account) to show up every once in a while.

This café is kinda weird, but it's better than working at some boring grocery store. I get to make myself lattés and milkshakes whenever I want, and all that stuff is free. It’s great. Life is good.

The new guy Tristan is taking all this way too seriously. Like for real, this man was sweating and shaking every day of the job. Well, at least for all the days that I was here, which was maybe one in the past two months.

It makes sense though, the poor dude got obliterated by Ms. Rika on his first day. Now he’s always got a protractor on him. He says it’s because he’s a design student, but I know the truth. He’s also just kinda basic. Like, he needs to relax and go with the flow. Café Eris is for everyone if they let it be for them, if you get what I mean.

Today, he got put on cashier duty again. The guy’s probably terrified of who’s walking through that door next.

He’s right to be scared, afterall, his worst fears came true. Ms. Rika and her son decided to drop by today. Scanta had gone out to run some errands so he wasn’t even here to mediate. Tristan turned pale as soon as she walked through the door.

“Ayyy, Ms. Rika,” I called. “How’ve you been? I missed you the last time you were here.”

“I’M FINE THANK YOU,” she responded.

Tristan was sweating bullets at this point.

“DO YOU HAVE THAT RARE COSTA RICAN TEA? I HEARD FROM THE OWNER THAT YOU DO. TWO CUPS ASAP PLEASE, WE ARE ON A TIGHT SCHEDULE.”

Tristan’s mouth formed a crooked smile as he stepped away from the counter, frantically looking through all of the café shelves.

“Yeah, the boss told me we got some rare stuff here. I don’t know if we still got it though, can I get you something else Ms. Rika,” I said, hoping to buy the new guy some time.

“ANY TYPE OF TEA IS FINE, JUST MAKE IT QUICK.”

“Of course Ms. Rika,” I said, glancing over at Tristan tearing the shelves apart in search of a single tea bag.

“Tristan, you good?”

He pulled me aside all panicked and said, “Dude. We don’t have a single tea bag in this entire place.” His voice was wavering.

“Ah shoot, we must’ve run out. I’ll text the Boss.”

“Bro. How the HECK does a café run out of tea,” he whispered.

“Hey, hey, it’s all good man. Maybe check the back rooms for extra stock. Hurry though, you know Ms. Rika herself will flip this café over if you don’t get her order.”

I directed him to the back room with the wave of a hand, and then pulled out a chair to sit on while I waited for him.

All in a day’s work for Wabong.