Don't worry, it gets good eventually
The opening scene of a short story I'm starting. There's not much there, but, you know, read if you'd like...
Walking back to our table from the bathroom, I happened to glance at what the man seated in the booth behind us was eating. Well over half the steak was devoured and what was left of it bled out into the mashed potatoes and the soggy green beans. He cut another piece and slid it around the plate with his fork, soaking up blood, and then he used the bite of steak to scrape up a dollop of stained potatoes. He looked up from the table while he chewed and stared at my cousin with lascivious eyes.
"Took you long enough," Olivia said as I slid back into our booth. She was so ensconced in her iPhone I didn't even think she'd noticed I was gone.
"I stopped to place a to go order with the waitress," I told her, then I nodded toward her phone as I picked up my spoon and started back in on my soup, "Besides Olive, doesn't your phone keep you company?"
"Don't call me Olive," she said. Olivia set down her phone and looked me square in the eye. "Now you have my full attention, so you don't have to keep using a nickname that I hate."
"Well now that I have your full attention, I want to tell you something."
She made of face of mock fascination. "I'm on pins and needles," she said, lifting her coffee mug to her lips.
My kid cousin. She gets her sense of sarcasm from me. I've been more like her older sister than her cousin.
"Don't be a little shit," I said. "I got that job I was telling you about."
"The nanny job?" she asked. She made a face at her barely touched sesame chicken salad and pushed it away from her.
"Babysitting, yes."
"You don't even like kids."
"True," I agreed. I pointed to her salad, "Not hungry?"
"Not really."
"How's that anorexia working out for you?"
"Whatever," Olivia mumbled. "Weren't you nervous about gaining weight your first year of college?"
Our waitress stopped at the table behind us and asked the man eating his steak if he needed anything else.
"Your sweet ass on my face," he told her.
Olivia slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud and I rolled my eyes. Behind us, I heard the distinct sound of a check being slapped down on the table with angry force.
"What about you ladies?" our now perterbed waitress asked. "Can I get you any desert?"
"No thanks," I said, "Just the check and our to-go order will be fine."
"I can't believe that guy just said that to her!" Olivia exclaimed once she was gone.
The offensive man, who was a tall weasley looking thing with a crust of black stubble over his chin and throat, was walking up to the register now and I couldn't help but notice our waitress whisper through the order window to the cook, who came around to ring him up.
"Really? I can. You're going to meet a lot of rude and disgusting men now that you're in college. Most of them will probably be members of fraternities."
Walking back to our table from the bathroom, I happened to glance at what the man seated in the booth behind us was eating. Well over half the steak was devoured and what was left of it bled out into the mashed potatoes and the soggy green beans. He cut another piece and slid it around the plate with his fork, soaking up blood, and then he used the bite of steak to scrape up a dollop of stained potatoes. He looked up from the table while he chewed and stared at my cousin with lascivious eyes.
"Took you long enough," Olivia said as I slid back into our booth. She was so ensconced in her iPhone I didn't even think she'd noticed I was gone.
"I stopped to place a to go order with the waitress," I told her, then I nodded toward her phone as I picked up my spoon and started back in on my soup, "Besides Olive, doesn't your phone keep you company?"
"Don't call me Olive," she said. Olivia set down her phone and looked me square in the eye. "Now you have my full attention, so you don't have to keep using a nickname that I hate."
"Well now that I have your full attention, I want to tell you something."
She made of face of mock fascination. "I'm on pins and needles," she said, lifting her coffee mug to her lips.
My kid cousin. She gets her sense of sarcasm from me. I've been more like her older sister than her cousin.
"Don't be a little shit," I said. "I got that job I was telling you about."
"The nanny job?" she asked. She made a face at her barely touched sesame chicken salad and pushed it away from her.
"Babysitting, yes."
"You don't even like kids."
"True," I agreed. I pointed to her salad, "Not hungry?"
"Not really."
"How's that anorexia working out for you?"
"Whatever," Olivia mumbled. "Weren't you nervous about gaining weight your first year of college?"
Our waitress stopped at the table behind us and asked the man eating his steak if he needed anything else.
"Your sweet ass on my face," he told her.
Olivia slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud and I rolled my eyes. Behind us, I heard the distinct sound of a check being slapped down on the table with angry force.
"What about you ladies?" our now perterbed waitress asked. "Can I get you any desert?"
"No thanks," I said, "Just the check and our to-go order will be fine."
"I can't believe that guy just said that to her!" Olivia exclaimed once she was gone.
The offensive man, who was a tall weasley looking thing with a crust of black stubble over his chin and throat, was walking up to the register now and I couldn't help but notice our waitress whisper through the order window to the cook, who came around to ring him up.
"Really? I can. You're going to meet a lot of rude and disgusting men now that you're in college. Most of them will probably be members of fraternities."