Order Up!

I pulled the spray handle down and rinsed the dishes, placing them on the trays before pushing them onto the conveyor belt pulling them through the washer. Steam rolled from the floor length contraption as I, the lone worker in the kitchen, emptied the bus tubs were loudly placed on the shiny, stainless steel counter to the right. I wiped the sweat from my brow, dumping the uneaten food through the hole in the counter into the trash bin below. I looked up at the clock, nine o'clock, only two more hours before I was free with a book report needing completion for school tomorrow. I absently tugged on the trash bin. You had to be careful with how much it contained as water was deposited with the food. The result was a tripling of the weight, the one time I had let it completely full resulted in recruiting two other guys to lift it into the dumpster outside. As the washer whirred, I turned and leaned against the counter, suddenly realizing I had not seen another person in quite some time. We were nearing closing time, so where did everybody go? Where was my help? I strolled through the swinging door out of the kitchen into the open cooking area and the restaurant. There were seven, seven individuals including the manager. They were sitting, laughing, talking about who knows what with all of the customers gone. There were still tables to be cleaned, which went with kitchen duty. "There is a lot to clean back there before closing." I announced to the gathered group with no response. The irritation gathered in my system, percolating. "I really could use some help." I turned and directed this to the night manager - a man I had delivered money to a few weeks prior to cover gambling debts at a local pool hall. He raised his hands as if he had no control. The agitation within me grew, my body tense, I stood motionless for a few minutes, staring straight past everybody, through the front windows and out into the now empty mall. I could see the nearby fountain, remembering a friend and I scooping out the loose change depositing by shoppers making wishes. It was enough to buy us a pizza that night. I smiled for just a minute before turning and returning to the kitchen. I tossed my apron on the counter as the dish washer continued to run, now with nothing inside. I hit the button to shut it down. I walked to the far wall, removed my time card, clocked out and returned the time card to its slot on the wall. I found my coat and slowly put it on, one eye on the door as there was still time for somebody to step through that door and provide assistance. The silence of the storage room surrounded me before the decision was finalized. I picked up my apron before walking through swinging door again. "You'll have to find somebody to finish the dishes and cleanup now." The manager looked up and turned towards as my apron hit his face and landed with a thud on the edge of his desk. "Hey, calm down." He stood and faced me, letting the apron fall to the floor. He stepped over it towards me. "I quit!" I raised my hand and flashed my middle finger to all of them. The car started easily for a change with an uneventful and peaceful drive home.