She exhaled the smoke out of her lungs from the cigarette between her fingers. The night was as colorful as the rainbow as the lights twinkle from the bars beside the cowboy style restaurant she had been working for few years now. She can feel her thigh muscle soar from walking restlessly and delivering food from one table to another. Standing at the convenient store in front of the restaurant for her break was her enjoyment. From the glass window she can see her co-workers doing what she was doing. Sometimes, drunken customers can really be irritating; she well counted how many times she got a butt slap from these nasty cowboy fat drinkers.
She cannot leave this work. This is the only job she kept for many years since she doesn’t have good educational background. She hardly can read but she memorized the menu and can write it down fast. She was the best of all the waitresses but this acknowledgment doesn’t make her fulfilled. Looking at herself at the best employee of the month wall makes her smile, she can be promoted anytime soon as per the boss. She liked what she is doing as she knows she can be better in doing it but there’s no passion, admiration and her heart doesn’t belong. Who loves their job anyway, that’s why it’s called a job and not a hobby, and she told herself after another puff from the cigarette.
She was about to put off her cigarette when a man suddenly talked from her back. The voice scared her and she made this sound of shock that almost lifted her feet from the ground. “Can I barrow a lighter” the man said with his low and strange voice. She gave out the lighter while trying to calm herself but when her fingers touched the man’s hands; she felt this sting on her hand. There was coldness; she felt like she kinda shivered. What do you expect from a cold night like this? she whispered. She got her lighter back by just opening her palm; the lighter was dropped from her hand without skin contact.
Work work work, all night taking orders and delivering food.
She glanced at the window and saw the man sitting on the bench in front of the convenient store with a black lunch box on his lap. Face down; he was sitting like he was sleeping. No movement at all, but the lunch box on his lap was weird for her. She doesn’t think a person will bring lunch box at this hour. Will he eat snack or any food? Why will anyone bring a lunch box in front of a restaurant? She ignored the sight the rest of the evening, she got used in seeing weird people around.
She woke up later afternoon. She miss being able to eat breakfast for she hasn’t been awake to eat some. Her shift is almost until the sun rise, so excused that she just fall asleep. Her cheek was kinda wet, so she thought she drooled while sleeping. She was laughing a bit and wiped it using her hand. When she leaped her hand she saw blood. Since she was not even sure if she is awake or still dreaming, she blinked a couple of times.
It’s still blood on her hand, she sat up quickly then her head started pounding. She felt something inside her mouth. Not one but like bees inside, small hard little things, blood continuously drifting from the side of her mouth. She was afraid to open her mouth, afraid of what she might find. The little things inside is now chocking her since she’s breathing really hard from fear. No choice, I have to put these out of my mouth, she told herself bravely. She got up and wiped her mouth with a towel that automatically turned red from the blood.
Slowly, she opened her mouth and pushed those little hard things using her tongue. To her surprise, 5 of her teeth fell out. She was astonished because these are 5 full molars. From the look of it, is like a dentist or someone with pliers pulled these out since you can see the whole tooth especially the sharp part that’s should be holding them thru your gums. She tried to remember if she had fallen out from the bed or knocked herself in anyway. But if she did, it should have been her front teeth and not the molars. She felt the spaces between her remaining teeth in panic, not knowing what to do next.
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