DaySleeper

Maggie drops me off at the shelter.

“You’re not coming in?” I ask, my hand pausing over the seat belt.

“I am going to get Avid from the airport. It’s the second of February, remember?”

“Oh,” I say, getting out of the car and pausing on the curb, bent over to speak through the crack in the door, “Yeah. Have fun.”

She rolls her eyes as I close the door and she pulls away.

I enter and Ethel demands to see my arm. I lift it up, proudly showcasing it.

“Very nice,” she compliments. I laugh a bit, and drop my arm back at my side. “If you don’t have anything to do, which I doubt you do, could you help out in the kitchen? We’re making a special dinner for Avid, we’re short staffed to begin with and half the volunteers we do have caught that damn bug going around.” She says.

“Yeah,” I reply, “I’ll help.”

I enter the dining hall, which is full of kids doing their homework.

“Cadence!” Josiah cries, already at my feet.

“Hey, boo,” I say, picking him up. He perches himself on my hip.

“I am going to be four on Thursday!” he squeals happily. I smile.

“Next Thursday, Jo,” I correct for the millionth time, “But I know. You told me!”

He giggles and touches my now bare arm. I lift it up for him and he wraps his hands around my wrist. When were they that small?

“Where’d it go?” he asks, looking up at me sadly. I frown.

“I left it in Maggie’s car. I am keeping it though,” I promise him, putting him on the floor, though I remain kneeling in front of him. “I would never throw away that picture you drew of me!” I say, tickling his sides. He twists in my grasp and squeals before he escapes and runs to his brother. Kyle helps him into a seat next to him, and waves at me, pencil in hand. I point at my bare arm and he gives me two thumbs up. Both of them are incredibly good kids.

I continue my way into the kitchen and find Alice helping already.

“Here to help!” I say, clapping my hands. Alice drops what she’s doing and takes off her apron.

“Good,” she says, pushing the apron into my hands, “I can’t cook for shit.”

I watch her leave.

“Did I come in at a bad time?” I ask. Mike, a volunteer who’s here just as often as Maggie is, laughs.

“No,” he says, “but she really can’t cook for shit. She makes it worse. We had her stacking plates…”

I laugh.

“Well, I'm not terrible,” I offer weakly.

“Welcome to the team,” the redhead next to Mike says. She smiles and gestures for me to put on the apron. I am pulling it over my head as Mike tells me that I need to chop the vegetables, all of them, but the potatoes, which need to be peeled. I poke my head out of the top and spot the vegetables, all waiting in the bowls the chopped up pieces are to go in.

“When will he be here?”

“An hour.”

“Then I am wasting time.”

~~
Dinner is finished in an hour and a half. Maggie called to say they were stuck in traffic at forty-five minutes. I think she saved Mike a heart attack, the poor guy. He had almost gotten to the point of pulling his hair out.

I push my hair from my face with my new wrist and continue putting a scoop of mashed potatoes on each plate.

“So, he likes Thanksgiving?” I joke, watching the turkey dinners being placed out on the buffet as people walk past, picking them up.

“Hugely,” Mike says, dead serious. I laugh, and move on to the next plate, sliding the full ones down to the turkey station, followed by the stuffing station. I reach the end of the stack and head to the back storage to grab more. “Get 50!” Mike calls, “And the rolls from the oven, please!”

“Gotcha,” I call back, and get the rolls first. The oven is set on keep warm, but I am still careful when I pull the bowl out. I bring it to Mike, and he replaces the empty bowl on the buffet station. I jog to the back to get the plates.

“Missed me?” someone yells. I hear the door swing open and ignore it. I think I could guess who it is, if I had to. I think I could get it right too.

“Avid!” a girl screams. I called it. I pick up the stack of plates and bring them back to the stations. I continue putting out potatoes, as everyone stops what they’re doing to greet him. Mike rejoins first, always focused on his job and gets rid of the waiting potato plates with ease.

“Everyone got a plate?” Mike yells out. Everyone yells yes, and he and I begin to cover the food bowls. The catching up continues behind us. I turn as Mike rejoins them, and I shift my weight between my feet. I pick up a roll, leaning over the counter, and take off my apron. I hang it up on the row of hooks next to the door and slip out of the room, unnoticed.
I didn’t even catch a glimpse of the guy, except for the brown hair. I scan the full room for Alice and join her.

“It’s crowded,” I remark.

“Give it ten days. A lot of people go back for Valentines day,” she sighs, before taking another bite of turkey. I pull apart my roll and eat it, piece by piece.

Maggie gives me a warning look from across the room, and begins to walk over when someone yells her name. A boy, who I am guessing is Avid, based on the messy brown hair, joins her. She stops in her tracks and he looks me in the eyes for a moment before looking away.

“Did you meet him?” Alice asks, following my look.

“Not really. He was busy. It was awkward,” I reply.

“You should,” she says seriously.

“I am sure I’ll meet the saint soon enough.”

“There’s no way you will not,” she says, ignoring my tone, “He lives with Ethel and works here fulltime.”

“Great,” I mutter and stare at the remainder of my roll. I decide I don’t want it and put it on Alice’s plate.

“Is that all you’ve eaten?” she asks suspiciously.

“I ate before we served everyone,” I lie easily.

“Oh,” she says. I stand

“Yeah,” I reply, and walk away, calling over my shoulder, “I am going for a walk.”

“PARTY-POOPER!” she screeches. A few kids join in on the yelling and I find myself laughing.

I pass by Maggie, giving her a wide girth, and go to my room to grab some money. I’ve been meaning to go buy a pack of cigarettes. Maybe that will help me not be such a bitch. I have been missing them for awhile now.