Waters of Disillusion

Ringo's was named after Pam's "husband"-as she believes- and looks like a run down piece of garbage. But the food is actually really good, and we always get lots of out-of-towners and tourists. And if there's anything I hate, it's tourists.

"What kind of salad do you have today?" the maybe early forties woman asks. I like listening to people's accents. Some are pretty, some are just weird. She sounds like she's chewing her face off. She's probably from the midwest. Right in the middle of nowhere, with all the cows and farms.

I sigh. Why do people always go out to eat and get salads? Isn't it easier, not to mention cheaper, to make one yourself? "We got Cesaer, Greek, Garden, a Ringo-"

"What's a Ringo?" mouth-full-of-face lady asks. Her friend looks at me questioningly.

"Oh, 's a surprise. The house special, only two ninety-nine," I tell her. "Two ninety-nine!" I hear the friend mutter delightfully. They both order one, along with with more southern comfort food that everyone seems to love. I call out Leonard's name, Tyler's uncle and our only cook, and slip my order into the window in the kitchen.

It's only half past six and I am exhausted. I've had a headache ever since I bid goodbye to Benjamin and it feels like an elephant decided to take a nap on my head. "Sweet Davy Jones," I mumble. From the corner of my eye I see Pam, Tyler's aunt, counting the money in the register. I have nothing to do besides waiting for face chewers' order, so I take a seat at the bar and lay my head on my arm.

"How're you doin', babe?" I hear Lucy stand next to me. I groan.

"That bad, huh?"

"Well, let's see; my head's poundin', I ain't had nothin' to eat since breakfast, and Dickface accidentally spilled some oil on my clothes. All my nice, clean clothes I was hangin' to dry."

"How's that even possible?"

"Exactly!" I lift my head to look at her. "An' then, I gotta babysit this kid and oh yeah, entertain him until Teddy either gets better or croaks." Even I cringe at that. That probably wasn't too nice of me to say. Lucy jumps up on the bar chair next to me.

"Shoot, you're kiddin? He's here already?" I nod. "Well, what's he look like?"

"He's so... weird. Like, he's always smilin' and laughin', and he even asked if I wanted a boyfriend," I raise an eyebrow and purse my lips.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I dunno."

"Oh. Well, you got Tyler anyways," she winks. I snort one of my famously unattractive snorts and she chuckles.

"An' he got Amanda Mae," before Lucy can reply with some best friend sounding advice, I hear Leonard call out. "Nicolette Leigh, you're up!" I roll my eyes and give Lucy a playful punch. From the entrance, I notice Amanda Mae's ma walking through with Eileen Harris, the town's gossip. If Amanda Mae walks with her nose in the air, her ma walks with her entire head turned up above all us mere mortals. And with the luck only I seem to have, Pam sits them at one of my tables.

"Ow," Lucy feigns mock hurt. "Seriously though, Nic. Y'all are madly in love with each other, it's just too damn bad you ain't admitted it yet."