dinner rush *

[GUINEVERE HAWKINS]

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As soon as the lunch rush was gone, Guin could feel her shoulders sag a little bit. There were dishes all over the front tables that needed to be cleaned up from patrons who hadn't bothered to bring them back to the counter. Her boss was already calling out to them to get started, delegating duties to everyone that he was able to see. One person was supposed to be restocking the pastries on the front counter. Another was put to work cleaning out the various coffee machines so that they wouldn't be gummed up by residue from previous brews. And Guin?

She was tasked with clearing off all of the tables and wiping them down.

Her fingers reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, removing it from her line of sight before she started picking up the various cups and plates. The bucket on her hip quickly became heavy as each piece was placed inside, followed by crumpled and used napkins. Forks, knives, spoons, bowls...all of it went into the bucket as she cleaned off the first three tables. Then came the cloth that she had draped over the edge, to wipe away the lingering crumbs that remained behind until they too joined the rest of the contents in the bucket.

One by one she made her way through the tables at the front, making it to the first three before the bucket became too heavy to continue holding onto. She took it back to the main counter, putting it down. "Jane, can you grab me the empty one please?"

The red-head behind the counter gave her a quick look, rather astounded that Guin had spoken at all. But then she did as she was asked, swapping out the full bucket for the empty one. And Guin quickly turned herself away so that she could go back to her job without further conversation. She'd been working at Cicero for almost a week now and that was the most that she had managed to speak to a fellow employee. If she said anything else they would start asking her questions about where she came from and what she was taking in school. That was usually how things happened. And right now she wasn't sure that she could handle falling into a heavy conversation about who she was and where she had been. It would dredge up too many memories that she was trying to put behind her.

Trying and failing miserably.

By the time she finished clearing the sixth table and returned that bucket to the counter, almost a half hour had passed. And Guin still needed to tuck the chairs in beneath the table and replace all of the napkins and cutlery before the next person decided to take a seat at those tables.

Tucking the loose strand of hair behind her ear once more she sat herself down at the furthest table from the door and set to work rolling the cutlery. Knives, forks and spoons, all of which were carefully rolled into a napkin and secured by a band that bore the cafe's logo. "Guin! I need you to cover the front tonight! Caroline called in sick!"

Blonde locks spun as she looked back at her boss. "Yes, sir."

WORD COUNT: 548
TAGGED: OPEN