After each verse, she would shake my elevated hand, salt falling over our heads like an erratic blizzard.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses!”
After Phaedra finished, she let go of my hand, and I shook out the white specks from my hair.
Phaedra sighed. “No one talks like that anymore.”
“You do,” Kirby said.
“God, do I love my country.”
Kirby made a face. “Anyone would know that after seeing your arrest record from participating in sit-ins. What does that poem have to do with anything?”
Phaedra looked dumbstruck.
“It’s Emma Lazarus,” I said.
Kirby’s expression didn’t change.
I continued, “That sonnet is on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty.”
When recognition finally hit, Kirby’s mouth formed an O.
Phaedra rolled her eyes. “Dear Lord Jesus, help us all.”
“I’ll get the broom,” Kirby said, dashing to the back room.
Phaedra grumbled all the way to the kitchen. Failure to know important pieces of history, or ignorance of common knowledge in general made her temper flare.
Kirby reappeared, broom and dustpan in hand. “Shit. I’ve tried to forget all of that since graduation. It’s summer break. You’d think she’d cut me some slack.”
“It’s going to be a long day,” I said, fetching the broom.
Kirby and I worked to clean the mess, and she rushed to the trash can with the dustpan while I flipped it open. People inside the three parked cars in front began to stir, and by the time Kirby returned from taking the broom to the back, the customers were waiting to be seated.
“I didn’t finish the shakers,” she whispered to me.
“On it,” I said, rushing to finish her job.
I looked at the clock, wondering how we’d gotten so far behind schedule. Usually, we’d finish with ten minutes to spare.
Phaedra didn’t reveal her mood to the customers, but Kirby and I had to work extra hard to keep her smiling. An entire pitcher of sun tea crashed to the floor, Hector broke a stack of plates, and I didn’t get one of the saltshakers screwed on tightly enough, so Chuck had to make a Philly cheesesteak sandwich on the double to replace the one with more salt in it than what had been in my hair.
Kirby seated the author and her assistant, their second visit in as many days.
“Afternoon,” I said with a smile. “Back again, huh?”
“It’s so good,” the author said. “I wanted to try the Cuban before we left.”
“This is not what I ordered,” a man said loudly to Phaedra.
Dwayne Kaufman was sitting alone in the corner, licking his thumb after tossing the top bun of his burger to the floor.
“Uh-oh,” Kirby whispered in my ear. “Dwayne’s been drinking again. Should I call the police?”
I shook my head. Who gets drunk before noon? “Let Phaedra handle it.”
“I said, no ketchup! And it’s fucking cold!” Dwayne yelled.
“My apologies, hon,” Phaedra said. “I’ll get that fixed right away, Dwayne.” She scooped up his plate and rushed through the double doors.
“I’m not your hon!” he called after her. “Piece-of-shit café.”
I walked over to Dwayne and smiled. “Can I get you a coffee while Chuck grills that up for you?”
“Fuck off,” he grumbled, facing me but keeping his eyes on the floor. “I just want a fucking burger the way I ordered it. Is that so hard?”
His cup of tea was over half full, but I wanted to keep him occupied until Phaedra returned. “She’s working on it. Let me get you more tea,” I said, picking up his cup.
He grabbed my wrist. “Get your tater-tot tits outta my face!”
The liquid sloshed from the cup onto my shoes as I tried to pull away, and then it happened again when another large hand encompassed Dwayne’s wrist.
Dwayne froze, and so did I.
Taylor had suddenly appeared next to me. “What did you just call her?” His voice was low and ominous.
I began to speak, but Dwayne let go of my hand and laughed nervously.
“I don’t want more tea,” he growled. “I want to be left alone!”
Taylor let go of Dwayne’s hand and stepped back, making way for Phaedra.
“Here you are, Dwayne. Cheeseburger straight off the grill, no ketchup. So sorry,” Phaedra said, louder than necessary.
She put her body between Dwayne and me, and I took another step back.
“How does that taste? Better?” she asked.
He took a bite. Closing his eyes, he chewed like a wild animal, bread and a piece of onion falling from his mouth. “Yes. Took you long enough.”
Phaedra motioned for me to get busy, and she shot Taylor a look, but I wasn’t sure what it meant.
I escorted Taylor back to his table. He was sitting alone this time.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I said. “What can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll have one of your famous Cherry Cokes, please.”
“Coming right up,” I said through my teeth.
“Hey,” he said, tapping the bottom of my elbow before I took a step, “are you mad?”
I paused, glancing over at Dwayne. “I had it covered.”
“I believe you.”
“So, you didn’t need to step in,” I hissed.