Seven

30. Jason

30. Jason

“Welcome back to work, Jason,” my manager says to me with a pat on the back. “Glad to have you back in one piece.” I chuckle lightly and start to put on my uniform. “Feel free to take a break if you need one.” I thank him for the small gesture and continue dressing.

Deciding to call one friend that I haven’t spoken to in ages, I pick up my phone.

Riing riiing riiing –

“Hello?”

“Hi Case!”

“Oh, uh, Jason. Hi.”

“Am I interrupting something?” I playfully suggest.

With a slight sense of attitude, she replies, “Actually yes. I’ll call you back later, okay?” And with that, she hangs up on me. Rude. It’s not like I was in a near death experience or anything. No biggie. She hasn’t contacted me since then and it’s bugging me a bit.

Putting my phone into my pocket, I push the doors out of the employee lounge and into the restaurant area.  

“Hi, table for two, please.”

“Right this way,” my coworker says as he guides the couple. Unconsiously I check out the couple. The man is wearing a full classic suit: black jacket, pants, and tie and his hair is gelled back nicely. The woman is dressed in a black dress that is a little too far up the thighs. Her face is caked in make-up and – Is that Casey? The couple passes by me as I stare agape. That’s Casey, isn’t it? She’s dressed differently – way different – and her make-up is heavy.

Not forgetting to do my job, I continue assisting couples and people to their respective tables, taking their orders, and delivering their meals. All the while, though, I observe Casey and her new found mate.

The man hands her gift bag after gift bag and she accepts them without blinking. Is that really Casey? She would’ve known better than to come into the restaurant that I work at like this. She doesn’t even glance at me, which gives me the idea that she doesn’t know that I’m here. Are they dating? What’s their relationship? As if hearing my thoughts, the two faces close the distance between them and he leaves a peck on her lips. She giggles in a way that I haven’t seen before. That giggle to me is unfamiliar, unrecognizable, and doesn’t seem like it would come from the Casey that I knew.

Diverting my attention from Casey, I decide to analyze the man. What kind of man is he? He looks kind of familiar. Where have I seen him before? He’s too fancy to be one of my friends… Was he a frequent customer here? Upon closer inspection, I finally realize. Julie. He’s the guy that has always been with Julie: Julie’s fiancé.