Chapter 6

I was the first one to get to the restaurant that evening. It was one of those 'seat yourself' places, and I was looking around for Laura (my favorite waitress) so I could find out what section she had. The fragments of memory that survived my latest drunken bout said she'd been serving us, and I wanted to make sure we'd done right by her.

A waitress I hadn't seen before walked up and said, "Sit anywhere you like," in a slightly suggestive tone. It was the kind of place which encouraged wishing, but not touching, and some of the girls liked to push the envelope. Since their target audience was the Earther community and the unmarried human males of Phoenix, all of the wait staff were human females.

"I'm looking for Laura's section; she is working tonight, right?" I asked. I tried not to sound like I was brushing her off, but in fact I was; she wasn't unattractive, but something about her manner grated slightly.

In a somewhat huffy tone, she said, "I don't know why you're interested in that tramp; unless it's because she can't keep her legs together. She's already got one bastard off some customer."

I gave her a cold look and didn't reply. When she noticed my expression, she got a little pale. I like to think I'm a nice guy, and all my girlfriends have agreed, even when they were breaking up with me, but a rough childhood and an early fascination with martial arts give me a rather scary visage when I'm annoyed.

Not a few girls had tried to pick me up of late, looking for 'a bit of rough' and had been confused when I turned out to be a tender lover. And not a few boyfriends had backed down abruptly when they accosted me if I was chatting with their girlfriend without realizing she was with somebody. And now this little piece of work was thinking I was going to knife her.

I saw Laura in the back of the room, so I headed her way. Before I left, I said to the now-cowering woman, "The word is 'class.' Look it up in the dictionary. You'll probably never have any, but you should know what you're missing."

I walked up to where Laura was taking a couple's orders, and held up a hand with three fingers extended. She pointed to a couple of tables, and I nodded, and moved that way. She finished up with the couple, and walked towards me.

"The usual?" she asked, perky as always but with an odd look in her eyes.

I shook my head, and said, "No, a glass of santhal, light on the ice, please." Santhal was the Craxill equivalent of iced tea, for humans at least, and a distinct change from my usual stout, or occasional whiskey. Santhal affected Craxill like a mild wine, or sparkling cider. They could get drunk on it, but not very fast.

Laura didn't comment, just nodded and moved towards the kitchen to place the couple's order. I watched her leave, enjoying the view of her well-shaped figure in the tight-fitting outfits the owner required the staff to wear. I was moderately friendly with all of the long-timers here, but Laura was my favorite, and the only one I'd ever fantasized about. I'd never asked her out, and not just because I didn't want to risk the friendship.

The bar had a strict no-fraternization policy, one I'd seen enforced when a drunken boyfriend objected to someone making a pass at his waitress girlfriend. I was a bit too fond of the food here to stop coming in, just for the chance to get shot down after a short romance. At least, that's how I'd felt when I was certain I'd be thrown off the planet anyway in a couple of months. Now that I might have a future here, perspectives were starting to shift.

Laura returned with my drink and three menus, and set them down in front of me. She paused for a second, then spoke in a worried tone.

"I saw you talking to Sarah, and you didn't look happy. What did she say?"

"It's not what she said, it's why she said it," I replied, evading the question. "I hate people who try to tear down the 'competition' by spreading what they think of as dirt. I'm trying not to get angry about it; the fact that she's not going to last long makes that easier."

Now Laura looked more puzzled than worried. "What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Think about how busy it gets around here," I said, "And how often you've delivered a table's food for one of the other waitresses, or vice versa. I can't see Sarah doing that for anyone else, which means pretty soon nobody else will do it for her. And when she starts dishing out cold food, her tips are going to drop, which will make her attitude worse, and round the drain she goes. I give it a month, at most. And if she pisses off the kitchen staff, she won't even last that long. How often have you been yelled at for something they mess up? If they start doing it on purpose..." I shrugged, and left the rest unsaid.

Laura smiled at that, and then went back to work, checking the nearby tables to see if they needed anything, and working her way over to the beverage station to get refills for one of her other tables. I sat there and sipped my drink, not watching her, but not avoiding her eyes either. I could tell she still wanted to know what that bitch had told me; what I couldn't tell was why she cared.

Naltort arrived shortly thereafter, with a small bandage on the back of one hand. I stood and gave him a hug, then sat down again. Laura was right behind him, and took his drink order. She still looked as perky as always, but I thought I could detect disappointment, as if Naltort's arrival foreclosed any chance for her to find out what Sarah had said.

I asked Naltort about his bandage, and he looked embarrassed (I was finally getting a handle on that expression, at least) as he replied.

"The cat must be feeling neglected," he told me. "It scratched me when I tried to pet it."

"We have a cat?" I asked in a wry tone. "Are there any other little surprises you've cooked up for me? I know we've been busy, and haven't really had enough time to talk, but I'd have thought that would have come up by now."

Naltort was saved by Laura's return with his drink.

"Just one more coming?" she asked. "Do you want any appetizers while you wait?"

I looked at Naltort, who indicated indifference, then told her, "Yes, one more, and no, we're good for now. She should be along shortly."

Laura's left eyebrow raised slightly, but she only said, "I'll keep an eye out. Wave if you need me sooner." I enjoyed the view again as she walked away, then turned back to Naltort.

I patted his hand, and said, "Sorry about the teasing. You'll get used to it."