The grey tray dropped to the ground. “I’m going to have to grab more samples. Where did this line of people come from?” Candance whispered to herself. The crowd backed away from Candance as she went back into the restaurant to grab more free samples of cheeseburger sliders. The cheeseburger sliders were a new featured item at her café. Candance had a bright pink café and white glass doors. She wanted to showcase the new menu item. She thought that free samples would be a nice way of showing that. Candance grabbed another gray tray and placed her cheeseburger slider on it. She pushed the glass door open to head back outside. The sun was gleaming in her brown eyes, and she went back under the yellow awning.
Candance knew that some customers would grab more than one sample. She had a big white sign on the store front window that read “Four free samples to each. For the fifth sample you must purchase an item to consume.” Candance figured that the sign was big enough that anyone could see it. She didn’t believe she had to enforce it. The smell of the cheeseburgers wafted the air. Candance put her strawberry-blonde her behind her ear. You could see her bright pink café for miles. The crowd grew bigger. Candance ran out of samples and went back inside for me. The crowd cheered “Candance Café, Candance Café!” as she looked outside her clear white doors, she could see their hands waved in the air.
Candace came back outside to the loud cheering of the crowd. A woman in a yellow shirt came up to Candance. She read her name tag and knew instantly she was the owner. “I love the cheeseburger slides you made. This was a great choice to add to the menu.” Susie stated with a smile on her face. Winter was walking down the street in her baggy pants, silver hair in messy bun and stained clothes. She saw the line and was not ready to work. Winter already had a bad day at school. Winter greeted Candance and went into the café to clock in for her shift.
She prepared five trays of sample cheeseburger sliders so she could switch with Candance. Winter went outside with the trays of cheeseburger sliders. “I don’t really want to be here. But here’s your trays of cheeseburger sliders.” Winter said to Candance. Winter put both of headphones in to ignore the loud crowd. Candance pulled one headphone out of Winter’s ear and whispered, “Please take those headphones out.” Winter removed the headphones immediately.
Candance dusted her hands off on her pink apron and went inside to watch from afar. Candance could everything through the clear white doors. She knew Winter would mess up or get anger. She knew it was a matter of time before she’d have to fire her. Candance realized there was no table for her to place the trays on too. Candance looked at the checkboard floors as she went into the kitchen to grab a table. Winter looked over and didn’t; see Candance staring at her. Winter yelled at the crowd of people “Come and get some cheeseburger sliders. Get in a line though.”
Winter wasn’t paying attention when Susie walked up. Winter yelled at Susie “One per customer ma’am!” “The sign is right there” Susie pointed at the sign on the front door. Winter wanted to take her anger out on someone. Winter dropped the tray of food to the ground. “Now you don’t get anything. I would like three dollars and fifty cents.
That’s how much the sliders that you enjoy so much cost.” Winter comeback with the table and looked out the white glass door. She saw an argument between Susie and Winter. Candance didn’t care what the situation was she knew it was time to fire Winter. Candance went outside to see what was going on. “I don’t care what happen Winter your fired!” Candance yelled at Winter. Candance apologized to Susie and offered her a job at her café. Susie accepted the job. Now there’s more joy in every bite of a free cheeseburger slider.
Olake Muhammad is a creative writing major at Full Sail University. She is a poet and writer as well. Muhammad resides in Bayonne, New Jersey. Writing has always been her way of speaking to the world.