Treasured Yet Discarded

“Order up!”The dinging of a service bell pulls me from my reverie, and back to reality. I walk over to the order window, grab the two plates on the ledge and carry them over to one of the booths by the window.“One, Richie’s Cheeseburger and one, Howard’s Hot Dog,” I announce as I place the plates down in front of the customers. “Is there anything else I can get you?”“Actually, yeah. Could I get a strawberry milkshake and a cola spider for my son?” the young father requests, causing the young boy’s face to light up with excitement.“Coming right up,” I say brightly, walking off to work on their drink order.“Lani, can you help me? I can’t for the life of me read my own friggin handwriting,” groans Áine in frustration, her warm Irish accent making her groaning sound more adorable than it should.“And you think the NON-native English speaker is going to have a better time?” I tease.“Pleeease,” she begs, “You’re just better at this stuff,” she says, holding up her order pad, a sad exa

I pull into the underground parking lot of the Starlight Lounge - one of the most exclusive bars in West Hollywood - pull my visor down and quickly apply a coat of mascara to my naturally long lashes to make my deep, chocolate-brown eyes pop. I then apply a layer of lip oil to my moderately plump lips to give them a little shine. I pinch my cheeks a little – a trick my madre taught me – to give my soft, latte skin a natural flush, then I tie my bust-length, dark brown hair up into a sleek ponytail. I give myself another once over and once satisfied, grab my bag, and get out of the car.I smooth out my black slacks and tuck in my long-sleeve, white, button-down shirt and tighten my black tie. The club has a strict dress code. All servers must wear black pants, a white shirt, and a black tie. At least I get to wear my Sketchers for comfort, but they’re black so they at least blend in. While my diner uniform is cuter, I like this one much better. I think it’s classy and no one can look do

I pull the ice pack away and gingerly feel the back of my head. It’s still tender to the touch, and the Advil is only doing so much to ease the ache in my skull and stiffness in my neck, which means tomorrow at the diner is going to be a gruelling eight hours.“You sure I can’t get you anything?” asks Amber, sitting on the end of the bed against the glass pane, smothering Ily with affection.“I’m okay. I appreciate you bringing me food though,” I say graciously. “I really didn’t feel like getting up. I just want to spend the day resting so I can be alright for work tomorrow.”Amber looks at me with a deep frown of displeasure. “You’re not seriously going to work tomorrow.”“Of course, I am.”“Lani, you could have been really hurt last night. I would be so shaken if it was me,” she says while nuzzling Ily who playfully paws at her face.“I’m not. No one intentionally hurt me, it was just an accident. I’m not bleeding or have any broken bones, so there’s no reason for me to stay home.”“

“Thank you,” I say with a courteous smile to the waitress as she sets my order down on the table. As someone who works in the service industry, I always try to treat other servers with respect. We have enough problems; we don’t need to make life harder for each other.I take a sip of my Pepsi and start digging into my delicious and juicy-looking bucket of wings as I wait for Irina at our favourite bar/restaurant. Aside from the food, we love the alfresco-style dining that opens out onto the streets of We-Ho. It's sophisticated but with tropical decor and vines that wrap and weave through the shaded pergola. It reminds me of the hotel resort my mum works at back home. Growing up I was allowed to play and swim in the pool for free. I always thought it was weird having a resort pool that looks out onto the ocean though. I mean, that's basically one free giant pool. Either way, it's the closest I can get to feeling like I'm back home.I’m onto my second wing when Irina finally graces me w

Once I’ve clocked in at the Starlight Loung, I race to the bar, tying my apron around my waist as I try to catch my breath. “I’m so…sorry…I’m…late.”Lamont looks up from his planner as he sits at the bar, raising a concerned eyebrow. “Is everything alright?”“I ended up…” I place my hands on my hips and take in a deep breath so I can speak better. “I ended up with a flat tyre, so I had to catch the bus. I’m so sorry,” I apologise profusely.“It’s okay, you don’t need to stress yourself. I was starting to worry because you’ve never been late. You’ve never even called in sick before.”“I swear it won’t happen again.”He reaches out placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder, “Nalani, relax. You’re not in trouble. Just next time throw me a text to let me know you’re going to be late and it’s all good,” he smiles comfortingly.“I thought I did…” I frown. I pull my phone from my apron and open my messages to see my text to Lamont has a ‘message not sent’ warning. “Damn it! I’m so sorry Monty