The next installment of the book blog

Chapter Two

“P. J., thank God you’re here,” my shift leader, Amber says when I walk into McDonald’s. “I’ve had three people call out.”

I pull on my McDonald’s ball cap and pull my ponytail through the hole in the back. “Where do you want me?” I ask.

“On drive-thru, you’re the only one here really experienced at it and we’re slammed.”

That was an understatement. The parking lot was full and the drive-thru’s line ran to the turn-in to the store. I walk through the back line where everyone is rushing around in their effort to put together Big Mac’s and every other sandwich we carry. When I get to the drive-thru, Sandy Geiser, who is also a college student, turns to me and relief instantly shows in her face.

“Thank God! I was terrified that no one was going to come replace me and I have to pee,” she said and quickly handed me the headset. As soon as I took over the headset, Sandy rushed off, I’m assuming to the restroom.

“Hi. Welcome to McDonald’s. Can I take your order,” I said into the mouth piece. And my night took off. Six hours later, after a crazed dinner rush and cleaning the back line area, I clocked out.

Amber hands me a large Coke. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to deal with having so few decent workers,” she says and took a draw on her straw.  The Diet Coke flowed up the straw to her mouth and she let out a sigh. “This has been the worst freakin’ week. I don’t know what I would do without you on my shift. No one else knows what they’re doing and they don’t seem to want to learn.

I nod, “Yeah, even the adults don’t want to take responsibility for anything. I can see the kids being like that, but you would think the adults would need a job bad enough to try to do things right.”

“I know,” Amber agrees, shaking her graying blonde hair.

Amber was probably in her mid-forties. She has two grown sons who are driving her insane. One had been in and out of jail since he was sixteen, and the other one kept having kids with different girls. He just had his fourth child in as many years last month.

Her plump body belies her ability to move very quickly. I have a hard time keeping up with her. She has been working for McDonald’s on and off for almost twenty years and out works almost all of the young people who work under her, me included.

“So you going to go home and study,” she asks.

“Yeah, I have to. I’m already behind in a couple of classes. I don’t know how those kids who take five and six classes do it. Four classes is about to kill me,” I reply.

“What’s your major again?”

“Fine arts.”

“What you going to do with that,” she asks and takes another draw on her Diet Coke.

I took a drink of my Coke and said, “Well, in theory, I’m going to do fabulous paintings and drawings that will be worth millions.”

Amber snorts.

“But, in reality I’m not sure. I’ll probably move more towards graphic arts. Maybe get a job working with web designers or something.”

“You’re very realistic about your future,” Amber says. “I like that. I just hope you find something to use your diploma for besides covering a whole in your wall like mine does.”

“You went to college?” When Amber nods, I ask, “What was your major?”

“English,” she says and pushed off the counter we’d been leaning on. “Forty thousand dollars in student loans, hundreds of resumes sent out to newspapers, publishing companies, even small presses and I couldn’t get a job.” She wiped her hands on her apron and continues, “I’d worked at McDonald’s on and off in high school and college. When I couldn’t get a job that could use my English degree and when my parents got tired of me and my two kids mooching off them, I came back to work at McDonald’s and been here ever since.” She sighed sadly, “Any way, I’m out of here.”

“Yeah, me too,” I say and watch her walk away. She has a bit of a limp that I’d never noticed before. I wonder if it was from standing on her feet for so many hours for so many years.

I speed dial Jamie as I leave the building and head to my Jeep. Her voice mail came on right away and I knew she had turned the phone off so she could sleep. “Hey Babe,” I say when I got the beep to leave a message. “Call me when you get up.”

It was really dark tonight with no moon showing. I get into my Jeep and start it. In my rearview mirror, I can see that late night crews cleaning the counters and doing prep work. The thought of spending the next four years in college only to end up working here was very depressing. I’d rather end up at a factory than spend the rest of my life working at McDonald’s.

I back out of my parking spot and head to Aunt Cheryl’s house. It was less than six miles to her house. She lives on the outskirts of town in a small three bedroom house. I love it out here. It is quiet and the closest neighbor’s house was far enough away that you can’t hear their business.

The lights are off in the house, but the porch light is on for me. I pull up next to Aunt Cheryl’s Taurus and get out. Stretching, I look up at the night sky. It is so clear out here. I wish I had time to sit out here and enjoy it, but I need to study for a little while before I go to sleep.  I lift my backpack out from behind the driver’s seat and head to the house. Quietly, I let myself into the house and make my way to my bedroom at the back of the house.

I sit my backpack down next to my bed and turned the lamp on. My room here is smaller than the one at my parent’s house. This has always been a guest room. It was made up with simple neutral colors. The walls were painted eggshell white, the drapes were a mixture of blue and beige swirl designs. The comforter on the bed was beige and the sheets, plain white. There is a four drawer dresser and two one-drawer night stands that are pinewood with cherry stain. And, the single lamp in the room has a brass bottom and off white lamp shade. This is all very different from the dark and powerful colors I had used in my own room.

The dresser is on the same wall with the door and the closet. I go to it and pull out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I am ready to get out of my McDonald’s uniform. If it wasn’t so late I’d take a shower and try to wash off the French fry smell, but I don’t want to wake up Aunt Cheryl.

I strip off my clothes, leaving on my underwear, and put the shorts and t-shirt on. I go to the closet and get a Mountain Dew out of the small dorm room style refrigerator Aunt Cheryl let me put in my room.

Padding my way back to the bed, I put the Dew on a coaster on the nightstand, sit down on the bed, and pull my backpack open. I dig out the dreaded algebra text book and my notebook. I check the time on my phone that I have placed on the night stand when I came in, one o’clock. I don’t have to get up until nine tomorrow because my first class isn’t until noon. I make sure my alarm was set for the morning, got comfortable on the bed and open the algebra book. Hopefully I’ll get a least an hour of studying in before I crash; and hopefully Jamie will be able to work with me tomorrow on this crap.

A smile plays at my lips the way it always does when I think of Jamie. I picture her beautiful blue eyes looking up at me. My fingers twitch as I think about running my fingers through her dark brown hair and kissing her lips.

Grinning, I shook my head, that woman has me thinking about her constantly. I can’t wait to see her tomorrow and kiss those sweet lips. But, for now, I sigh, I need to get to studying.