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I've got this story I might just finish someday. For now, it's a WIP
Lance walked through the empty apartment. The walls hadn’t seen a new coat of paint in a good twenty years. The carpet had holes in it. Probably from cigarettes, or at least Lance hoped they were just cigarettes. The kitchen was ancient, but at least this one came with a refrigerator. Lance had never seen a refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom before. The apartment was tiny. Just a kitchen, a small living room, the bedroom and a bathroom that reminded Lance of a walk-in closet, only not as big. The shower tiles were intact, which was a vast improvement from the last few places he’d looked at. It wasn’t in the best neighborhood, but then nothing in his price range was. It was close to a bus stop though. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and this really was the best one he’d found so far. At any rate he was tired of the shelter.
“Why did the last tenant leave?” Lance asked the super who was giving him the tour.
“Drug bust,” the man said.
Lance sighed. Not cigarettes. “I’ll take it,” he said.
Lance hadn’t wanted to spend too much money on the place. With no job, he had only his savings and he needed to stretch them as far as he could. He found a futon and a coffee table at a local thrift store. He’d taken the bus uptown to the Wal-Mart and bought himself the cheapest pots and pans he could find. He bought a wooden spoon, a spatula, a few gladware plates, and was very glad they sold utensils in one setting packages.
Every day he went to the library to check the newspapers for jobs. None of the ads had panned out so far. The only job he’d had was at a grocery store back home, and that didn’t really qualify him for anything other than working at a grocery store here. Unfortunately, it seemed none of them were hiring.
Once again going, with the beggars can’t be choosers philosophy, Lance investigated the ads for jobs he thought other people would be least likely to want. That’s how he found the ad for Bev’s Diner. They wanted a waiter to work from 9pm to 5am. The ad said “Fun atmosphere” and “competitive rates” which Lance figured probably meant ten cents over minimum wage, but it was ten cents more than he’d get anywhere else. He checked the address against his bus schedule and found that it would be easy for him to get to.
“What the hell?” Lance said to himself. He put the paper back on the rack and headed out. If he hurried he could catch the bus.
Bev’s Diner looked like every other diner he’d ever been to. Booths, lined the walls and there was a counter the length of the place with chrome lined stools that had red plastic seat cushions. He took notice of a sticker in the window. It was a small pink triangle with the words ‘safe space’ under it. Lance thought he might like it here after all. A hostess approached him.
“Table for one?” she asked.
“Um…Actually, I’m here about your ad. For the night job?”
The hostess nodded. “Wait at the counter. I’ll get Bev.”
Bev turned out to be a heavyset woman with long black hair and the sweetest smile Lance had ever seen.
“What’s your name, honey?” She asked.
“Uh…Lance. Lance Bass.”
“Ever waited tables, Lance?”
“Uh, no. But I’m sure I can learn.”
“Of course you can, honey. It ain’t rocket science.”
Lance laughed.
“You’d be working 9pm to 5am. The night crew’s pretty small, but we need at least two waiters. Most of the time it’s not that busy, but we’re pretty close to the college, so on game nights you get a bit of a rush. I’m sure you can handle it.”
Lance nodded.
“One more thing,” Bev said. “This is kind of a gay neighborhood, and we get all kinds in here, especially late at night. I take a lot of pride in my place, Lance, and it’s important to me that the people in this neighborhood know that they can come here and not have to deal with any bullshit from anybody. Is that gonna be a problem for you?”
Lance smiled. “No, ma’am that won’t be a problem at all,” he said pointedly.
“Ahh,” Bev gave him a wry smile. “Ok, then. Job’s yours. Be here tomorrow night at nine. I’d stay up late tonight if I were you. Get used to the new schedule.”
“That’s it? I have the job?”
“You got a problem with that?”
“No! I just, I guess I expected…”
“Life’s full of unexpected surprises, Lance. Hell, I gave birth to three of them,” Bev laughed. “I like you, Lance. I think you’ll fit in here.”
“Thank you,” Lance said.
“My son, Chris is the night manager. He’ll be expecting you. He’ll help you fill out the paperwork.”
“Thank you,” Lance said again.
“Hell, I’m the one in a bind here. I should thank you. Not many people willing to work those hours.”
“I’m willing to take what I can get,” Lance said.
“Figured,” Bev said. “You’ve got that look about you. You hard up?”
“Yeah,” Lance said. “I just moved here two weeks ago.”
“And not much in the way of savings I’ll bet,” Bev said.
“Not really,” Lance said quietly.
“Yeah, you’ll fit in perfect, here.”
Lance smiled and turned to go.
“Tell you what,” Bev said reaching across the counter to stop him. “To celebrate your new employment, lunch is on the house.” She handed him a menu.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Lance began.
“You want this job, honey?”
“Of course,” Lance said.
“Then rule number one is, I’m your boss and you do what I tell you,” she handed him a menu. “And I’m telling you to order something.”
Lance smiled. “You serve breakfast all day?”
“There’s not a self-respecting diner that doesn’t.”
“French toast please. With hash browns and orange juice.”
Bev smiled and took the menu. “Comin’ right up, honey.”
The next day Lance arrived fifteen minutes early. He sat at the counter and ordered water. At two minutes to nine a short man with dark hair and Bev’s face burst into the diner.
“Never fear, the boss man is here!” He said.
Some of the staff turned and waved ‘hello’. He got some nods from a few of the customers too.
A tall boy with curly hair came out from the back. He was wearing a black T-shirt with the words ‘Bev’s Diner’ drawn to look like a purple neon sign. “Have you ever been on time for anything in your life?” He asked.
Chris held up his watch. “Read it and weep, Timberlake. 8:59. I’m early.”
“Pfft,” was the boy’s reply. “Brian was here an hour ago,” he said to Chris as he stepped behind the counter.
“That’s because Brian’s a freak!” Chris said raising his voice toward the end of the sentence so he could be heard through the hole in the wall that led to the kitchen.
A young man with golden blond hair poked his head up to look through the opening and smiled.
“Hey, Chris,” he said with a slight southern accent. “Oh, you’re on time.”
“Shut up, Littrel,” Chris muttered. “You’re always so freaking early.”
“I have to get my soup ready,” Brian said.
“What do we have tonight?” Chris asked, pulling a White board off the wall and erasing the day’s specials.
“Cream of chicken and rice, and Manhattan clam Chowder.”
“Which one is that?” Chris asked as he wrote it down.
“The red kind,” Brian said.
“Yuck.”
“It’s not for you. Oh, you might want to put the peach cobbler on special. Christina made too much.”
“It usually sells much better,” a female voice said from the kitchen.
“It was the last episode of one of those reality shows tonight. All the college kids stayed in.”
“Which one?” the curly haired boy asked.
“I don’t know, Justin. Surviving fearful moles while becoming a pop star or some shit like that. How should I know? I work through prime time.”
Chris took off his coat and hung it on a hook behind the counter. He too was wearing a Bev’s Diner T-shirt.
“So, am I facing the ravening hordes from the hospital alone again, or is AJ working tonight?” Justin asked.
“Neither. Mom said she’s got fresh meat for us.”
“Cool!” Justin said.
Chris scanned the room. “I expect he’ll be here already. Mom says he’s…Ah Ha!” Chris’s eyes landed on Lance.
Chris approached him. “You must be Lance,” he said.
“Yeah,” Lance said. “How did you know?”
“Mom said to look for a skinny blond, hungry kid,” Chris said and pointed to Lance’s water.
“Oh, um…”
Before Lance could say anything, Chris clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go in back, and get all your papers filled out. Then I’ll show you how it’s done and introduce you around.”
They filled out the papers.
“Your first name is James?”
“Yeah, um technically. I was named after my dad. I never used it, you know, to avoid confusion at home.”
“Right, right. Say, you want a T-shirt?” Chris asked pulling one out of a box behind his desk. “You don’t have to, but it’s kind of fun to have a uniform, you know?”
“Sure,” Lance said. He had worn a plain orange T-shirt for his first day at work. His mom had always said he looked good in orange.
Chris handed him a shirt along with a nametag. “You look like a large to me,” Chris said. “Or at least you will be when you put some meat on your bones.”
“I uh, I don’t eat much,” Lance said.
“Can’t really afford to, huh?”
Lance blushed.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being down on your luck.”
Lance nodded.
“Look, my mom’s had this place since I was a kid. I grew up here and I never doubted I’d spend the rest of my life working here. I love it. You’re not the first person to wind up here thinking this was their last stop in life. But for most of them it wound up being a new beginning. Life’s what you make of it.”
“Thanks,” Lance said. He changed shirts and followed Chris back up front. Chris took him into the kitchen.
“Lance, this is Brian,” Chris said. “He’s our night cook.”
“Nice to meet you,” Brian said. “You the new waiter?”
“Yup.”
“Brian here is all about the soup,” Chris said. “We’ve got the best soup in the city, but only after nine,” Chris said with a smile. “Brian won’t share his recipes.”
Brian smiled. “I’ve got to have some secrets,” Brian said.
Chris took him out front and introduced him to Justin. “Justin, this is Lance. He’s the new Britney.”
“What?” Lance said.
Justin laughed. “Britney. She had your job,” he explained.
“Where’d she go?” Lance asked.
“Bigger and better things, man,” Justin said.
“Britney’s an aspiring actress,” Chris said. “She’s not very good, but she can sing and dance like you wouldn’t believe. She just got a part in the chorus of a musical.”
“Cool!” Lance said.
“Yeah, we’re all going to see her when she starts in two weeks,” Justin said. “You should come.”
“I don’t know,” Lance said. “I don’t have much money.”
“Brit’s getting the tickets for us. I’ll just tell her to add one more.”
“Well, I guess. If I’m not working, I mean.”
“You won’t be,” Chris said.
“I won’t?”
“Let me show you your schedule.” Chris pulled a paper out of his pocket. “You alternate. One week you work Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, the next you work Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It only works out to eight days in a two week pay period, that’s why your salary is so high compared to other diners.”
“You know, I never asked…” Lance started.
“Ten dollars an hour plus tips,” Chris said.
Lance nearly choked.
“It works out about the same as if you were working forty hours a week somewhere else,” Chris said. “But if you’re looking to pick up extra hours we always need help during the breakfast rush.”
“Ok.”
“Come on, I’ll show you the ropes tonight. It’s not that hard.”
He spent the first few hours following Chris around and bussing tables. Around midnight a group of women in scrubs came in and Chris seated them.
“We’re right down the street from the hospital and a nursing home,” Chris said. “The evening shift nurses get out at eleven, so we get a bit of a midnight rush.”
Lance nodded.
“My boyfriend is a nurse at the hospital, except he works night shift. Eleven p.m. to seven a.m. That’s why I work the night shift. For a while I was doing afternoons and all we ever did was pass each other coming and going. I like nights better anyway.”
“Oh. Um. That must be nice for you. Being on the same schedule like that.” Lance knew there were gay people in the world. Hell, he was one of them, but he had never met anyone who was so open about it before.
“Kinda took you by surprise there, huh?” Chris asked.
“A little. I mean, I’m not used to people just being all open like that.”
“Well, we’re pretty open around here,” Chris said. “Me and Brian and Justin.”
“You mean you’re all?”
“Gay, Lance. You can say it. And yes, we are.” Chris regarded Lance for a moment. “Are you?”
“Yeah,” Lance said quietly. “I mean, I’ve never done anything…with a guy, but. I still know I want to.”
“Well, you’re among friends here,” Chris said and ruffled his hair.
Lance smiled.
The door opened and two more nurses came in. “What do you say you try those two on your own?” Chris said.
“Ok,” Lance nodded.
Lance did well. As the night wore on he got a little tired.
“Here,” Justin said handing him a cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” Lance said. He was about to drink when he stopped himself. “How much?”
“It’s free for night shift,” Justin said.
Lance nodded and drank.
“So, where are you from?” Justin asked. “What’s your story?”
“Mississippi,” Lance said. “Small town Mississippi. I had to get away.”
“I hear that,” Justin said. “I’m from Tennessee myself. It was a great place to grow up, but man I couldn’t wait to get out. Brian’s the same,” he said with a nod toward the kitchen. “Kentucky. Seems like we all head North.”
“Seems like,” Lance said. “I loved it at home. It was so different from here.” He sighed. “But I couldn’t stay.”
“My mom hit the ceiling when I told her I was gay,” Justin said. “Threw me out with nothing but the shirt on my back.”
“My, God,” Lance said. “My parents were nice enough to let me pack a bag first. What did you do?”
“Britney, who used to work here, she’s an old friend. I called her up and she sent me money for a bus ticket. I’ve been living here ever since. She’s my roommate actually.”
“At least you had a friend to help you.”
“Had to go it alone, huh?”
“Yeah. I had my own bank account. I was saving up for college. I mean, my parents were going to help pay for school, but I wanted to help.”
Justin nodded.
“Well, that plan was out the door so I took out all my money and bought myself the cheapest train ticket to a city north of the Mason-Dixon Line. I finally found an apartment two weeks ago. I was living at a homeless shelter before that.”
“Damn, that sucks,” Justin said. He thought for a moment then held out his hand.
Lance took it and they shook.
“You’ve got a friend now,” Justin said.
Things started to slow down towards three. Lance and Justin busied themselves in the kitchen catching up on the dishes while Brian spooned the leftover soup into containers.
“One of each for everybody tonight,” Brian said.
“Cool, man,” Justin said. He turned to Lance. “Brian won’t share his recipes, but he always gives us the leftovers.
“Cool,” Lance said. “Thanks Brian.”
“No problem,” Brian said then left to bring soup to Chris.
“He’s a sweetheart,” Justin said. “I can’t believe he’s still single.”
“He seems nice,” Lance agreed.
“Oh, he’s more than nice. He’s the kind of boy you take home to meet your mom. That is if your mom is still talking to you.”
“Did you two ever?” Lance began.
“What? No. I’m not his type.”
“What type is that?”
“I don’t know really. I just know I’m not it. He doesn’t talk about his personal life much. I get the sense he’s lonely though.”
“You said he’s from Kentucky, right?”
“Yeah,” Justin said.
“It’s probably just hard for him being so far from home. I know it is for me. Plus he strikes me as the shy type.”
“You’re right about that. AJ is on a never-ending quest to hook him up with someone. He hasn’t met with much success. Though I think that’s self-sabotage more than anything else. He’s got a little thing for him, I think, but he’ll never admit it. Anyway Brian hardly even seems to notice when guys are interested.”
“AJ?”
“He works part time. Fills in on whatever shift needs him. He works the breakfast rush a lot. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon. He’s a cool guy.”
Clean up finished, they headed up front. It was close to four and a few early commuters were stopping in for breakfast.
At four thirty the morning crew began to trickle in. Bev was one of the first to arrive.
“Hey, honey. How was work?” she said to Chris as she hugged him and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
“Mom!” Chris yelled, and pushed her away. “Not in front of the employees. You’ll undermine my authority.”
“What authority?” Justin quipped as he walked by with a tray full of dirty dishes.
“The authority to have you fired!” Chris called after him as Justin took the tray into the kitchen.
“Chris, you can’t fire Justin,” Bev said.
Justin emerged from the kitchen. “Aww, thank you Bev,” he said and kissed her on the cheek. He turned to Chris. “Looks like you’re stuck with me,” he said.
Chris rolled his eyes heavenward.
“So, how was your first night, Lance?” Bev asked.
“Just great ma’am,” Lance said. “Everyone’s been so friendly.”
“I’m glad,” Bev said.
“You picked a winner, mom,” Chris said. “He’s gonna do great here.”
Lance smiled.
“That’s great,” Bev said.
Justin and Brian came out of the kitchen, both wearing their coats.
“Hey, Mrs. K!” Brian called. “I left some soup for you.”
“Thank you, Brian,” Bev replied.
“Come on, Lance,” Justin said. “The day crew is here. We’re free.”
Lance smiled and went into the back to get his jacket. “Just a sec,” he said.
The three of them left the diner together.
“Where are you headed?” Justin asked.
“Bus stop,” Lance said. “Three blocks up.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Justin said. “I live about six blocks from here.”
Brian opened his mouth to say something then shut it again. “I’m in the other direction,” he said. “I’ll see you guys on Saturday.”
“See ya,” they both called as Brian walked away.
Justin waited at the bus stop with Lance.
“You don’t have to wait with me,” Lance said.
“I don’t mind,” Justin said.
“I’m sure you want to go home and get some sleep. I know I’m about to drop.”
“Really, it’s no problem,” Justin said. “Britney will be puttering around until a little after seven, so it’s not like I’ll get much sleep anyway.”
“So, I’ll see you Saturday,” Lance said as his bus pulled up.
“Yeah, see ya,” Justin said with a wave as the doors closed.
The sun was just peaking over the horizon when Lance settled into bed. He threw a heavy blanket over the curtain rod that hung empty over the bedroom’s one window. He’d have to get some blinds, he thought as he went to sleep. Or a blindfold. Yeah, that was probably cheaper.
When Justin got home, Britney was already up.
“You’re up early,” he said. Lately Britney had been getting up around six. Justin usually had coffee and breakfast ready for her.
“You’re home late,” Britney responded.
“I walked the new guy to the bus stop,” Justin said.
Britney sighed dramatically. “So, they finally replaced me. That must make things easier on you.”
“It will once he gets into the swing of things.”
Britney had already made coffee. She poured herself a cup and handed Justin a glass of juice. “So, is he cute?”
“What?”
“Well,” she said with a smile, “you walked six blocks in the wrong direction to the bus stop, and I’m assuming you waited with him. Is he cute?”
Justin blushed. “Yes.”
“And?”
“And nothing. He’s cute. So what?”
“What’s his story?”
“Same as everyone else’s. He’s from Mississippi, his parents kicked him out. The usual.”
“God, it’s like Bev is some big gay beacon or something,” Britney laughed.
Justin laughed too. “Seems like it some times.”
“So, do you like him?”
“I don’t know, I just met him. He seems sweet though.”
“So, you probably won’t see me much tomorrow. We’re in tech rehearsals until the end of next week.”
Justin nodded.
“Any plans for your day off?”
“AJ’s taking me to the flea market. We might see a movie.”
“A date?”
“What with AJ? No way.”
“He’s hot.”
“We’re just friends, Brit. AJ only has eyes for one guy, and I ain’t him.”
“Pity,” Britney said. “You guys are cute together.”
Justin scoffed.
“What?”
“We couldn’t look anymore strange together. I’m like the boy next door, and he looks like he’d kill you as soon as look at you.”
“Two boys from opposite sides of the tracks. It’s the stuff of legends.”
“Oh, please. If anyone’s from the wrong side of the tracks in our relationship it’s me.”
“You know I’m just teasing.” She grabbed a granola bar from a drawer and headed out. She kissed Justin on the cheek on her way out. “You boys have fun now.”
“See ya,” Justin said. He finished his juice and headed for bed.
Justin wandered up and down the rows of stands at the flea market. AJ had abandoned him somewhere around the used jewelry. Just then he felt a jarring and hands grabbing his shoulders. He turned around to see AJ’s smiling face.
“Find something?”
AJ showed him a beat up silver ring.
“What’s that, one for each finger now?” Justin asked.
AJ placed the ring on his middle finger and held it up. “Here, have a better look,” he said.
Justin knocked his hand down. “Cut it out, man, there’s kids around.”
“Whatever,” AJ said. “Find anything?”
“Dude, you know I’m on a budget.”
“Yes, that’s why we’re here at the flea market and not at a real store.”
“I saw some cool shirts a couple stands back, but I want to browse some more.”
“Take your time. I don’t have anywhere to be.”
“Dude, don’t you have any life at all?”
“Of course I do. I’m your chauffeur.”
Justin laughed. “Come on man, you must do something with your free time. You hardly ever work. Do you have another job or something?
“I get by,” AJ said.
“Fine, be Mr. Mysterious.”
“I think I will,” AJ pulled a pair of red pants from a rack as they passed and handed him to Justin. “You’re buying these.”
“You don’t even know if they’ll fit me,” Justin said.
“They will, and you’ll look hot in them.”
You should’ve worn those pants, man,” AJ said as he and Justin waited in line at the movie theater.
“Yeah, cause those shiny, skin tight, red pants would’ve been really appropriate.”
“You looked hot in them.”
“I’m not wearing pick up pants to the movies,” Justin said.
“Pick up pants?”
“You know. Clothes you wear when you’re looking to pick someone up.”
AJ snorted. “Slutwear you mean.”
“Like you’re one to talk. Everything you own screams ‘rent me’.”
AJ laughed.
“You just want to check out my ass anyway.”
“Dream on, baby boy. I’m just trying to get you laid. How long has it been.”
“Too long, but I very much doubt I’m going to find anyone at the seven-thirty show of…What are we seeing anyway?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t decided yet.”
“I want to see that new one with Sandra Bullock,” Justin said.
AJ pulled his sunglasses down and looked over the rim at Justin. “You are so gay.”
“You’re one to talk.”
“Your fascination with the chick flick frightens me, you know that, right?”
“I do not have a fascination with chick flicks.”
“You do! And you watch all those girly TV shows.”
“I do not!”
“Justin, honey, you watch Dawson’s Creek.”
“It has pretty boys,” Justin said without much conviction.
“You watch Oprah.”
“She’s very empowering.”
“Yes she is. If you’re a WOMAN.”
“Shut up.”
“You watch Everwood.”
“Hey, just watch it sometime. It’s the gayest show on TV.”
“Smallville,” AJ said.
“I don’t watch Smallville.”
“No, I mean Smallville is the gayest show on TV.”
“Oh, you’re probably right about that.”
“Come on, man. Take Britney to the chick movie. I want to see something cool.”
“Britney’s too busy with rehearsals. Anyway, how do you know it won’t be cool?”
AJ scoffed.
“You liked Practical Magic.”
AJ turned toward him and held a finger in Justin’s face. “I thought we agreed never to discuss that.”
“And we won’t,” Justin said. If you go to this movie with me.”
“Fine,” AJ said. “But I get to pick next time.”
“Deal,” Justin said.
They bought their tickets and headed for the theater.
“Dude?” AJ said.
“Yeah?”
“We totally freaked out those old people behind us in line.”
Justin laughed until the lights went down and AJ had to smack him to get him to be quiet.
“So, new guy?” AJ said as they walked out of the theater.
“Huh?”
“At the diner. Chris says you’ve got a new waiter.”
“Oh, yeah. Lance. He’s pretty cool.”
“Cute?”
Justin blushed. “A little.”
AJ gave him a needling grin. “You’re not fooling anybody with your innocent face. You like him?”
“God, why does everyone keep asking me that? I worked with him for one day. I don’t know.”
“But you’re attracted to him?”
“Maybe a little.”
AJ grinned.
“Shut up.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You suck,” Justin murmured.
AJ laughed.
Lance got to work a half-hour early and headed straight to the kitchen.
“Hey, Lance,” Brian said. “You’re here early.”
“Slave to the bus schedule,” Lance replied.
“Well, good, you can be my first guinea pig,” Brian spooned some soup into a small bowl and handed it to Lance. “Mushroom barley,” he said. “Been working on it for months. I think it’s ready for a debut.”
Lance tried it, blowing lightly on the spoon before placing it in his mouth.
“Brian, this is amazing,” Lance said.
“Really? Be honest.”
“Well, I like my food salty, but I don’t know that everyone does,” Lance said timidly, afraid he might offend Brian.
Brian took a spoonful and tried it. “Hmm. The barley soaked up more than I thought it would. I’ll just add more water. Thanks Lance.”
Lance smiled and continued to eat his soup. “No problem.”
He watched as Brian stirred more water into the pot and made a note in a beat up notebook on the counter.
“You make up all these recipes yourself?” Lance asked.
“Some of them are old family recipes my mom taught me. Some I make up. I mean things like clam chowder and chicken noodle, you’re pretty much limited in what you can do, but I try to make every one unique.”
“That’s really great,” Lance said. “No offense, but why are you working here? Someone who cooks like you should be working at a fancy restaurant.”
“I don’t have any formal training,” Brian said. “It’s all things my mom taught me or stuff I learned on my own. Most places wouldn’t consider three years as the night cook at a diner much experience.”
“Doesn’t seem fair to me,” Lance said.
“It doesn’t bother me. I like it here.”
“Me too. I mean so far y’all seem really nice.”
Just then the doors burst open and a man walked in shouting. “Brian! What’s up, man?”
“AJ! Why are you on tonight? Is Justin sick or something?”
“Nah. It’s the first night of the musical at the college. You know they always come here after.”
Brian groaned. “Them and half the audience. Why can’t they have cast parties at bars like normal college students?”
“It’s all your great food, man. They used to before you started cooking here.”
Brian rolled his eyes. “Sure, blame me.”
“Anyway, do you really want to see those kids drunk?”
“No way,” he turned to Lance. “Last year they decided to move all the tables in the dining room and do the opening tap dance from 42nd Street.”
“This year they’re doing RENT,” AJ said.
“Oh, good Lord,” Brian said. “If they recreate La Vie Boheme on the counter I think Chris may kill someone.”
AJ laughed.
“What?” Lance said.
“Do you know the show?” Brian asked.
Lance shook his head.
“In the play, the characters go to this café for an after show party. Then they sing and dance on the tables.”
“Among other things,” AJ said with a leer in Lance’s direction. “You must be Lance,” he said offering his hand. “I’m AJ.”
They shook hands. “Nice to meet you,” Lance said.
“Damn, Justin wasn’t kidding when he said you were cute.”
Lance blushed and stammered.
Brian smacked AJ on the arm
“Relax man,” AJ said to Lance. “I’m just messin’ with you.”
“Oh, right. Sure,” Lance said.
“Just ignore him, Lance. He’s only happy when he’s annoying people,” Brian said.
AJ clutched his hands to his chest. “You wound me, Brian.”
“Am I gonna get some help out here?” an annoyed voice came from outside the kitchen.
“Coming, Justin!” AJ yelled as he ran for the doors.
Lance turned to go.
“He likes you,” Brian said.
“What?”
“AJ. He likes you. It’s hard to tell sometimes if you don’t know him.”
“Thanks, um… I wasn’t sure.”
“He just likes to tease. He’s twelve like that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lance said with a smile as he headed into the diner.
At around nine-thirty Lance looked up at the sound of the door chime. A short, dark haired man came in. Chris looked up from the cash register and squealed.
“Hey, baby,” he said coming from behind the counter and embracing the new arrival. They shared a quick kiss and Chris led him to a table in Lance’s section. Chris sat down with him.
Lance came to the table to take the man’s order.
“Lance!” Chris said. “Come meet my boyfriend.”
The man smiled and Lance offered his hand. “I’m Howie,” he said.
“Nice to meet you,” Lance replied. “What can I get you?”
“He’ll have three pancakes with strawberry syrup, a side of bacon, and an orange juice,” Chris said before Howie could answer.
“And coffee,” Howie added.
“Make it two coffees,” Chris said.
“You know, one of these days I’m going to order something different and you’ll have to eat those pancakes,” Howie said to Chris.
“You wouldn’t really make me eat pancakes with strawberry syrup would you?”
“I just might.”
“And you say you love me,” Chris said ruefully.
“They’re cute aren’t they?” Justin said to Lance as he was filling drinks for one of his tables.
“Huh?”
“Chris and Howie,” Justin said.
“Yeah,” Lance said with a smile. He looked over to the table where Chris and Howie were talking quietly. Howie had reached across the table laying his hand on Chris’s. “They seem really sweet.”
“They are. They’ve been together like, ten years. Chris calls him his boyfriend, but really they’re about as married as two guys can get without moving to Vermont.”
“Must be nice.”
“Yeah,” Justin said. “I’m gonna find something like that some day.”
“Really?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You just don’t strike me as the settling down type is all.”
“Well, I am. I mean yeah, I’m only nineteen. I’ve got time, but I want that some day. Find a nice guy, build a life together, maybe start a family.” Justin looked down and Lance could see his cheeks go pink. “I’m such a girl sometimes, but that’s how I am I guess.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Lance said. “I kind of feel that way too, you know? I’d like to settle down someday. Do the family thing. It’s how I was brought up.”
Justin shot him a megawatt smile. “Thanks man. It’s cool that you get that.”
Lance smiled back and headed back to the floor.
At eleven-thirty Chris directed them to start moving tables together in the big dining room that was usually closed at night. Around midnight, the crowd began to filter in.
They were raucous and loud and headed straight for the dining room.
“AJ!” a voice called out.
“Joey, my man!” AJ responded. He slapped hands with one of the partygoers and pulled him into a quick back-slapping hug. “How’d it go?”
“We kicked ass, man!” Joey said which earned cheers from the rest of the cast.
When everyone was seated the three waiters split up the table and started taking orders.
“You’re new,” Joey said to Lance.
“Yeah, I just started. I’m Lance.”
“Joey Fatone. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around. I’m in here a lot.”
Lance set about taking orders, trying to keep them all straight. He got a little confused when a guy with long blond hair asked him for a Belgian waffle with vanilla icecream.
“Uh…” Lance began.
“Be nice, Sebastian,” Joey said. “Don’t ask the new guy for stuff that’s not on the menu.”
“But I always get it,” Sebastian said. He looked up at Lance. “Just ask Justin.”
Lance eyed him warily, wondering if he was about to fall into some kind of practical joke.
“Seriously, dude,” Joey said. “I don’t know how they figure out the price, but he always gets that.”
“Ok,” Lance said and wrote it down. “I’ll be back in a minute with your drinks.”
He asked Justin about the waffle.
“Sebastian,” Justin murmured with a smile. “Charge him for the waffle and then do the a la mode thing like you would for pie. Actually, I think you charge him twice, since it takes more ice cream.”
“Ok.”
“So, Brian tells me you’ve never seen RENT?”
“I vaguely remember hearing about it a while back, but no, I’ve never seen it.”
“AJ and I are going tomorrow night. We have an extra ticket, if you want to come.”
“I can’t really afford…”
“My treat then.”
“I don’t feel right about that. I don’t like taking hand outs, Justin.”
“Just think of it as a welcome gift, ok. You’re new in town, and we’re taking you out.”
“I don’t know.”
“Britney was supposed to go with us, but she’s too busy. Everyone I know is already going. It’ll just go to waste if you don’t take it.”
“Ok,” Lance said. “Should I just meet you at the college?”
“We’ll pick you up,” Justin said. “We were gonna go to dinner before,” Justin held up a hand to forestall Lance’s protest. “It’s just Chinese buffet. Eight bucks, and I’m paying, so shut up.”
Lance smiled. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Just write down your address for me, we’ll pick you up around six.”
Lance realized AJ hadn’t been kidding about most of the audience coming to the diner after the show. The place was a madhouse. Nearly every table was full, a far cry from its usual midnight level of activity. He was doing all right even if he was running his ass off keeping up with all the orders while trying to keep the drinks filled.
Normally when it was busy like this Chris would lend a hand, but the counter was full of customers as well, and he was stuck taking care of them. He did have time to come over the center table where the cast had congregated and deliver a dire warning.
“The first person I see dancing on my tables will get his or her feet chopped off as an example to the others. Got me?”
Everyone at the table nodded their assent. Lance thought he would have too. He wasn’t entirely sure Chris was joking.
Toward one AM the pace hadn’t slowed down at all and Lance was starting to get flustered. He’d just had to repeat an order four times before getting it right and everyone at the table was looking a little irate. Justin grabbed him as he headed by with drinks.
“Why don’t you let me get those?” Justin said. “You look like you could use a break.”
“I don’t have time,” Lance said sounding frustrated.
“Take it easy, man,” Justin said. “I’ve got you covered for five minutes.”
“Thanks, Justin.”
“No problem. You’re doing fine. Just take one thing at a time and think about the tips.”
Lance nodded and headed into the kitchen. “Taking five, Chris,” he said as he walked behind the counter. He walked through the kitchen and out the back door. He took a deep breath and let the calm surround him. At one AM the whole world was asleep. Well, everywhere but the diner anyway.
Brian poked his head out the back door. “You ok?” he asked.
“Fine,” Lance said. “Just need some air.”
Brian nodded and went back inside.
When Lance got back inside Justin came up to him and handed him some money. “I bused table six for you. Here’s the tip.”
Lance took the money and began to count out half to give back to Justin.
“No, keep it. I got plenty tonight.”
“You’re sure?” Lance asked. They usually split tips when they cleaned up after someone else.
“It’s cool.” Justin said.
One of the first things Lance did after he got back from break was screw up an order. The customer, who Lance thought was seriously overreacting, was yelling at him when Chris came over.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“The problem is this fuckwit screwed up my order!” the customer yelled.
“Well, sir why don’t I straighten this out for you? I’ll take it off your bill and have your order out in just a few minutes.”
The customer nodded, apparently satisfied.
“Lance, can I talk to you for minute?”
Lance nodded and followed Chris to the doorway of the dining room.
Chris began gesturing emphatically, pointing at Lance and said in a quiet voice
“I’m not mad at you, but they tip bigger if they think they got you in trouble so just stand there and look contrite.”
Lance nodded contritely.
“It’s a busy night and mistakes are bound to happen. Don’t let assholes like that get to you.”
Lance nodded again.
“Ok, then. Time to get back to work.” Chris headed back behind the counter.
“Chris should’ve been an actor,” Lance heard a voice behind him.
He turned to see Joey with a big smile on his face. “I love when he pulls that trick,” Joey said. “You’ll get a nice tip out of that.”
Lance laughed. “Did you need something?”
“No, I was just on my way to the bathroom, but as long as you’re asking I think we’ll be ready for dessert soon.”
Lance nodded.
Lance walked through the empty apartment. The walls hadn’t seen a new coat of paint in a good twenty years. The carpet had holes in it. Probably from cigarettes, or at least Lance hoped they were just cigarettes. The kitchen was ancient, but at least this one came with a refrigerator. Lance had never seen a refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom before. The apartment was tiny. Just a kitchen, a small living room, the bedroom and a bathroom that reminded Lance of a walk-in closet, only not as big. The shower tiles were intact, which was a vast improvement from the last few places he’d looked at. It wasn’t in the best neighborhood, but then nothing in his price range was. It was close to a bus stop though. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and this really was the best one he’d found so far. At any rate he was tired of the shelter.
“Why did the last tenant leave?” Lance asked the super who was giving him the tour.
“Drug bust,” the man said.
Lance sighed. Not cigarettes. “I’ll take it,” he said.
Lance hadn’t wanted to spend too much money on the place. With no job, he had only his savings and he needed to stretch them as far as he could. He found a futon and a coffee table at a local thrift store. He’d taken the bus uptown to the Wal-Mart and bought himself the cheapest pots and pans he could find. He bought a wooden spoon, a spatula, a few gladware plates, and was very glad they sold utensils in one setting packages.
Every day he went to the library to check the newspapers for jobs. None of the ads had panned out so far. The only job he’d had was at a grocery store back home, and that didn’t really qualify him for anything other than working at a grocery store here. Unfortunately, it seemed none of them were hiring.
Once again going, with the beggars can’t be choosers philosophy, Lance investigated the ads for jobs he thought other people would be least likely to want. That’s how he found the ad for Bev’s Diner. They wanted a waiter to work from 9pm to 5am. The ad said “Fun atmosphere” and “competitive rates” which Lance figured probably meant ten cents over minimum wage, but it was ten cents more than he’d get anywhere else. He checked the address against his bus schedule and found that it would be easy for him to get to.
“What the hell?” Lance said to himself. He put the paper back on the rack and headed out. If he hurried he could catch the bus.
Bev’s Diner looked like every other diner he’d ever been to. Booths, lined the walls and there was a counter the length of the place with chrome lined stools that had red plastic seat cushions. He took notice of a sticker in the window. It was a small pink triangle with the words ‘safe space’ under it. Lance thought he might like it here after all. A hostess approached him.
“Table for one?” she asked.
“Um…Actually, I’m here about your ad. For the night job?”
The hostess nodded. “Wait at the counter. I’ll get Bev.”
Bev turned out to be a heavyset woman with long black hair and the sweetest smile Lance had ever seen.
“What’s your name, honey?” She asked.
“Uh…Lance. Lance Bass.”
“Ever waited tables, Lance?”
“Uh, no. But I’m sure I can learn.”
“Of course you can, honey. It ain’t rocket science.”
Lance laughed.
“You’d be working 9pm to 5am. The night crew’s pretty small, but we need at least two waiters. Most of the time it’s not that busy, but we’re pretty close to the college, so on game nights you get a bit of a rush. I’m sure you can handle it.”
Lance nodded.
“One more thing,” Bev said. “This is kind of a gay neighborhood, and we get all kinds in here, especially late at night. I take a lot of pride in my place, Lance, and it’s important to me that the people in this neighborhood know that they can come here and not have to deal with any bullshit from anybody. Is that gonna be a problem for you?”
Lance smiled. “No, ma’am that won’t be a problem at all,” he said pointedly.
“Ahh,” Bev gave him a wry smile. “Ok, then. Job’s yours. Be here tomorrow night at nine. I’d stay up late tonight if I were you. Get used to the new schedule.”
“That’s it? I have the job?”
“You got a problem with that?”
“No! I just, I guess I expected…”
“Life’s full of unexpected surprises, Lance. Hell, I gave birth to three of them,” Bev laughed. “I like you, Lance. I think you’ll fit in here.”
“Thank you,” Lance said.
“My son, Chris is the night manager. He’ll be expecting you. He’ll help you fill out the paperwork.”
“Thank you,” Lance said again.
“Hell, I’m the one in a bind here. I should thank you. Not many people willing to work those hours.”
“I’m willing to take what I can get,” Lance said.
“Figured,” Bev said. “You’ve got that look about you. You hard up?”
“Yeah,” Lance said. “I just moved here two weeks ago.”
“And not much in the way of savings I’ll bet,” Bev said.
“Not really,” Lance said quietly.
“Yeah, you’ll fit in perfect, here.”
Lance smiled and turned to go.
“Tell you what,” Bev said reaching across the counter to stop him. “To celebrate your new employment, lunch is on the house.” She handed him a menu.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Lance began.
“You want this job, honey?”
“Of course,” Lance said.
“Then rule number one is, I’m your boss and you do what I tell you,” she handed him a menu. “And I’m telling you to order something.”
Lance smiled. “You serve breakfast all day?”
“There’s not a self-respecting diner that doesn’t.”
“French toast please. With hash browns and orange juice.”
Bev smiled and took the menu. “Comin’ right up, honey.”
The next day Lance arrived fifteen minutes early. He sat at the counter and ordered water. At two minutes to nine a short man with dark hair and Bev’s face burst into the diner.
“Never fear, the boss man is here!” He said.
Some of the staff turned and waved ‘hello’. He got some nods from a few of the customers too.
A tall boy with curly hair came out from the back. He was wearing a black T-shirt with the words ‘Bev’s Diner’ drawn to look like a purple neon sign. “Have you ever been on time for anything in your life?” He asked.
Chris held up his watch. “Read it and weep, Timberlake. 8:59. I’m early.”
“Pfft,” was the boy’s reply. “Brian was here an hour ago,” he said to Chris as he stepped behind the counter.
“That’s because Brian’s a freak!” Chris said raising his voice toward the end of the sentence so he could be heard through the hole in the wall that led to the kitchen.
A young man with golden blond hair poked his head up to look through the opening and smiled.
“Hey, Chris,” he said with a slight southern accent. “Oh, you’re on time.”
“Shut up, Littrel,” Chris muttered. “You’re always so freaking early.”
“I have to get my soup ready,” Brian said.
“What do we have tonight?” Chris asked, pulling a White board off the wall and erasing the day’s specials.
“Cream of chicken and rice, and Manhattan clam Chowder.”
“Which one is that?” Chris asked as he wrote it down.
“The red kind,” Brian said.
“Yuck.”
“It’s not for you. Oh, you might want to put the peach cobbler on special. Christina made too much.”
“It usually sells much better,” a female voice said from the kitchen.
“It was the last episode of one of those reality shows tonight. All the college kids stayed in.”
“Which one?” the curly haired boy asked.
“I don’t know, Justin. Surviving fearful moles while becoming a pop star or some shit like that. How should I know? I work through prime time.”
Chris took off his coat and hung it on a hook behind the counter. He too was wearing a Bev’s Diner T-shirt.
“So, am I facing the ravening hordes from the hospital alone again, or is AJ working tonight?” Justin asked.
“Neither. Mom said she’s got fresh meat for us.”
“Cool!” Justin said.
Chris scanned the room. “I expect he’ll be here already. Mom says he’s…Ah Ha!” Chris’s eyes landed on Lance.
Chris approached him. “You must be Lance,” he said.
“Yeah,” Lance said. “How did you know?”
“Mom said to look for a skinny blond, hungry kid,” Chris said and pointed to Lance’s water.
“Oh, um…”
Before Lance could say anything, Chris clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go in back, and get all your papers filled out. Then I’ll show you how it’s done and introduce you around.”
They filled out the papers.
“Your first name is James?”
“Yeah, um technically. I was named after my dad. I never used it, you know, to avoid confusion at home.”
“Right, right. Say, you want a T-shirt?” Chris asked pulling one out of a box behind his desk. “You don’t have to, but it’s kind of fun to have a uniform, you know?”
“Sure,” Lance said. He had worn a plain orange T-shirt for his first day at work. His mom had always said he looked good in orange.
Chris handed him a shirt along with a nametag. “You look like a large to me,” Chris said. “Or at least you will be when you put some meat on your bones.”
“I uh, I don’t eat much,” Lance said.
“Can’t really afford to, huh?”
Lance blushed.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being down on your luck.”
Lance nodded.
“Look, my mom’s had this place since I was a kid. I grew up here and I never doubted I’d spend the rest of my life working here. I love it. You’re not the first person to wind up here thinking this was their last stop in life. But for most of them it wound up being a new beginning. Life’s what you make of it.”
“Thanks,” Lance said. He changed shirts and followed Chris back up front. Chris took him into the kitchen.
“Lance, this is Brian,” Chris said. “He’s our night cook.”
“Nice to meet you,” Brian said. “You the new waiter?”
“Yup.”
“Brian here is all about the soup,” Chris said. “We’ve got the best soup in the city, but only after nine,” Chris said with a smile. “Brian won’t share his recipes.”
Brian smiled. “I’ve got to have some secrets,” Brian said.
Chris took him out front and introduced him to Justin. “Justin, this is Lance. He’s the new Britney.”
“What?” Lance said.
Justin laughed. “Britney. She had your job,” he explained.
“Where’d she go?” Lance asked.
“Bigger and better things, man,” Justin said.
“Britney’s an aspiring actress,” Chris said. “She’s not very good, but she can sing and dance like you wouldn’t believe. She just got a part in the chorus of a musical.”
“Cool!” Lance said.
“Yeah, we’re all going to see her when she starts in two weeks,” Justin said. “You should come.”
“I don’t know,” Lance said. “I don’t have much money.”
“Brit’s getting the tickets for us. I’ll just tell her to add one more.”
“Well, I guess. If I’m not working, I mean.”
“You won’t be,” Chris said.
“I won’t?”
“Let me show you your schedule.” Chris pulled a paper out of his pocket. “You alternate. One week you work Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, the next you work Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It only works out to eight days in a two week pay period, that’s why your salary is so high compared to other diners.”
“You know, I never asked…” Lance started.
“Ten dollars an hour plus tips,” Chris said.
Lance nearly choked.
“It works out about the same as if you were working forty hours a week somewhere else,” Chris said. “But if you’re looking to pick up extra hours we always need help during the breakfast rush.”
“Ok.”
“Come on, I’ll show you the ropes tonight. It’s not that hard.”
He spent the first few hours following Chris around and bussing tables. Around midnight a group of women in scrubs came in and Chris seated them.
“We’re right down the street from the hospital and a nursing home,” Chris said. “The evening shift nurses get out at eleven, so we get a bit of a midnight rush.”
Lance nodded.
“My boyfriend is a nurse at the hospital, except he works night shift. Eleven p.m. to seven a.m. That’s why I work the night shift. For a while I was doing afternoons and all we ever did was pass each other coming and going. I like nights better anyway.”
“Oh. Um. That must be nice for you. Being on the same schedule like that.” Lance knew there were gay people in the world. Hell, he was one of them, but he had never met anyone who was so open about it before.
“Kinda took you by surprise there, huh?” Chris asked.
“A little. I mean, I’m not used to people just being all open like that.”
“Well, we’re pretty open around here,” Chris said. “Me and Brian and Justin.”
“You mean you’re all?”
“Gay, Lance. You can say it. And yes, we are.” Chris regarded Lance for a moment. “Are you?”
“Yeah,” Lance said quietly. “I mean, I’ve never done anything…with a guy, but. I still know I want to.”
“Well, you’re among friends here,” Chris said and ruffled his hair.
Lance smiled.
The door opened and two more nurses came in. “What do you say you try those two on your own?” Chris said.
“Ok,” Lance nodded.
Lance did well. As the night wore on he got a little tired.
“Here,” Justin said handing him a cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” Lance said. He was about to drink when he stopped himself. “How much?”
“It’s free for night shift,” Justin said.
Lance nodded and drank.
“So, where are you from?” Justin asked. “What’s your story?”
“Mississippi,” Lance said. “Small town Mississippi. I had to get away.”
“I hear that,” Justin said. “I’m from Tennessee myself. It was a great place to grow up, but man I couldn’t wait to get out. Brian’s the same,” he said with a nod toward the kitchen. “Kentucky. Seems like we all head North.”
“Seems like,” Lance said. “I loved it at home. It was so different from here.” He sighed. “But I couldn’t stay.”
“My mom hit the ceiling when I told her I was gay,” Justin said. “Threw me out with nothing but the shirt on my back.”
“My, God,” Lance said. “My parents were nice enough to let me pack a bag first. What did you do?”
“Britney, who used to work here, she’s an old friend. I called her up and she sent me money for a bus ticket. I’ve been living here ever since. She’s my roommate actually.”
“At least you had a friend to help you.”
“Had to go it alone, huh?”
“Yeah. I had my own bank account. I was saving up for college. I mean, my parents were going to help pay for school, but I wanted to help.”
Justin nodded.
“Well, that plan was out the door so I took out all my money and bought myself the cheapest train ticket to a city north of the Mason-Dixon Line. I finally found an apartment two weeks ago. I was living at a homeless shelter before that.”
“Damn, that sucks,” Justin said. He thought for a moment then held out his hand.
Lance took it and they shook.
“You’ve got a friend now,” Justin said.
Things started to slow down towards three. Lance and Justin busied themselves in the kitchen catching up on the dishes while Brian spooned the leftover soup into containers.
“One of each for everybody tonight,” Brian said.
“Cool, man,” Justin said. He turned to Lance. “Brian won’t share his recipes, but he always gives us the leftovers.
“Cool,” Lance said. “Thanks Brian.”
“No problem,” Brian said then left to bring soup to Chris.
“He’s a sweetheart,” Justin said. “I can’t believe he’s still single.”
“He seems nice,” Lance agreed.
“Oh, he’s more than nice. He’s the kind of boy you take home to meet your mom. That is if your mom is still talking to you.”
“Did you two ever?” Lance began.
“What? No. I’m not his type.”
“What type is that?”
“I don’t know really. I just know I’m not it. He doesn’t talk about his personal life much. I get the sense he’s lonely though.”
“You said he’s from Kentucky, right?”
“Yeah,” Justin said.
“It’s probably just hard for him being so far from home. I know it is for me. Plus he strikes me as the shy type.”
“You’re right about that. AJ is on a never-ending quest to hook him up with someone. He hasn’t met with much success. Though I think that’s self-sabotage more than anything else. He’s got a little thing for him, I think, but he’ll never admit it. Anyway Brian hardly even seems to notice when guys are interested.”
“AJ?”
“He works part time. Fills in on whatever shift needs him. He works the breakfast rush a lot. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon. He’s a cool guy.”
Clean up finished, they headed up front. It was close to four and a few early commuters were stopping in for breakfast.
At four thirty the morning crew began to trickle in. Bev was one of the first to arrive.
“Hey, honey. How was work?” she said to Chris as she hugged him and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
“Mom!” Chris yelled, and pushed her away. “Not in front of the employees. You’ll undermine my authority.”
“What authority?” Justin quipped as he walked by with a tray full of dirty dishes.
“The authority to have you fired!” Chris called after him as Justin took the tray into the kitchen.
“Chris, you can’t fire Justin,” Bev said.
Justin emerged from the kitchen. “Aww, thank you Bev,” he said and kissed her on the cheek. He turned to Chris. “Looks like you’re stuck with me,” he said.
Chris rolled his eyes heavenward.
“So, how was your first night, Lance?” Bev asked.
“Just great ma’am,” Lance said. “Everyone’s been so friendly.”
“I’m glad,” Bev said.
“You picked a winner, mom,” Chris said. “He’s gonna do great here.”
Lance smiled.
“That’s great,” Bev said.
Justin and Brian came out of the kitchen, both wearing their coats.
“Hey, Mrs. K!” Brian called. “I left some soup for you.”
“Thank you, Brian,” Bev replied.
“Come on, Lance,” Justin said. “The day crew is here. We’re free.”
Lance smiled and went into the back to get his jacket. “Just a sec,” he said.
The three of them left the diner together.
“Where are you headed?” Justin asked.
“Bus stop,” Lance said. “Three blocks up.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Justin said. “I live about six blocks from here.”
Brian opened his mouth to say something then shut it again. “I’m in the other direction,” he said. “I’ll see you guys on Saturday.”
“See ya,” they both called as Brian walked away.
Justin waited at the bus stop with Lance.
“You don’t have to wait with me,” Lance said.
“I don’t mind,” Justin said.
“I’m sure you want to go home and get some sleep. I know I’m about to drop.”
“Really, it’s no problem,” Justin said. “Britney will be puttering around until a little after seven, so it’s not like I’ll get much sleep anyway.”
“So, I’ll see you Saturday,” Lance said as his bus pulled up.
“Yeah, see ya,” Justin said with a wave as the doors closed.
The sun was just peaking over the horizon when Lance settled into bed. He threw a heavy blanket over the curtain rod that hung empty over the bedroom’s one window. He’d have to get some blinds, he thought as he went to sleep. Or a blindfold. Yeah, that was probably cheaper.
When Justin got home, Britney was already up.
“You’re up early,” he said. Lately Britney had been getting up around six. Justin usually had coffee and breakfast ready for her.
“You’re home late,” Britney responded.
“I walked the new guy to the bus stop,” Justin said.
Britney sighed dramatically. “So, they finally replaced me. That must make things easier on you.”
“It will once he gets into the swing of things.”
Britney had already made coffee. She poured herself a cup and handed Justin a glass of juice. “So, is he cute?”
“What?”
“Well,” she said with a smile, “you walked six blocks in the wrong direction to the bus stop, and I’m assuming you waited with him. Is he cute?”
Justin blushed. “Yes.”
“And?”
“And nothing. He’s cute. So what?”
“What’s his story?”
“Same as everyone else’s. He’s from Mississippi, his parents kicked him out. The usual.”
“God, it’s like Bev is some big gay beacon or something,” Britney laughed.
Justin laughed too. “Seems like it some times.”
“So, do you like him?”
“I don’t know, I just met him. He seems sweet though.”
“So, you probably won’t see me much tomorrow. We’re in tech rehearsals until the end of next week.”
Justin nodded.
“Any plans for your day off?”
“AJ’s taking me to the flea market. We might see a movie.”
“A date?”
“What with AJ? No way.”
“He’s hot.”
“We’re just friends, Brit. AJ only has eyes for one guy, and I ain’t him.”
“Pity,” Britney said. “You guys are cute together.”
Justin scoffed.
“What?”
“We couldn’t look anymore strange together. I’m like the boy next door, and he looks like he’d kill you as soon as look at you.”
“Two boys from opposite sides of the tracks. It’s the stuff of legends.”
“Oh, please. If anyone’s from the wrong side of the tracks in our relationship it’s me.”
“You know I’m just teasing.” She grabbed a granola bar from a drawer and headed out. She kissed Justin on the cheek on her way out. “You boys have fun now.”
“See ya,” Justin said. He finished his juice and headed for bed.
Justin wandered up and down the rows of stands at the flea market. AJ had abandoned him somewhere around the used jewelry. Just then he felt a jarring and hands grabbing his shoulders. He turned around to see AJ’s smiling face.
“Find something?”
AJ showed him a beat up silver ring.
“What’s that, one for each finger now?” Justin asked.
AJ placed the ring on his middle finger and held it up. “Here, have a better look,” he said.
Justin knocked his hand down. “Cut it out, man, there’s kids around.”
“Whatever,” AJ said. “Find anything?”
“Dude, you know I’m on a budget.”
“Yes, that’s why we’re here at the flea market and not at a real store.”
“I saw some cool shirts a couple stands back, but I want to browse some more.”
“Take your time. I don’t have anywhere to be.”
“Dude, don’t you have any life at all?”
“Of course I do. I’m your chauffeur.”
Justin laughed. “Come on man, you must do something with your free time. You hardly ever work. Do you have another job or something?
“I get by,” AJ said.
“Fine, be Mr. Mysterious.”
“I think I will,” AJ pulled a pair of red pants from a rack as they passed and handed him to Justin. “You’re buying these.”
“You don’t even know if they’ll fit me,” Justin said.
“They will, and you’ll look hot in them.”
You should’ve worn those pants, man,” AJ said as he and Justin waited in line at the movie theater.
“Yeah, cause those shiny, skin tight, red pants would’ve been really appropriate.”
“You looked hot in them.”
“I’m not wearing pick up pants to the movies,” Justin said.
“Pick up pants?”
“You know. Clothes you wear when you’re looking to pick someone up.”
AJ snorted. “Slutwear you mean.”
“Like you’re one to talk. Everything you own screams ‘rent me’.”
AJ laughed.
“You just want to check out my ass anyway.”
“Dream on, baby boy. I’m just trying to get you laid. How long has it been.”
“Too long, but I very much doubt I’m going to find anyone at the seven-thirty show of…What are we seeing anyway?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t decided yet.”
“I want to see that new one with Sandra Bullock,” Justin said.
AJ pulled his sunglasses down and looked over the rim at Justin. “You are so gay.”
“You’re one to talk.”
“Your fascination with the chick flick frightens me, you know that, right?”
“I do not have a fascination with chick flicks.”
“You do! And you watch all those girly TV shows.”
“I do not!”
“Justin, honey, you watch Dawson’s Creek.”
“It has pretty boys,” Justin said without much conviction.
“You watch Oprah.”
“She’s very empowering.”
“Yes she is. If you’re a WOMAN.”
“Shut up.”
“You watch Everwood.”
“Hey, just watch it sometime. It’s the gayest show on TV.”
“Smallville,” AJ said.
“I don’t watch Smallville.”
“No, I mean Smallville is the gayest show on TV.”
“Oh, you’re probably right about that.”
“Come on, man. Take Britney to the chick movie. I want to see something cool.”
“Britney’s too busy with rehearsals. Anyway, how do you know it won’t be cool?”
AJ scoffed.
“You liked Practical Magic.”
AJ turned toward him and held a finger in Justin’s face. “I thought we agreed never to discuss that.”
“And we won’t,” Justin said. If you go to this movie with me.”
“Fine,” AJ said. “But I get to pick next time.”
“Deal,” Justin said.
They bought their tickets and headed for the theater.
“Dude?” AJ said.
“Yeah?”
“We totally freaked out those old people behind us in line.”
Justin laughed until the lights went down and AJ had to smack him to get him to be quiet.
“So, new guy?” AJ said as they walked out of the theater.
“Huh?”
“At the diner. Chris says you’ve got a new waiter.”
“Oh, yeah. Lance. He’s pretty cool.”
“Cute?”
Justin blushed. “A little.”
AJ gave him a needling grin. “You’re not fooling anybody with your innocent face. You like him?”
“God, why does everyone keep asking me that? I worked with him for one day. I don’t know.”
“But you’re attracted to him?”
“Maybe a little.”
AJ grinned.
“Shut up.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You suck,” Justin murmured.
AJ laughed.
Lance got to work a half-hour early and headed straight to the kitchen.
“Hey, Lance,” Brian said. “You’re here early.”
“Slave to the bus schedule,” Lance replied.
“Well, good, you can be my first guinea pig,” Brian spooned some soup into a small bowl and handed it to Lance. “Mushroom barley,” he said. “Been working on it for months. I think it’s ready for a debut.”
Lance tried it, blowing lightly on the spoon before placing it in his mouth.
“Brian, this is amazing,” Lance said.
“Really? Be honest.”
“Well, I like my food salty, but I don’t know that everyone does,” Lance said timidly, afraid he might offend Brian.
Brian took a spoonful and tried it. “Hmm. The barley soaked up more than I thought it would. I’ll just add more water. Thanks Lance.”
Lance smiled and continued to eat his soup. “No problem.”
He watched as Brian stirred more water into the pot and made a note in a beat up notebook on the counter.
“You make up all these recipes yourself?” Lance asked.
“Some of them are old family recipes my mom taught me. Some I make up. I mean things like clam chowder and chicken noodle, you’re pretty much limited in what you can do, but I try to make every one unique.”
“That’s really great,” Lance said. “No offense, but why are you working here? Someone who cooks like you should be working at a fancy restaurant.”
“I don’t have any formal training,” Brian said. “It’s all things my mom taught me or stuff I learned on my own. Most places wouldn’t consider three years as the night cook at a diner much experience.”
“Doesn’t seem fair to me,” Lance said.
“It doesn’t bother me. I like it here.”
“Me too. I mean so far y’all seem really nice.”
Just then the doors burst open and a man walked in shouting. “Brian! What’s up, man?”
“AJ! Why are you on tonight? Is Justin sick or something?”
“Nah. It’s the first night of the musical at the college. You know they always come here after.”
Brian groaned. “Them and half the audience. Why can’t they have cast parties at bars like normal college students?”
“It’s all your great food, man. They used to before you started cooking here.”
Brian rolled his eyes. “Sure, blame me.”
“Anyway, do you really want to see those kids drunk?”
“No way,” he turned to Lance. “Last year they decided to move all the tables in the dining room and do the opening tap dance from 42nd Street.”
“This year they’re doing RENT,” AJ said.
“Oh, good Lord,” Brian said. “If they recreate La Vie Boheme on the counter I think Chris may kill someone.”
AJ laughed.
“What?” Lance said.
“Do you know the show?” Brian asked.
Lance shook his head.
“In the play, the characters go to this café for an after show party. Then they sing and dance on the tables.”
“Among other things,” AJ said with a leer in Lance’s direction. “You must be Lance,” he said offering his hand. “I’m AJ.”
They shook hands. “Nice to meet you,” Lance said.
“Damn, Justin wasn’t kidding when he said you were cute.”
Lance blushed and stammered.
Brian smacked AJ on the arm
“Relax man,” AJ said to Lance. “I’m just messin’ with you.”
“Oh, right. Sure,” Lance said.
“Just ignore him, Lance. He’s only happy when he’s annoying people,” Brian said.
AJ clutched his hands to his chest. “You wound me, Brian.”
“Am I gonna get some help out here?” an annoyed voice came from outside the kitchen.
“Coming, Justin!” AJ yelled as he ran for the doors.
Lance turned to go.
“He likes you,” Brian said.
“What?”
“AJ. He likes you. It’s hard to tell sometimes if you don’t know him.”
“Thanks, um… I wasn’t sure.”
“He just likes to tease. He’s twelve like that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lance said with a smile as he headed into the diner.
At around nine-thirty Lance looked up at the sound of the door chime. A short, dark haired man came in. Chris looked up from the cash register and squealed.
“Hey, baby,” he said coming from behind the counter and embracing the new arrival. They shared a quick kiss and Chris led him to a table in Lance’s section. Chris sat down with him.
Lance came to the table to take the man’s order.
“Lance!” Chris said. “Come meet my boyfriend.”
The man smiled and Lance offered his hand. “I’m Howie,” he said.
“Nice to meet you,” Lance replied. “What can I get you?”
“He’ll have three pancakes with strawberry syrup, a side of bacon, and an orange juice,” Chris said before Howie could answer.
“And coffee,” Howie added.
“Make it two coffees,” Chris said.
“You know, one of these days I’m going to order something different and you’ll have to eat those pancakes,” Howie said to Chris.
“You wouldn’t really make me eat pancakes with strawberry syrup would you?”
“I just might.”
“And you say you love me,” Chris said ruefully.
“They’re cute aren’t they?” Justin said to Lance as he was filling drinks for one of his tables.
“Huh?”
“Chris and Howie,” Justin said.
“Yeah,” Lance said with a smile. He looked over to the table where Chris and Howie were talking quietly. Howie had reached across the table laying his hand on Chris’s. “They seem really sweet.”
“They are. They’ve been together like, ten years. Chris calls him his boyfriend, but really they’re about as married as two guys can get without moving to Vermont.”
“Must be nice.”
“Yeah,” Justin said. “I’m gonna find something like that some day.”
“Really?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You just don’t strike me as the settling down type is all.”
“Well, I am. I mean yeah, I’m only nineteen. I’ve got time, but I want that some day. Find a nice guy, build a life together, maybe start a family.” Justin looked down and Lance could see his cheeks go pink. “I’m such a girl sometimes, but that’s how I am I guess.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Lance said. “I kind of feel that way too, you know? I’d like to settle down someday. Do the family thing. It’s how I was brought up.”
Justin shot him a megawatt smile. “Thanks man. It’s cool that you get that.”
Lance smiled back and headed back to the floor.
At eleven-thirty Chris directed them to start moving tables together in the big dining room that was usually closed at night. Around midnight, the crowd began to filter in.
They were raucous and loud and headed straight for the dining room.
“AJ!” a voice called out.
“Joey, my man!” AJ responded. He slapped hands with one of the partygoers and pulled him into a quick back-slapping hug. “How’d it go?”
“We kicked ass, man!” Joey said which earned cheers from the rest of the cast.
When everyone was seated the three waiters split up the table and started taking orders.
“You’re new,” Joey said to Lance.
“Yeah, I just started. I’m Lance.”
“Joey Fatone. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around. I’m in here a lot.”
Lance set about taking orders, trying to keep them all straight. He got a little confused when a guy with long blond hair asked him for a Belgian waffle with vanilla icecream.
“Uh…” Lance began.
“Be nice, Sebastian,” Joey said. “Don’t ask the new guy for stuff that’s not on the menu.”
“But I always get it,” Sebastian said. He looked up at Lance. “Just ask Justin.”
Lance eyed him warily, wondering if he was about to fall into some kind of practical joke.
“Seriously, dude,” Joey said. “I don’t know how they figure out the price, but he always gets that.”
“Ok,” Lance said and wrote it down. “I’ll be back in a minute with your drinks.”
He asked Justin about the waffle.
“Sebastian,” Justin murmured with a smile. “Charge him for the waffle and then do the a la mode thing like you would for pie. Actually, I think you charge him twice, since it takes more ice cream.”
“Ok.”
“So, Brian tells me you’ve never seen RENT?”
“I vaguely remember hearing about it a while back, but no, I’ve never seen it.”
“AJ and I are going tomorrow night. We have an extra ticket, if you want to come.”
“I can’t really afford…”
“My treat then.”
“I don’t feel right about that. I don’t like taking hand outs, Justin.”
“Just think of it as a welcome gift, ok. You’re new in town, and we’re taking you out.”
“I don’t know.”
“Britney was supposed to go with us, but she’s too busy. Everyone I know is already going. It’ll just go to waste if you don’t take it.”
“Ok,” Lance said. “Should I just meet you at the college?”
“We’ll pick you up,” Justin said. “We were gonna go to dinner before,” Justin held up a hand to forestall Lance’s protest. “It’s just Chinese buffet. Eight bucks, and I’m paying, so shut up.”
Lance smiled. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Just write down your address for me, we’ll pick you up around six.”
Lance realized AJ hadn’t been kidding about most of the audience coming to the diner after the show. The place was a madhouse. Nearly every table was full, a far cry from its usual midnight level of activity. He was doing all right even if he was running his ass off keeping up with all the orders while trying to keep the drinks filled.
Normally when it was busy like this Chris would lend a hand, but the counter was full of customers as well, and he was stuck taking care of them. He did have time to come over the center table where the cast had congregated and deliver a dire warning.
“The first person I see dancing on my tables will get his or her feet chopped off as an example to the others. Got me?”
Everyone at the table nodded their assent. Lance thought he would have too. He wasn’t entirely sure Chris was joking.
Toward one AM the pace hadn’t slowed down at all and Lance was starting to get flustered. He’d just had to repeat an order four times before getting it right and everyone at the table was looking a little irate. Justin grabbed him as he headed by with drinks.
“Why don’t you let me get those?” Justin said. “You look like you could use a break.”
“I don’t have time,” Lance said sounding frustrated.
“Take it easy, man,” Justin said. “I’ve got you covered for five minutes.”
“Thanks, Justin.”
“No problem. You’re doing fine. Just take one thing at a time and think about the tips.”
Lance nodded and headed into the kitchen. “Taking five, Chris,” he said as he walked behind the counter. He walked through the kitchen and out the back door. He took a deep breath and let the calm surround him. At one AM the whole world was asleep. Well, everywhere but the diner anyway.
Brian poked his head out the back door. “You ok?” he asked.
“Fine,” Lance said. “Just need some air.”
Brian nodded and went back inside.
When Lance got back inside Justin came up to him and handed him some money. “I bused table six for you. Here’s the tip.”
Lance took the money and began to count out half to give back to Justin.
“No, keep it. I got plenty tonight.”
“You’re sure?” Lance asked. They usually split tips when they cleaned up after someone else.
“It’s cool.” Justin said.
One of the first things Lance did after he got back from break was screw up an order. The customer, who Lance thought was seriously overreacting, was yelling at him when Chris came over.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“The problem is this fuckwit screwed up my order!” the customer yelled.
“Well, sir why don’t I straighten this out for you? I’ll take it off your bill and have your order out in just a few minutes.”
The customer nodded, apparently satisfied.
“Lance, can I talk to you for minute?”
Lance nodded and followed Chris to the doorway of the dining room.
Chris began gesturing emphatically, pointing at Lance and said in a quiet voice
“I’m not mad at you, but they tip bigger if they think they got you in trouble so just stand there and look contrite.”
Lance nodded contritely.
“It’s a busy night and mistakes are bound to happen. Don’t let assholes like that get to you.”
Lance nodded again.
“Ok, then. Time to get back to work.” Chris headed back behind the counter.
“Chris should’ve been an actor,” Lance heard a voice behind him.
He turned to see Joey with a big smile on his face. “I love when he pulls that trick,” Joey said. “You’ll get a nice tip out of that.”
Lance laughed. “Did you need something?”
“No, I was just on my way to the bathroom, but as long as you’re asking I think we’ll be ready for dessert soon.”
Lance nodded.
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I swear, I used to harass that crew twice a week.
We were pests. Tipped well, thogh.
Well done!
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I really want to, but I've got nothing at the moment.