“It will be done when it’s done,” Clyde replied.
“I’m only asking,” Jenny snapped.
It had been a busy morning, and once again she was waiting on tables alone, which made it even more hectic given the fact the café was big enough that two people should be covering tables.
“I have the ‘help wanted’ sign out there, but no one wants to work hard anymore.”
Jenny thought a moment, “I have someone in mind, can I bring her in tomorrow?”
“Yeah, but she has to be willing to work.”
Jenny rolled her eyes. Clyde was someone who always had to have the last word. The door opened, and two ugly aliens walked in and sat at the end of the counter. Jenny remembered them from yesterday and knew it would not be an easy order. There were some customers you never forgot, and these two were regulars from other conventions through the years.
Slowly Jenny walked over to where they sat. “Do you know what you want,” she asked, knowing it would be the same as previous times.
“Two breakfast steak sandwiches, medium rare with hash browns on the side. The toast should be slightly toasted with a dab of butter on the one side. Make it light on the salt and heavy on the pepper. And make it snappy.”
Jenny quickly wrote up the order and put it on the wheel. She knew that if their meal were not served in five minutes, they would be complaining about it for everyone to hear. As usual, Jenny glanced up at the clock to mentally time herself, to make sure their meal was served within their allotted time span. She was not worried about a tip because these two aliens never left one in all the years she served them.
In the meantime, while she waited she made a coffee run picking up the two pots and walked around the café topping off everyone’s cup. She might not get a tip from those two, but other customers were happy with the service she offered. It was then the door opened. Sheriff Mall walked in and took the stool at the other end of the counter. Jenny turned and grabbed a cup and saucer off the back counter and set it in front of the Sheriff. She quickly poured the coffee and handed him the creamer. It was a ritual they had. Jenny could count on him being there for his morning break. It was better than a doughnut, which most people thought were indicative of a cop’s first meal of the day.
“Usual,” Jenny asked.
“Hold the onions,” was his reply.
Jenny quickly wrote up the order, clipped it to the wheel, and sent it to Clyde in back, who was busy with the steak sandwiches. Jenny glanced up at the clock. There was two minutes left before the complaints would start. She was glad for Sheriff Mall’s presence, hoping the insults from the two aliens would not escalate as they did last year.
Jenny turned to Sheriff Mall. “Busy day?” she asked.
“Whenever there’s a Star Trek convention in town, they come out of the cracks,” he whispered as he looked around the café.
“I noticed.” Jenny grinned while acknowledging his remark.
Quickly she took the order of the man who came in after the Sheriff. Once she passed it on to Clyde, she sat down next to Sheriff Mall. But there was no time to talk as the two plates with the steak sandwiches on them was ready. Jenny quickly got up and took the plates, quickly turned, and placed them in front of the two aliens, not before glancing at the clock. Just in time, she thought to herself.
Jenny looked at Sheriff Mall. “I haven’t seen you around lately.”
“A lot is going on. Did you know they are on alert over at the base?
“They are always on alert,” Jenny snapped.
Clyde glanced through the opening between the kitchen and counter. Nothing went on in the café that Clyde was not aware of, especially when it came to Area 51. It had been a subject that was often discussed at the café. Especially seeing the Cammo dudes frequented it often.
Clyde quickly piped into the conversation. “I was driving near the base yesterday, and those war mongrels stopped me and searched my vehicle.”
It was then one of the locals got up from his table and walked over to the counter. He glanced at Clyde and then turned to the sheriff.
“Probably looking for horse meat in your truck.”
Clyde quickly pointed to the customer. “You been eating here going on five years now. If you don’t like the food, there’s McDonald's down the road,” Clyde snapped.
It was like that with the locals. They liked to tease Clyde about his cooking. His fifteen years in the military cooking for the troops did nothing for the quality of food he served.
“This alert is different,” Sheriff Mall added quickly, to defuse Clyde and the customer.
Jenny turned to the sheriff. “Seriously?”
Sheriff Mall raised his eyebrows. “Yes, seriously.”
“I don’t pay attention to them anymore.”
“Rumors have it there has been another alien landing.”
Jenny laughed hysterically. “That would mean there would have had to have been, a first landing!”
Jenny glanced around the room at the clusters of aliens sitting at the various tables around the café. Given the convention in town, it would be hard to tell the real aliens from those attending the conference.
Jenny quickly added, “When was this landing supposed to have taken place?”
“It was yesterday afternoon. Did some damage to the station out on the highway.”
“Hope they leveled it,” Jenny said.
“Hey, that’s my favorite station,” Clyde added.
Jenny turned to Clyde, still looking through the opening between the kitchen and counter. “Figures.”
“No such luck. They’ll be off the air a week or two, that’s it.”
“Too bad,” Jenny snapped.
The Sheriff picked up his coffee and then took a sip. He looked at Jenny a moment, indicating for her to top it off a little.
“They are looking into a kid who was out in the desert yesterday afternoon.”
Jenny got a strange look on her face as she turned and stared at the Sheriff. She knew Bobby skipped school yesterday and spent time in the desert, but surely if he had seen something, he would have told her. She had spent so much time thinking about the two strangers he brought home that she did not even ask what he was doing in the desert all day.
“So, why you telling me? Jenny asked.
“The description fits Bobby,” Sheriff Mall added as he observed Jenny.
“He was in school,” she stammered for a moment.
Clyde poked his head out of the kitchen. “That isn’t…” he started to say before Jenny cut him off.
“So now what?” Jenny asked the Sheriff.
“That’s what I told the Colonel at the base,” he said as he shrugged. “I just thought I’d mention it.”
Jenny walked over to the pot of coffee and quickly topped off the Sheriff’s cup. She then walked around the room and finished everyone else’s cup. For some reason, she no longer wanted to talk to the Sheriff. She’d lied about Bobby being in school and was not sure if Sheriff Mall would take her word or check with the school to see if Bobby was there yesterday. For some reason, she felt the need to protect Bobby, like a mother bear protecting her cub. Jenny stopped in front of the Sheriff finally, and with a look of real concern, she whispered:
“He is doing his best to fit in.”
“Just so when he graduates, the school is still standing.”
Jenny forced a smile. She set the coffee pot down and then reached for the order that was ready and carried it over to where the sheriff was sitting. Sheriff Mall turned and looked around the café.
“Looks like you could use some help,” he said to Jenny.
Clyde glanced through the opening in the wall from the kitchen. Jenny turned to him.
“I was telling Clyde that just this morning,” Jenny snapped.
Clyde made a face at Jenny indicating, blah, blah, blah, and then he turned to the Sheriff, who was busy devouring his breakfast.