Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold

Jim walked out the back door and lit a cigarette. It had been his first in over an hour, and he relished the smoke in his lungs. Even the cold winter breeze hadn't bothered him as it was sweltering in the kitchen. He puffed away as he walked toward the shed, feeling the strong wind against his skin. The diner had been packed all morning, and he had been cooking with Jeff for six hours non-stop. I used to have a manager who could give me a break once and a while, he thought to himself as he headed into the shelter of the shed. Alex had been in the office at the computer when he had passed through to go out, and although he wasn't certain he could feel the eyes on him as we went. Let him go out there, Jim had thought. Alex had been 'training' as their new manager for two months now and no one had seen him on the line. He had heard from Jeff that he had gone on the line to train once during a busy lunch rush, had been on for less then a minute and then vanished. From what Jim and most of the morning crew could see, most of what Alex did was complain. Not openly to any of them personally, but in his notes that he posted every few weeks. The last one spoke of a 'culture' of laziness and a thinly veiled threat of termination if anyone didn't tow the line.

'Is he still here?' Margie asked as Jim entered the shed. 'Yeah, he's here. In the office, probably arguing with Gary.' They had been arguing all morning, all through the morning rush, they could hear them in the office arguing. 'Yeah, they've been at it from the start.' Margie remarked. 'You watch out,' Jim replied. 'He'll get you too. He's not Frank.' From Alex's actions the past few weeks it seemed as if his entire mission as the new manager was to remind everyone that he was not, in fact, Frank. The notes had continued, this time in a more hostile vein. They spoke of a 'culture,' of laziness, and contained thinly veiled threats of termination if they didn't 'Shape up.' Jim picked up the paper and took a look at the want ads. He always had took a look at the help wanted ads, just to see what was out there, to keep his options open. The first ad that caught his eye as he opened was an ad for the diner, cooks, dishwashers and waitstaff. 'I may spend a lot of time out here but I always get my shit done.' Margie remarked. It had been her argument from the start.

Still it was different with Frank. He came out to the shed for smoke breaks as much as them. He also like scratch tickets and coffee, it was obvious on some level that he was one of them. Alex was different, he didn't smoke, didn't make too many attempts to fraternize with them, he didn't even drink coffee. 'We only have 2 cases of fries left in the freezer.' Jim said finishing his cigarette. 'When that's gone were out, I told Alex but he didn't say anything.' Margie had just finished her cigarette.  'Those two messing everything up out there?' Jim nodded. Jackie and Judy, the two waitresses' were always messing up orders, leaving food in the window for too long, making mistakes, which caused them to have to have the cook remake orders. 'We've already had to comp about half the ticket because they took too long bringing them out.' Jim said. He got up, 'I'm out at four so I don't care. But their probably going to run out of fries later.' Jim walked outside the wind had picked up again. He noticed Alex's car was gone. Figures, he thought, as he walked through the back door.

Lindsay picked up the buspan full of dishes and placed it on Sonny's station. 'I was going to get that!!' he yelled to her as she walked away but she ignored him. All of the buspan's had been full since the start of the shift at 4 and Sonny had acted like he hadn't noticed them. Now all of the buspan's out on the floor were full and there was a new generation of dishes that had accumulated at the tables since the start of her shift. Sonny, meanwhile had done everything but actually do the dishes. He had taken out all the trash, swept and mopped the prep area, even cleaned all the small area near the dish machine but 3 hours into his shift had yet to do a single dish. This is ridiculous Lindsay thought as she brought over the next pan of dishes. 'If you want I could go slower.' Sonny said as she dropped off the pan at the dish station. 'There's no way to go slower than you're going.' She said harshly. She didn't mean to sound to cruel but this had been going on for weeks. Sonny had been one of the first Alex hires, shortly after they had reopened.  


At first Sonny had seemed great, a good addition to the lineup. But it wasn't long before his true nature started to come through. First he would complain when he first showed up about the dishes at his station, and continue to do so throughout the shift. Then when one of the waitstaff or cooks complained about the lack of dishes he would only respond, 'I'll get to it when I can!' You don't get it to it 'When you can' Lindsay had thought you get to it right away, it's you're fucking job, you're the fucking dishwasher. Lindsay walked up to the computer and started to put in an order. Sonny had finally started to do his job from what she could see. I thought things were supposed to change around here, Lindsay thought as she put in the order. It wasn't even that busy, relatively speaking, for a Saturday but Sonny kept doing things the way he always did. 'We need plates!' She heard one of the Cooks yell from behind the window, and wondered which one it was. She had heard the same plea several times already during her shift but this time it was the loudest.

Upon hearing it she had determined it had to be Mike, another one of Alex's hires. He was one of the better ones, a stocky guy with dreadlocks, he seemed to be better then most though he plated things strangely sometimes. She look through the window and it looked like Sonny had finally started doing something. Thank god, she thought as he started to put in an order. It wasn't even busy yet but at this rate he would be backed up if he didn't put something through soon. She had mentioned all of this to Alex but he hadn't seemed to take much of an interest in it. He had nodded and said he had said something to Sonny about it but nothing had changed. Fucking typical, Lindsay thought, as usual. They were also out of french fries, so she had been subbing onion rings, but still it was embarrassing and she noticed since Alex took over it happened with greater frequency than it ever had before. It wasn't trivial things either, it was things they ran through at lot of-white bread, turkey, french fries, eggs. He always had some kind of excuse too, they were busy over the weekend, he had pressed the wrong button when he was ordering, things like that. It was never his fault, of course.

Lindsay knew Gary was a blowhard and a teller of tall tales, but he at least did some work. Prepping mainly. Alex seemed to be content to sit behind the computer and do-ordering? That was what she assumed recent events seemed to contradict that theory. Lindsay finished putting in the order as Mike up one up in the window. I feel like I've been waiting for this for at least 20 minutes, and all it was was a burger an omelette and some pancakes. Lindsay picked up the order from the window and took it out to it's table, as she did she took a brief glance at the clock. It was only 7 and thing's were already going wrong. The other waitress, Amber was 15 and had to leave at ten so she already knew she was in it for the long haul. She delivered the plates to the table, a group of truckers who sounded like they were from somewhere in the south, 'Enjoy.' She said. At least one of the cooks will be leaving at 10, she thought, I hope it's Mike.

'Hey man, do you think I can take off?' Mike asked Kevin as he walked in from the office. There were two small slips on the board and Kevin had started both. 'Yeah, sure.' Kevin replied, somewhat reluctantly. He had stayed late this past two shifts he'd worked and was hoping to get out early. He wanted to say something but he knew he couldn't, Mike had gotten there first. Plus Mike was Alex's guy, from what he was hearing. He told him everything, talked about people, had his ear. He could very well say something about him. Still he was ok enough to work with, he had taken him outside twice to smoke a bowl, for which Kevin had been grateful, still there was something strange about him. He seemed like someone who wouldn't hesitate to turn you in if he had the chance. Kevin flipped two pancakes and pulled up a couple orders of fries from the fryer. He had been hoping to make a trip to the store at some point during his shift, but now that was ruled out. He knew Lindsay could cook if she had to but he didn't want to ask her. He could tell she was irritated by Sonny and having to stay and he didn't want to add to that. I can still make it to the Afterworks, he thought as he started plating the order. He knew one of the bartenders there who would sometimes hook him up if it was late, and it's sure going to be late this time. As he put the order in the window he noticed he only had two large plates left, where the fuck is Sonny? He thought.


Sam looked into his beer as he sat at the sparse counter at the Afterworks. It was a Thrusday night and the few there were the regulars and the dedicated alcoholics. He could always tell them when he saw them, he could always recognize his own kind. The way they drank, they way they hung over it as if it were the one thing giving them purpose, reason to live. Their only friend. I'm feeling good, he thought as he took a long draw of his beer. For the first damn time in this whole godforsaken day I actually feel good. Happy. It was hard to explain to someone who did not share his affliction. True he knew he would not feel this way in the morning, but the morning didn't matter now. Nothing mattered, not his job, his relationship, his depression, nothing. He was just here, in the moment, and it felt great.

'He's just helping me get through some things.' Andrea had explain when he had asked her what she was doing with Kevin. When pressed further about what those 'things' were she had refused to elaborate. 'You know he's kind of like my shrink ok?' She had said finally. Sam had wanted to protest, to fully express his opinion about Kevin but before he began he stopped himself. First of all this tact might only draw her more to Kevin and second it was quite likely that she was already aware of his opinion on the subject. A friend had once told him that he had a hard time hiding it when he didn't like someone. He gestured toward the bartender, 'Could I get a shot of Jim Beam?' He asked. He fished into his wallet and took out a 20, he knew it was money he didn't really have, but he couldn't help it. She poured the shot and he looked at her as she did, she was a cute blond, who had the look of someone who had been through a lot.

After he had fought with Andrea they had eventually made up. Even had some good make up sex, but something was still off. He could tell at first when she had left at 3AM instead of staying at his house. That wasn't entirely strange, as she did that often. She said she didn't like to sleep in other peoples beds. It was more apparent when he had called her earlier to tell her he wouldn't be coming over tonight. She had said 'Ok.' In a way that indicated relief, more then anything else. He knew what it was like to be in failing relationship, he had been in one before. You're still a free agent, a voice said to him in the back of his skull. There are plenty of fish in the sea. It chimed in. I know all of this, he thought to himself, yet still, it was hard. It had been over 3 years without anything when he had hooked up with Andrea. I don't want to go back to that, he thought. I just escaped single-land, I have no desire to return.

Sam swallowed the shot in one gulp, chasing it with his beer. 'Going all the way tonight tiger?' A woman a couple of seats next to him asked. She was older, maybe in her forties, and voluptuous just his type. 'Yeah, thinking about work.' 'Where do you work?' She asked him. As they talked he could tell she was interested in him, this was more then the usual chit-chat. He had always thought it was interesting that it was always impossible for a man to tell weather a woman was really interested, or just being 'nice,' but if she really wanted a man to know, he could always tell. 'Do you want to come back to my place?' She asked finally. 'Try some pot?' I should say no, at this point Sam thought. I should tell her I'm taken but thank for the offer, but I can't at this time. Instead all he could muster was, 'Sure.'

The phantom

A note. It was the only physical evidence of his existence. It was posted prominently on the wall near the schedule. Zach and Kevin were reading it, pondering what sort of person this Alex Milton was. A few people on first shift had seen him, said he mainly just sat in the office at the computer mainly. He was tall, they said, big. 'He won't last,' Margie had told them through a fog of cigarette smoke when they talked to her before the shift. 'He's too big.' She seemed confident in this regard but Zach wasn't sure. He had been surprised that he wasn't there when he had come in at 3:30, as he would have thought that someone just starting in a manager position would not want to leave early on their first few days, but who knows. Probably for the best, Zach mused. The note read, 'Hello my name is Alex Milton, your new manager. For the new few week's I'm going to be shadowing Gary to see how he does things. I am looking for ways to streamline the efficiency of this place, to increase profitability. I'm not looking for reinvent the wheel or anything just looking for ways to help the diner be the best it can be. If you have any question's call me.' Sincerely, Alex Milton.'

'Then where the fuck is he?' Zach asked openly to Kevin. 'I was coming in to get my check last week and I met him, he seems ok.' Kevin offered. He had a somewhat glazed look in his eyes, and had been acting strange the whole shift. First he had come in 20 minutes late, clocked in, and then gone outside for another 15 while Zach had tickets piling up. Finally Zach had gone outside to the shed and told him he had to come in but even then he wasn't much use. He would switch from the grill to the fryer side, dropped things, in some way's Zach was thinking that maybe it would be easier to just cook the whole shift himself. He had done it before, first on second shift when the person he was supposed to be working with on a saturday night dropped him off and told him it was his last day. It was trial by fire and he had prevailed, but it still irked him that his co-worker couldn't bother to show up in a functional condition.

'Can I go outside for a smoke?' Kevin asked him. 'Yeah, sure.' It was 9:30 and Zach could already tell that Kevin was planning his escape. He had been going outside for breaks all shift, and Zach couldn't tell if it was drugs or booze or some kind of unholy combination, but something was going on out there. He had known Kevin for long enough to know when he was buzzed in someway, and something was definitely going on. Zach walked back over to the line picked up a couple slips from the printer. He threw a couple of burgers patties on the grill. Midnight, again, he thought. A naive part of him had hoped that when Kevin was hired he could cover some of the shifts until midnight, as he said he could, but somehow that was too much. Zach glanced through the window, the restaurant was mostly empty, except for a blond girl sitting at the front counter. Is that? Zach thought. Is it Andrea, Sam's girlfriend?. Sam had left at around 8 saying he was going out with her tonight, and now she was here. Zach waved and she waved back.

Kevin came in from the other side of the line, 'Oh sorry, man.' He said as he came in. 'Don't worry about it.' Zach replied. He had already set up the burgers and was about the plate the order. He pulled up a basket of fries and poured them into a hat. 'Hey do you want one of these?' Kevin asked pulling out a nip of rum. 'Sure.' Zach replied. Should get something after putting up with his bullshit, Zach thought. Kevin put the the  nip on the counter near the microwave. Zach put the order in the window. He watched Kevin walk out and  say something to Andrea, she laughed. Something going on there, Zach thought. He looked out at the clock above the cash register, 5 minutes to ten. Kevin came back into the kitchen, 'Hey man, do you mind if I take off?' 'Yeah, sure.' Zach replied, another long night. Zach walked over and put the nip in his pocket, nips are like currency with him. He thought. Him and his friend's had often thought about saying something about his use, but they also knew what his retort would be. Well all of you drink, smoke weed. Which was true, but with Kevin it was different, Zach would smoke a couple bowls and come back in work a busy line for 8 hours, no problem. Kevin, not so much.

Zach looked, out the window again. The restaurant was empty, Kevin had left. With Andrea. I thought things were supposed to change around here, he thought to himself. He hadn't met this Alex Milton yet but he felt like the note thing was strange. Unprofessional. Why wouldn't he take the time to meet all of us? It reminded him of that passive agressive roomate who always wrote notes about dishes or cleaning. Something is going on with this guy, to be sure.


Sam stared at his phone, willing it to ring. For that sweet sound, to fill his ears. It was almost midnight and she said she was getting off at 8, he had already called her twice, and sent her a text, and he felt that beyond that would be excessive. They had only been dating 3 months now, and that would come off as a little psycho. He took a swig of his beer. He hadn't been drinking for the past week or so but he felt the urge now. It had started at around, 9:30 when it was becoming painfully obvious that she wasn't going to call. It had finally become impossible to ignore at 10:30 when he remembered that A., She wasn't going to call, and B. the store was going to close in a half hour. It was cold and the town was quiet when he pulled into the liquor store. The clerk had recognized him and he contemplated asking him if he knew where she was, but decided against it. It was now less then an hour and he had already gone through two tall boys and was well into the third. Why can't thing's just work out? He thought to himself. Why does everything have to be so involved and complicated?

He picked up the cold nip near the computer and drank it down? I knew it was too good to be true, this girl. Something would go wrong and he would fuck it up in some way, like everything else. He felt like a third world country sometimes, managed by a corrupt ineffectual leader, and fraught with constant civil war. Why can't I just do things like a normal person? The phone rang, it was her. 'Hey,' he answered. 'Hi.' He heard her voice, it was good to hear her voice again. 'Do you still want me to come over?' 'Yeah.' Sam replied. 'Where were you?' 'I was with Kevin. I can explain.' 'Ok.' Sam said and hung up. I don't like this, he thought.