Glenda's hand hovered above the doorknob to the Casa D' Waffles.
That morning, she had arrived in this crappy town, hiked with her two measly bags from the Greyhound Station to the Castle Apartment complex and met with the landlord. The landlord, a scruffy man in his 50s, who probably used to be attractive, had told her that there were only two units left – the penthouse, which was far exceeded what little money Glenda had in her pockets, and one next to an alcoholic baseball washout that threw things all the time. For the sake of her sanity, or what was left of it, at least, Glenda chose the penthouse and vowed to sell her precious Louis to the local pawnshop that very afternoon. That would set her for a month – hopefully. Then, before the dinner rush began at Casa D' Waffles, Glenda and Henry darted over there as soon as they could.
Glenda wanted a job so badly, but the sign that sloppily hung on the Waffle place’s door read, “Employee wanted,” rather than “Employees wanted.” Glenda contemplated whether she should let Henry have the job, because he would probably get more tips because he was younger, or if Glenda herself should take the job – she was, of course, the designated “bread winner” in their two person family.
An old, homeless man on the corner tried whistling along to Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City," that played on his ratty CD player, but he failed miserably. His rotten, yellow teeth prevented him from even emitting one note.
Henry looked at the homeless man with a disgusted look on his face, and Glenda elbowed him in the side. The old man clearly had seen the interaction, and blurted out, “The truth with all its power lies inside me!” Henry shot the homeless man another quizzical look, whispering, “What the fu...” but Glenda took it as her cue. She shoved Henry her bags, whisper-yelled, “Stay here!” to him, and marched into the restaurant.
A twenty-something girl standing behind the diner counter slowly turned around as the doorbell chimed.
“Hi-i,” Glenda stammered. “I’m here for the job offer?”
The girl, not saying a single word, disappeared behind a set of swinging doors, and returned a second later with a crumpled piece of paper and a pen that had been chewed on.
“Here,” the girl said, as she shoved the paper and pen across the counter to Glenda. “Fill this out. Between you and me, I'm not into the whole interview thing. So I say you got the job. Boss will probably give you a call by the end of the night. How’s 8 bucks an hour sound? Tips only come from the tip jar.”
The girl spoke so quickly that it took Glenda to comprehend what she had said – plus, Glenda was very distracted by the wad of gum that popped in and out of the girl's mouth.
Finally, Glenda sighed heavily and closed her eyes tightly. On one hand, she was thrilled to not have to interview. On the other, she had only worked two jobs in her life – a secretary job for her imprisoned husband and the waitressing job she had held until she recently moved. The secretary job had no pay, it was simply to help out her husband. The waitressing job gave her $12/hour plus reasonable tips. Dear God, Glenda thought. This plan you’ve made for me better have a reason behind it.
“So…” the diner girl asked, as she taped her manicured fingers on the application. Glenda's eyes popped open as she brought herself back to the present situation.
“I’ll take it,” Glenda said, as she nodded her head, subconsciously reassuring herself that she had just made the right decision. “Um … do you by chance have any other job openings, like for a teenage boy?” Glenda asked abruptly, wanting to get Henry off her hands.
“Wait a few weeks, he might be able to bus. But we'll call you later tonight to let you know when you’ll start working.”
“Thanks...” Glenda smiled, and she slowly walked out of the restaurant doors, back to the sound of the homeless man’s attempted whistle.
The homeless man called after her as she and Henry walked away, “The truth with all its power lies inside me!” Now Glenda thought to herself the same question Henry thought moments before: What the hell…
She then thanked herself for taking the waffle job – she would sneak the homeless man free waffles in an attempt to find out whatever “truth” lay inside him.
