Off the Menu

Chapter Four: Moth Tattoo - Nica

After the interview on Friday, I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Moth Tattoo had been there. Casey would be thrilled to know she had been right about him working nearby. We’d locked eyes for the briefest of moments as he stepped out of the kitchen. He looked startled, full on deer-in-the-headlights until Riley whispered to him, breaking our gaze. I blinked a few times, trying to make sure my shock wasn’t noticeable. I focused my attention back on Eli. “I’m not sure when the next server class is,” he was saying. “I’ll have to get with my trainer and see what her schedule is. Would you be willing to host in the mean time?”

“Of course,” I nodded, eagerly.

He reviewed the notes he’d taken during the interview. “Would you be able to start Monday morning? I know you said you have evening availability, but you’re off from the other job Monday?” His brows arched, his voice taking on a hopeful tone.

I chucked softly, nodding again. “I would be happy to start Monday.”

“Great,” we both rose from the booth, and he walked with me to the front door, stopping at the host stand to introduce me to the elf lookalike. “This is Nica, she’s going to be a server, but I’m going to have her hosting until the next class.”

She smiled, “Hi, I’m Layla.”

I smiled in return, offering a small hi of my own as Eli continued. “Do you work Monday or does Mack?”

“I think we both do,” she answered.

“Okay, well Nica is starting Monday, so I need both of you to make sure you’re on time to train her.”

“I’m always on time,” her smile shifted, showing a nervousness she was trying to hide.

“Yeah, but Mack…”

“Mack’s on time.”

“Mack’s usually on time.”

My smile mirrored Layla’s own nervous smile as I watched the exchange. Seeing how relaxed the banter was between employee and manager made me feel good about the idea of working here. However, I had always been a bit on the introverted side until I got comfortable, then the theater kid in me came out. So I clasped my hands together in front of me, waiting until it felt appropriate to leave.

Fortunately, Eli presented me with that opportunity as well. He walked me all the way to the door, explaining what time to be there Monday and where to go when I got here. Then he opened and held the door for me. We exchanged final pleasantries as I stepped outside. Then there he was again. I hadn’t seen him after he’d gone back into the kitchen, so he must have slipped out of the restaurant another way. There was Moth Tattoo though, crossing the parking lot with two other employees. Our eyes met again as we stepped past each other, our shoulders nearly brushing. I could smell cigarettes and weed coming off the trio, as well as an underlying scent of marinara. I tried not to linger, heading straight for my car. I couldn’t help turning back to look at the door as I got in, watching them talk to Eli.

I took a deep breath, calming myself. From what, I wasn’t actually sure. Moth Tattoo’s strange behavior, I supposed. I pulled out my phone to text Willow the good news and we made plans to go out for a celebratory dinner the next day.

On Monday, I woke up early, unable to sleep due to a mix of excitement and anticipation. I got ready for work, carefully picking out my outfit and jewelry. I braided my hair in two French braids to keep it pulled back. Even though the hosts didn’t have to wear their hair back, I wanted to start the habit of keeping my hair contained early.

I blasted my music on the way to the restaurant, singing along as I tried not to think too much about Moth Tattoo. I didn’t quite realize I was gripping my steering wheel a little too tightly until my hands started to hurt. I let go of the wheel, one hand at a time, flexing my fingers. “Calm down, Nica,” I told myself. “It’s just a guy. So what if he comes in the store a lot and acts a little weird. It’s not a big deal.”

I didn’t have to be at Stella Cucina until 10:45, and it was 10 o’clock exactly when I pulled into the parking lot. Being early was a habit instilled in me as a child, unfortunately my anxiety often made me too early. I always brought a book though, and used it to kill time while I watched other employees walk up to the back door and ring the doorbell to be let in.

At 10:30, I bookmarked my page and turned the music down before cutting the engine. I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the car, running my hands down the front of my skirt to smooth any wrinkles. I approached the door and rang the doorbell. While I waited, I stared out into the parking lot, watching a bird while I tried to distract myself from my building nerves.

The door opened with a slight gush of wind, causing a stray curl to blow around my face. I reached up to tuck it behind my ear.

“Good morning,” Moth Tattoo practically whispered the greeting. His voice was so low I almost wasn’t sure he’d actually spoken or if I had imagined it.

“Good morning. I’m a little early, Eli told me 10:45,” I rambled, words tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them. I felt my cheeks warm slightly and sucked in a sharp breath, trying to calm myself down. I could smell that faint mix of weed and cigarettes from yesterday. Though being this close to the kitchen made that marinara smell considerably stronger now.

“That’s okay. He’s in the office, he’ll show you how to clock in and everything.”

“Thanks,” I stepped past him into the building. The sleeve of my blouse only slightly brushed against him as I did. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Internally, I was trying to convince myself it was simply first day jitters.

“Good morning, Nica,” Riley smiled as he came around the corner.

“Good morning.” We maneuvered around each other as well as a stack of boxes. I could smell the same faint scent of weed on him, plus the added mix of his cologne. Spicy and citrusy at the same time. I gave him an awkward smile, hoping I didn’t look as out of place as I felt.

Eli showed me how to clock in and gave me a quick tour of the kitchen, introducing me to Nate and Ronnie, two of the line cooks, in the process. Then we headed up to the host stand. Neither of the other hosts were there yet, but considering I was ahead of schedule, that was okay. Eli told me where I could put my things, and handed me a floor plan so I could start learning table numbers. “If the girls aren’t up here in time, I’ll be here with you, and I’ll get Riley or someone to help you out until they get here. So don’t worry,” he reassured me.

“Okay,” I nodded, smiling.

As if on cue though, we could hear the buzz of the back door. “Maybe that’s them,” he said hopefully. “I’ll be right back, I’ll make you a name tag too.”

I waited at the host stand, hands clasped in front of me as I looked around the lobby. I felt even more out of place now, uncertain of what to do.

A few moments later, I saw Layla walking through the bar area, accompanied by a slightly shorter blonde. She had thick clear glasses and was a little on the heavier side. They both smiled when they saw me, radiating warmth. “You must be Nica?” She placed her bag down on top of the counter then held out a name tag. “Eli said this is for you.”

“Thank you.” I pinned it to the front of my blouse while she and Layla put their stuff away.

“I’m Mackenzie,” she introduced herself when she turned back around. “Did Eli already give you a floor plan?”

“He did,” I confirmed, holding up the slip of paper.

“Ok, don’t even bother with it, it’s confusing. I’ll show you an easier way of learning the tables, but I’ll teach you how to set up the tablet first.”

Mackenzie and Layla were great teachers, working in tandem to help me learn the table numbers and how to operate the tablet. I also got to meet quite a few of the servers. By the end of the day I felt good about my ability to do the job. Eli pulled me into the office before I clocked out, writing out a tentative schedule for where he could fit me in for the week and showing me how to get into the company app to see the schedule once the next week was posted, which he said would most likely be on Thursday.

I spent the first two weeks hosting. Most of my shifts were with Mackenzie and Layla, but occasionally Willow would be my cohost, or an older woman named Emily. She and I had a lot of similar interests, and her son, Frankie, worked with us too as a busser. My third week meant server training. I spent four days learning about food safety and food handling, as well as the menu. Halfway through each of the first two days, I shadowed another server, observing how they interacted with their guests, as well as learning how to put orders into the computer and how to garnish different dishes. The first day I was paired with Willow, and the second day I was paired with Garrett.

Garrett was tall and lanky with ginger hair he kept gelled back. He was soft spoken and unintentionally funny. I had also learned quickly that he was part of Willow’s friend circle, along with Layla and Mackenzie, who I had discovered on my third day was occasionally referred to as “Mack.”

My third and fourth days of training followed a similar pattern. We started with “book work,” as my trainer, Sierra, referred to it. Then I got to sample a couple of the menu items, then it was going on to the floor. Only this time, instead of observing, I was serving. Sierra stood back and watched as I floated from table to table, smiling and taking orders. The hosts kept me at two tables at a time so that I didn’t get overwhelmed.

At one point, while I was pulling plates from the window, Ronnie stopped me. He was thick, with brown eyes and brown hair shaved close to his scalp. I hadn’t taken much notice of him, but from what I had seen, he was quite jovial. He made it a point to greet people when he saw them and make sure everyone was in a good mood, often blasting music on the line to keep morale up. “Nica, right?”

I was startled to hear my name, as I hadn’t really interacted with any of the kitchen staff since that first day. I nodded though.

“Who here do you like working with the least?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I don’t really know anyone yet.”

“I ask everyone here, and I never tell anyone’s answers. You can tell me.”

I thought about it for a second, then answered, “Yasmin. I only worked with her once so far, but it was enough.”

“Damn,” Ronnie laughed, seeming surprised by my answer.

I shrugged, “She was supposed to close when Emily and I hosted with her on my third day. Instead, she left me by myself at the host stand for two hours knowing I didn’t know how to close yet.”

“Okay,” he nodded, resuming his work. “That’s valid.”

The following day was my first day on the floor alone. I clocked out at Jasper & Jade, drove across the street, and came inside to change from one set of work clothes to another. Eli had told me ahead of time he was going to be putting me in sections beside Willow so that I’d have help if I needed it. I was grateful just to be working with someone that I was comfortable around. I had a four table section, but we were slow, so I didn’t really have more than two tables at a time, which I was okay with. I appreciated not feeling like I was suddenly being thrown to the wolves.

At the end of the night, I stepped into the lobby, looking for Mackenzie so I could get my section and side work checked in order to leave. “Mack’s outside,” Layla told me, reading me without me having to say a word.

“Thanks,” I smiled and stepped out into the night air. The end of October in Florida meant that while it was still hot during the day, it was cooling off considerably at night. So that cool rush of wind on my face felt amazing compared to the heat of the kitchen. As I stepped around the corner to find Mackenzie though, a smoke cloud hit me and I immediately started coughing.

“s**t, Nica…” I heard my name over Mackenzie’s laughter. “Are you good?”

I shook my head, bracing one hand against the wall.

Once the smoke cleared, I looked up to see Mackenzie handing a weed pen to Moth Tattoo. He stood there grinning awkwardly at me. One hand pocketed the pen as the other pushed his glasses up his nose. “Can you check my section?” I asked when I felt like I could breathe again.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” She stepped away from Moth Tattoo, following me back inside.

Later on the drive home, I realized that was the first time I’d noticed him since that first day of him letting me in, and my heart started to beat a little faster.