Working at the Chickie stop fast-food chain as a vegetarian had never promised to be fun, but Jublean had at least thought it might end up easy. Just ring up peoples orders and shout it to the cook out back. Sounded like a piece of cake. She didn’t like fast food and didn’t eat meat, so she wouldn’t be tempted to eat the food or anything.
That Monday morning no one had come to Jublean’s side of the register, so she had been standing all day doing nothing. Well, at least she’d be paid for it. Jublean was just fixing her spot up at the register when a group of teenagers came up.
Jublean looked up and put on a polite smile.
“Hello! Welcome to Chickie stop, what would you all like to order?” she asked the crowd.
The teens ordered from the little selection of chicken, fries and sauces between laughs and conversation. Jublean liked teens, as she had been one four years ago, so she didn’t mind them taking extra long to order. After all, no one was behind them.
Soon they were finished ordering and went to sit at a table, all except for one. He was a tall guy with black, shiny hair.
“Uh, yeah… sorry, I take long to order,” He smiled.
Jublean smiled back. “No problem.”
And for about five minutes, the boy just glared at the menu above her with a hand on his chin mumbling things like “that one sounds good, maybe… but they’ve also got this combo… nah, I think I’ll take… Nah…
The door jingled and a pale girl with short orange hair came in stomped over to the register behind the boy.
She looked annoyed already, staring at the boy with one eyebrow higher than the other and her lip turned up.
“Um, sir, can you hurry up? You’ve got a little kid behind you.”
“I ‘aint little. I’m a midget!” the girl yelled angrily. Jublean felt taken back by this new knowledge. The girl had a squeaky voice and chubby cheeks, not signs of a grown woman, but how could Jublean know for sure?
“I’ll hurry, I’ll hurry… uh!” The tall boy began to make nervous chattering noises with his mouth.
“Oh that’s it,” the little girl pushed the teen out of the way.
“Woah!” the tall teen stumbled to regain his balance.
“Listen miss register lady, I’d like a large cookies and cream milkshake please!” The girl demanded.
Jublean turned to the girl and blinked her eyes twice. She needed to regain her focus after what that rude girl had done.
“Um, you said a cookie with cream?”
“A cookies and cream MILKSHAKE, lady MILKSHAKE! With an extra dose of them cookie bits!” the girl yelled once more.
“Uh…” Jublean’s head still felt clouded. This had never happened before. “We don’t sell milkshakes. You’re at the wrong food chain.”
“I’m at the right one. Didn’t y'all have some type of milkshake deal? The one where if you order chicken strips and a large fries you get a free cookies and cream milkshake!?”
“Uh… no.” Jublean answered her. “I don’t know where you’re getting all this false information, but no there is no deal like that and Chikie stop doesn’t even sell milkshakes.”
“Yes you do! Yes you do! Y’all said it on the dang commercial I watched it!” the girl yelled. She balled her fists and began stomping.
“And how old are you exactly?”
“9. Why’s it matter?”
“You said you were a midget!”
“I lied! Now just tell them people back there to make my milkshake! Cookies and cream! With the extra cookie pieces in it. Cookies and cream!'' The girl moved her mouth slowly as if Jublean couldn’t understand.
A woman on her phone came behind the girl.
“Excuse me little girl-”
“I’m not a little girl!”
“-but you’ll have to move because there is someone behind you who has a REAL order.” Jublean was trying to keep her calm, but it was very hard with a stubborn little girl yelling at her.
The girl remained in front of Jublean.
Jublean made a circle movement with her finger and pointed to the orange-haired girl.
The girl hesitated, then rolled her eyes and stomped out of the way.
The woman moved up and ended her call, and took a look at the Jublean.
“I’m haven’t ordered yet!” yelled the tall teen from beside the register.
“When you know what you want you can come right back up, but for now I’m dealing with customers who know what they’re ordering,” Jublean told him. She didn’t know if that sounded polite, but right now she had other worries.
“Yes, I’d like you to give me another number 4, except not any of the stale chicken, I’d like my chicken from a new batch.
Jublean sat there, not knowing what to say.
“Well, I can’t guarantee that you’ll get chicken from the new batch-”
“You better guarantee it,” the woman said over her, nodding her head as if reinforcing herself.
Jublean’s chest felt hot. She was getting tired of all these annoying customers.
“Listen lady, I don’t make the chicken and I can’t guarantee a single thing.”
“Oh, sure ya’ can, just tell the cook behind you to batch up all the fresh ones!” the woman pointed her nail-painted finger over to the cook in the back. The cook looked over uninterested, then double-taked with wide eyes. Jublean read that look as, you talkn’ to me?
Jublean sighed very loudly. “If I do this, you’re going to have to pay extra for harassing the chef.”
“I’m not paying a dime! I paid for those stail ones and that was a big mistake! You’re just doing my meal over!”
“No I’m not!” Jublean snapped. “And if you aren’t willing to pay then you can leave since I’m not giving you free chicken!”
“Where’s your manager!?” the lady nagged.
“I am the manager!” Jublean yelled back.
“No you ‘aint! Otherwise you wouldn’t be a broke cashier!” the little orange-haired girl said from the left of the restaurant. Jublean let herself briefly imagine slapping the little girl.
“Oh, you wanna get nasty with your customers! I’ll be telling that to your REAL manager once I get a hold of them!” the lady whipped out her phone and sat at a table, eyeing Jublean like a hawk.
Jublean crossed her arms, and then put them back down. People with crossed arms didn’t look friendly enough to talk to, and that would be bad or business.
Jublean’s mind was a mess. It was like everybody had gone mad! She hadn’t served one person that day.
Then, just as she thought the day couldn’t get any worse, a round man with a stubble of facial hair and eyebrows nearly on his eyes hobbled up to the register.
Though Jublean stared a hole through him, the man wouldn’t look her in the eye.
After a while, he said normally, “I’ll have the kids meal.”
Jublean exploded. “Why!? You’re a grown man! You can order the same meal but bigger if you just order combo 2!”
“I want the toy,” was his answer.
That had done it. Jublean began screeching like some deranged bird. She ran from behind the counter to the middle of the restaurant and began what you could only describe as a weird dance that involved jumping, clapping and squatting.
The orange-haired girl began to laugh.
The lady with the phone only shook her head. “Lunitics.”
Once Jublean had wasted all her energy, she looked around, panting. Everyone was staring at her like she was crazy, and even the round man turned from the register to face her.
“Are you gonna ring up my order?”
“That’s it! That’s it! I quit! I’m done for the day!” Jublean stomped out of the building, headed for her car. She had had enough. Jublean didn’t know if she would ever come back to this job. She was better off becoming an entrepreneur.
The tall teenager then turned to the glass doors. “Wait! I know what I want!”