The Last Shift

I took a deep breath and tied my apron around my waist, preparing for my last shift at the Magnolia Diner. I looked around, embracing the quiet before the storm, committing every detail of the place to memory before heading out the door to the dining room floor. As I pushed the door open, the familiar scent of coffee, pie, and greasy diner food hit me full force and I smiled.

My parents opened the diner long before I was born. It started as a little spot where you could stop in for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie (well, anything from our menu, really) at any hour of the day and it has grown into a thriving pillar of our small town. I grew up sitting at the counter and as far back as I can remember, I couldn’t wait to don the pink apron and run around to the tables and serve our customers with a smile. I knew all of the regulars and they all knew me.

I have been waiting these tables for two years now. I just recently graduated from high school and now, I’m heading off to college in just a few days. While I am excited about my latest venture, I’m also sad to leave the place that I love so much behind, even temporarily.

“Annaliese! You’re up!” Isabelle, my best friend, yelled from the hostess stand to me.

“I’ll be right there!”

No matter how many times my parents have told us not to yell across the restaurant to each other, we still did it every shift. I tore out a page from my notepad and wadded it up and threw it at her on my way over to my table. She scrunched up her face at me and muttered something under her breath and we both started laughing.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Ambrose, how are you tonight?”

The elderly couple looked up at me and smiled brightly. They have been coming in here since Magnolia opened and were some of our most loyal customers. They were super sweet, and loved telling me stories of the good old days, and I loved hearing them. I think they were the customers I would miss the most.

Mrs. Ambrose’s face broke out into a gorgeous smile, and her eyes got a little watery. “Hello, sweet Annaliese. I hear that this is your last shift before you fly off to college.”

I smiled back, “Yes, it is. I will be back for Thanksgiving, though!”

She smiled again. “This place won’t be the same without you, dear. You bring a special kind of joy to the place.”

I beamed at her compliment. “Thank you so much for that. I love this place more than anything. I hope to take over from my parents one day. That’s why I am going off to college, to get my business degree.”

Mrs. Ambrose nodded and beckoned for me to come closer. I bent down and she put her hands on my face, gently and said, “Just come back to us, dear. This town needs you. You are a breath of fresh air here.”

Mr. Ambrose stayed silent, but nodded his ascent to what his wife was saying. He was always more reserved with things like this, but get him started on his war days, and he could talk your ears off for hours. Yes, I was definitely going to miss them the most.

The diner was growing busier and busier as the night wore on. Some of our regulars asked specifically for me, knowing that it was my last shift. All of them left extra in their tips, some with sweet notes, wishing me well on my next venture in life. Each kind word, hug, and gesture made it harder to accept the fact that I was not going to be here every day for a while.

At about 8:00, the crowd died down a little and the rush of emotions came crashing down on me. I told Isabelle that I needed a minute and went to the bathroom, where I locked myself in a stall, sat down and cried for a minute.

I thought about all of the memories I had of this place. Playing waitress with Isabelle, helping the servers over the years bringing coffee or sugar packets to tables when they were busy, listening to the customers stories and learning all about them. I was going to miss all of that. I sighed and walked out of the stall, stopping at the sink to splash some water on my face before heading back out.

“Better now, girl?” Isabelle was right outside the door as I walked out.

“Yeah, just feeling a little emotional.”

“Why? You get to leave. I can’t wait to run out of this town and never look back.”

Isabelle was a year behind me in school, and she did not have the same love of this town as I did. Where my parents were loving and devoted, hers were distant and cold. Her father was known to be the town drug dealer. Her mother was his best customer. She spent most of her childhood at the diner or at my house with me. It broke my heart to have to leave her.

“You won’t even come back to see me?” I teased her.

She laughed, “Well, maybe for a visit. I plan on running away to California and becoming a movie actress.” She struck a silly pose and we both laughed.

“Girls! Get back to work. I don’t pay you to chat all night.”

My dad was standing beside us, with a smile on his face. He knew that tonight was going to be hard for me, saying farewell for now to all of the regulars.

“Yes, Daddy! We’re getting back to work right now.” We linked arms and went back to work.

The hours flew by as we filled sugar containers and married ketchup bottles, refilling coffee pots when they ran out, or got too stale to sell to customers. I took the time to sit at each and every table, saying a personal good bye to each one, promising to be back again. It was like saying good bye to my family in an odd way.

Once the diner was spotless and all of the tables were stocked, it was about midnight. This was my favorite time of the overnight shift. The bars hadn’t let out yet, so hardly anyone was in the place. The staff had the place to themselves for a bit. This is when they all decided to spring their surprise on me. I was sitting in the corner booth, my favorite one, and all of the sudden, the doors to the kitchen burst open and everyone came out with balloons and a cake. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling now. I was so touched that everyone took the effort to make me feel special.

The night wore on with us celebrating, and two o’clock hit, which meant the local bars were letting out, and drunk people were hungry. The regular locals all shuffled in and we went about our business, making sure that everyone was happy and taken care of.

At about 2:15, three men that I had never seen before came in and were seated at one of my tables. They were definitely not from the town, but I figured that they were just passing through and decided to rest for the night. They didn’t seem to have been drinking, just tired and weary.

“Hello, gentlemen. My name is Annaliese. Welcome to the Magnolia Diner. Have you been here before?”

“No,” answered one of the gentlemen. The others ignored my question.

“I want a coffee and apple pie,” said the second.

“Coffee,” the first said.

“You up against the wall screaming my name.” The other two erupted in fits of laughter.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Sir, that is extremely disrespectful. If you do not apologize and leave, I will have you escorted out.”

The three of them stood up and left, talking loudly about how the service here stunk and that the server was a bitch. The entire diner stopped and made sure that they left without causing any trouble. I shook off the encounter and went back to work.

Soon, my shift was ending, and I went out the back door to take out the trash. I heard a noise to my left, and turned my head. I was grabbed by behind and a hand covered my mouth when I tried to scream.

“I always get what I want.”

He turned me around and I was looking into the eyes of the man that had been disrespectful of me just hours before. He slammed me against the dumpster, knocking my breath out of me and pinning me up against the steel. I started to cry and scream into his hand. This seemed to please him.

“Try and fight me, it is a losing battle.”

I tried to fight back, but it was no use. He was too strong and it seems to actually arouse him. He now had me pinned and he was hiking my skirt up. I knew what was coming if I didn’t get free. I was terrified. He started to unhook his belt buckle and unbutton his jeans. The zipper came down and he pulled out his penis. I screamed louder into his hand and he laughed. My heart pounded in my chest as he pressed his against mine. He took the hand not covering my mouth and grabbed my leg, hitching me against him, hard. He reached up and tore off my underwear.

“I said, I wanted you screaming against the wall, a dumpster will have to do. Now, you will be my slut.”

As he said these words, he plunged into me, laughing. It hurt like hell. I was a virgin and had never even seen a penis before. I had barely even kissed a boy, and now this man was raping me in the alley of the place I loved the most. I tried to fight him off, but he just kept thrusting into me. What felt like hours went by and he gave a cry as he came inside of me, panting.

“Now, what will I do with you? You know my face. I will not go to jail for a whore like you.”

My face was caked in dirt and tears, his hand still covering my mouth. I shook my head no to indicate that I wouldn’t say anything to anyone. We both knew it was a lie. He punched me in the face, knocking me to the ground and splitting my lip open.

I looked up at him and realized I was looking down the barrel of a gun. He pulled the trigger.

When I started my shift tonight, I knew that it would be my last shift for a while. I just didn’t realize that it would be my last shift ever.