Chapter Two #3
“Two more days. Can you manage that?”
“What time do we start?”
“Five. We are going to do every bit of prep tonight and pull out all the stops. We are getting a restock at seven in the morning, when we are busiest.”
“Shit.”
“Yup. So we want to make room for everything and have it ready to go.”
Sunny grinned. “Now I know why you are so fit for a little thing.”
“Yeah, yeah. Are we ready for the last run?”
“How many lunches do you go through a day?”
“One twenty. Fifty morning customers, and sixty afternoon customers.”
“Wow.”
She smiled. “Yup, so when we have a few minutes of downtime, we clean like demons.”
Cloudy headed outside and cleaned up the packages and the boxes on the tables.
“Why do some leave boxes on tables and others put them in the recycling area?”
“Oh. Some are management, and others are workers, and some are just dicks. Of course, there is the fact that we are a little bit further behind than normal. That makes them later and cuts off their breaks.”
“Wait, those are all here on their breaks?”
“Yup, from an import office and a fish processor. That is why the mix is popular. They get what they need without being swamped by it.”
Sunny nodded and looked up. “A few are on the way.”
“Then, grab the boxes and buckle up. These ones have more time and like to take food home. There are sixty customers with an average of three meal packs each.”
“Shit.”
“Yup. They bring their empty packs back in the morning.” She chuckled and went to the grill. Three packs, four packs, and everything was paid for, packed up, and transported away by happy patrons.
“So you lose a lot of containers.”
“About fifteen percent. It’s calculated in the cost of goods sold. Getting ones that have thermal properties is more expensive but worth it. It gives us this end-of-day bump, and we can keep fresher ingredients on hand, knowing that they will be used up.”
They chatted when Sunny didn’t have customers, and he learned about what it took to open a business on Siloven.
“The easiest way is to find a trustworthy partner: work for them until your efforts materially increase their income and then tell them that you have learned what you needed to know and you are now seeking to find your focus elsewhere. They either encourage you to do that, or they panic and offer you a percentage of the business. Either way, you take a few days off.”
He chuckled. “Why find a partner at all?”
“You need citizenship to own a business on Siloven. That is why you find someone you can trust that you don’t mind close quarters with.”
“Like you and Emgoth.”
“Correct.”
She smiled. “Now, let’s keep on top of this stuff so we can go home on time.”
He nodded, and they dealt with the wave of customers and their takeout orders.
When the last meal was packed, they cleaned up in silence. Sunny said, “Tomorrow, can you let me be on the grill to start?”
“Fine, but I will run you through the breakfast sandwiches first. They require a flip of the wrist, and that needs practice.”
“With more akko?”
“Of course. They love the stuff. Did you want a takeaway box before we clean up?”
Sunny blushed. “Yeah. Can I make it?”
“Go for it.”
She laughed and supervised him. He did a good job of it. He filled the hot side of the box and then shrugged and put the akko in the box. “It’s going to be good when I get home?”
“It will. Promise. That’s why we are so freaking busy.”
They finished cleaning up, shredded the akko from the day before, and she made the sauce with the citrus and spice. She would douse the shredded veg tomorrow as her first duty of the day.
Humming, they got everything ready, the breakfast meat and eggs were set up, and the flatbread was stacked in the cooler.
When everything was ready, she went around, removed the signage, and put it on the counter for the following day.
Sunny looked at it and laughed. They left, and she locked up.
The sun was setting as they walked down the dock back toward the public transit.
As they got close, the transport was slowing for them, and Cloudy held Sunny back.
It waited, and they stepped on, scanning the payment on the screen.
The driver grinned as he looked at Cloudy. “See you at four thirty?”
“Of course. This is my brother, and he’s trying the grill tomorrow. Pray to whatever deities you have.”
He laughed, and they settled into seats.
Cloudy waved to a lot of the locals, and Sunny stared. “How do they all know you?”
“They see me on the transport daily. A lot of them have friends or family who work at the docks, and four people here have hot meals to go home to because of that food stall.”
Sunny looked around and leaned back in his seat. “Huh. I guess food is important.”
“It is when you are hungry.” She smiled, and they glided to the edge of downtown. She smiled. “This is me. See you tomorrow. Did you want a call?”
“Uh, please.”
Cloudy got up and exited. The driver took his wife to work in the morning, and they had breakfast before her shift. She knew people, and she liked people. It was a nice mix.