"So when are you gonna ask me out on a date?"

"Huuuh?" Dawn screamed in response to Leia's question, as the two were getting changed.

"Don't try to hide it. You keep stealing glances at my ass all the time."

"Mind you - I'm rushing to get changed. Besides, you aren't even looking in my direction, so how'd you know?" As the busses were delayed because of the storm, both had arrived late. Their shift was about to begin.

"Mind you - obviously from when I turn to look at your bottom. I'm not trying to hide that." Leia winked at her as she was tying her reddish-brown hair into a ponytail. The makeup around her eyes looked a lot more refined than Dawn's. Maybe I should ask her for advice.

"Ugh, we don't have time for your jokes. Can you pass the lipstick?" Dawn held out her hand after having finished putting on her uniform.

"Sure Hun," Leia responded and turned, her upper body not covered.

Dawn quickly looked away, "Heavens, do you have no shame?"

Leia gasped audibly and answered playfully, "Are you saying this body is something to be ashamed of? Heavens and here I thought I had gotten quite lucky in the gene lottery."

"Don't make fun of how I talk. Just give me the lipstick already, we really don't have the time for this." Dawn kept herself calm and focused. As tempting as it was, she couldn't let her eyes slip onto Leia now, nor did she want to blush. She didn't want to give her coworker more reason to tease her.

"You are no fun. Here you go."

"Thank you, finally." She went to the mirror in her locker and applied the lipstick before leaving the room.

Barely two steps out the door and a mad voice reached her ears. "Thank God, what took you so long? And you are supposed to be the reliable around here? Ridiculous."

"Screw you too, Rita," Dawn responded under her breath as the other girl ended her shift and went to change. Ever since the manager had let slip that Dawn was in consideration for a raise because of her reliability, big-nosed Rita had been mad at her.

As Leia stepped through the door, the last waitress, Shelly, also finished up. "The woman at table four just arrived, the others are served," she told them as she left.

"I got this, Leia. Can you clean the mess they left us?" Dawn said, hoping she could talk her way out of cleaning dishes already.

"So you are letting me clean while you get to walk around?"

"Hey, it's only fair. That's what you get for being annoying."

"Sure Hun, whatever you say." Another wink followed and Dawn turned to table four. It was in the corner of the room, surrounded by two big windows that showed the café's garden. While in summer one could sit out there under the weeping willow, now in winter customers would just look at it from inside, enjoying the Christmas decorations. Table four was arguably the most beautiful place to sit at inside the café.

The table, just like the others, was square and had a vintage look - recycled wood had been used to make them. Next to it, were two chairs with their seats made to look like gingerbread.

The customer sitting at table four was an elderly lady, her spectacled eyes observing the falling snow. Her shaky hands held a peculiar walking cane - its handle was a sanded ram horn - and were tapping it against the floor now and then. A quiet wooden clicking echoed. Curious, Dawn stepped up to the table and put on a smile.

"Good day miss." She performed a curtsy. "Since it's almost Christmas again, we are offering our candy cane homebrew for a limited time. It comes with a candy cane for stirring - no need for a spoon! Of course, the regular menu is also available." Dawn held a menu for the woman to take.

Adjusting her glasses, the short-haired granny spoke in a rusty voice, "My, my, aren't you a cute one? And so young... tell me, child, why are you working here at this age?" Child? I am twenty-two years old.

Working at the café for years had trained Dawn in staying cheerful, so that's what she did. Customers sometimes liked to chat, that was part of the job. "Oh you see, I'm going to the community college at the moment. But I need money to switch to university with my 2-plus-2 program later on. Education isn't cheap now, is it?" She giggled a bit.

"No, I'm sure it isn't." The woman reciprocated the giggle. "But can you handle college, studying, and work?"

"Sure can - this is a piece of cake! Oh, speaking of cake, we offer a variety of freshly made cakes! So, may I take your order?"

"A can of black tea will be enough, Dear. Thank you."

Dawn wrote the order down and made another curtsy before turning to leave. As she made the first step, she heard the woman mutter, "Don't overdo it, child. I used to have the same tired eyes as you and it cost me everything."

The young waitress turned again, but the elder had gone back to looking outside and clicking her walking cane against the floor. "What do you mean?" Dawn asked, but no response came. She wanted to press further, but the café started to fill so she had to move to the next table. Friday evenings could get stressful sometimes.

Tired eyes.

She told Leia the old woman's wish and moved to take the order of table seven. She wrote it down and moved to the next one.

Tired eyes?

Table twelve was the next to order, then came booth two. More and more people came flooding in, snow on their boots wetting the floor.

I have no tired eyes. I can - I have to - handle this just fine.

Dawn went back to the counter, taking the finished can of tea and bringing it to the old lady. Dawn wanted to talk her up about what the woman had said earlier, but the other orders had more priority than personal matters. So she just put the can and a cup on table four, performed a curtsy, and went to the counter.

Who is she to tell me how I am feeling?

Leia had gone to take orders herself, and Dawn started working on the coffees. Entry after entry she finished off her list. A cappuccino here, a candy cane brew there, and some cake too.

No new customers, now I can talk to her.

Bringing the orders to the tables, Dawn's mind was occupied with different matters. She rushed up to table four, attempting to interrupt the woman's peaceful silence. Even while drinking tea, her cane clicked on the floor.

Suddenly, she heard a strong voice behind her call, "Miss? I did not order this."

For a moment Dawn's composed shell broke. She turned and spoke in an unwelcoming tone, "What do you mean?"

"I ordered your Christmas offer, not whatever this is."

Then a woman a few tables over stood up. "I think our drinks were mixed up, cause I don't recall cappuccinos including candy canes." She giggled

Dawn, realizing the mistake she had made in her haste, felt terrible. She neglected the orders because she felt offended over... Over nothing.

This was no time to regret her actions. All she could do was to make things right. Maybe the woman was right, and things were getting out of hand - but this was where she could prove that she was able to handle it. Even if just to her.

"Heavens, I'm so sorry. I got distracted and wasn't focusing enough."

The woman interrupted her, "It's alright, no need to stress. Mistakes happen."

"No this is not alright," the other customer complained, "I did not come here to be treated like this!"

"Oh come on, she mixed up an order, not offend you to your face," the woman defended Dawn. A fight was about to break out between those two.

Dawn could feel the elderly woman's eyes on her back - or at least she thought she did. She felt challenged, but would not lose.

"I made an unacceptable mistake. I'll bring you your correct orders straight away, free of charge - my treat." Dawn spoke in a calm but determined manner and performed an elegant curtsy.

This made the customers settle back down in their chairs, the noise quieting. The man added a muttered, "Mine for takeaway now." and then didn't speak another word. Dawn quickly mixed up the drinks and delivered them. The unpleasant man snatched it from her hand and left, but the woman softly spoke, "You are just doing your job, and mistakes happen. Don't let people like him discourage you."

"I won't," Dawn answered, "but I'll own up to my mistakes nonetheless."

"And I commend you for that, but I'll be paying for my drink myself. Thanks for the offer, though." The woman took her cup - she had ordered it to go from the start - and left, but not before giving Dawn a 10$ bill and saying, "Keep the rest." Heavens, this is enough to pay for both cups.

Proud of having dealt with the conflict appropriately, Dawn decided to check on table four. However, when she turned, the woman was gone. Left on the table was the payment with another juicy tip, and a chocolate bar to hold the money down.

There was no way of knowing whether the woman had watched Dawn handle the situation, but the young waitress wanted to believe that she did. She had earned that tip - and the chocolate bar which she enjoyed in her break.