A Life Plan Without You. (98 page)

“Scrape plates in the bin, put on here in neat piles, if they
are stuck on food, place in this sink. Put the cutlery in here they
are the last thing to clean, it all needs more soaking in the hot
water and detergent. Wait until you have a good pile and set a
conveyor belt going, don’t waste time doing them one by one it’s
not time effective, did you get all that Mara?” She gave me a
scowl.

“Yes Miss.” I smiled to myself.

“I am Michelle and stop with the attitude young lady, I give
more than I take, make my life shit yours will be worse. Make it
easy yours will be easy, are we clear on those two rules
Mara?”

She said she wasn’t stupid. Shit this going to be awful, it
will be like spending the bloody summer working with Becks. She set
about scrapping the dishes, finally we had a great conveyor belt
going, and we cleared the lunch plates far quicker than I had on my
own, and with no more tantrums from Mara. We cleared the cutlery,
rinsed it under the tap and put it through the dishwasher, loads of
them all rinsed dried and redistributed to the dining
rooms.

“I’m done in, Michelle, I don’t normally work like this, and
this is hard work.” I laughed.

“It’s never killed anyone, hasn’t a good days work Mara. Can
you take the rubbish to the compactor and I will dry mop the
floors?” I emptied the dishwashers and re filled them with clean
water, I went for fluids for them and set about shifting the pans
and crockery, which had yet to go to store.

“You ready for lunch Michelle?” I looked at the clear area.
“Yes, Michelle I am thanks.” I followed her grabbing Mara from the
rest room.

“You already on a warning Lady Jane, get your bum up for food.
We only have a couple of hours left and then our shift is done.” I
laughed at Michelle.

“Who died and put you in charge?” I laughed, she was giving me
the big head motion, making Myra laugh, the first smile from Becky
number two all day.

“Some fella called Danny?” She gave me an ooh. Danny and Pam
were watching me.

“What you having Mara, you need to eat if you don’t, you’ll
have no energy for the day ahead.” She grabbed a plate and put
everything I put on my plate on hers. I was having chicken and a
salad, Michelle grabbed a pile of chips.

“Michelle proper food, your mum will need to buy that bulk
order of zit cream in again.” She scrunched her nose at
me.

“I have chips here, Baby-Mish because I don’t get them any at
home, not all of us are chefs.” I laughed, bloody Baby-Mish she
hasn’t called me that for ages.

“Chips are not a culinary master piece. You should see the
pile of stuff I had to collect from uni, on Friday. Masses of the
stuff and the wine waiter’s uniform is tress kinky and sort of
sexy, tight figure hugging pants, and I may have got the wrong size
waistcoat too because my boobs seem to be showing more?” We scanned
our cards and sat down to eat. “It may get me more tips all this
boobage on show.” She pissed herself Myra didn’t know what to make
of me. Poor girl, I’d bossed her about all morning.

“Please Mara sit here with us, we don’t bite, well I don’t
Baby-Mish does she can be a cow ignore her, I do.” She sat down and
ate her crappy salad as she called it.

“So you’re a chef, Michelle?” I laughed.

“Yes, Mara I have years of training left yet and I’m back on
track for joining the Royal Navy, if and when I get accepted, lord
knows how long that will take, hopefully not long, but I can
apparently cook well already. I finished top of the class Mara, but
I have to start at the bottom and work my way up, this jobs to pay
the uni fees I will have to pay.” The one bright thing in all this
hopefully I could apply to join up, when the summer was out of the
way, February or soon after I would with any luck, be in the
Navy.

We finished our lunch and a group of people were going to the
staff area for a game of netball, Michelle grabbed Mara and me we
were put on her team. I liked netball as much as Hockey, game over
and exercise done. I’m knackered and in need of a drink, I slipped
into the staff canteen and was being eyed up by a table full of
waiters, all nice looking too, but not for me, they weren’t Sam. I
sashayed out of the room and laughed, I wasn’t being laughed at I
was being ogled, wowsers!

“Come on Mara, we’re nearly finished for the day, see you in
bit Michelle. Wait for me or come and get me please?” We got back
to another inspection, this time both, Pam and Danny were
checking.

“Have we done something wrong Danny, I hope not?” I waited for
the reply.

“Why this set up Michelle?” I looked on in amazement. I
explained the setup and why I had done it and then I have a
rant.

“We do better than this in our small cafe at home with a
proper commercial set up, with a proper running table and power
hand jets for getting the crud off, as we did in the college
kitchens this is pathetic for a big hotel such as this?” They
looked at me and smiled.

“We do have it and it will be put back later. We have been
testing the new day and night staff and you’re the only one who’s
moved this table over here to do a temporary set up.” I
smiled.

“So, this is the go for a can of tartan paint test is it?”
They laughed, nodding their heads.

“The new night staff failed and had a two hour backlog, you
managed it on your own this morning, with Mara missing in action
again…”

“She has worked hard since I got my hands on her, really
hard.” I smiled.

“Michelle, are you stopping here all summer?”

“I’m here until the first week in September if that’s all
right? I have to enrol in the second week to start my advanced
classes in patisserie, confectionary and wine stewards’ course,
sometime in October God knows when I was so organised before, now
I’m a wreck, oh hell let me at those pans or I will be hours behind
if that’s alright Danny?” I looked at the build-up of pans heading
our way.

“Mara, start on that lot please? I will be there when I’ve
finished here.” She did as she was told, starting to scrub and
clean the pans. “If that’s all, I think she will get miffed, if I
don’t pull my weight.” I went to help her.

“Shift your skinny bum over there Mara.” She
laughed.

“Pot calling kettle missus, you’re a skinny bitch, skinnier
than me.” I laughed. As we cleared away the stainless steel pot
table was moved back into place. Reconnecting the jet nozzle for
the spray head to clean off the crud stuck on the plates and
allowing all the wire baskets to run around the whole area, no
lifting or stacking, just smooth running’s, that would be easier
for them tonight, but it made no difference to us we had
managed.

I did think it was cruel trick and one I would never have
done, no overtime paid for the extra hours worked. We had a busy
afternoon, this lot liked their afternoon tea, and we finished
early. I had all the pans placed back and emptied the bins and yet
again dry mopped making sure the dish washers were clean and ready
for the evening meal and restaurant shift tonight. I went to clock
out and Danny called me into his office.

“Michelle can you do evening shifts at all? And I don’t
suppose you speak French do you?” I smiled.

“Je peux et Italien, Espagnol et Russe, assez bon pour être
capable de parler aux gens. I do and along with Spanish, Russian
and Italian, I am all right to hold a conversation with, why?
Overtime depends when you finish, my last ferry is at eleven and I
have to get to Fleetwood before that Danny. I can do whatever
Michelle Green does, she’s my friend and neighbour, can I ask why?”
He made notes and smiled, he spoke to me in Italian, perhaps
testing me?

“That’s good to know. We have a delegation coming to stop and
they are French and Italian. I speak Italian, so no problems there
and the chef well he can’t be in two places, they are supposed to
be bringing an interpreter, but we have to ask staff if they would
be willing to step in, the council are bloody twinning the town
with some places, in France and Italy. Right, Michelle, there will
be plenty of shifts Friday and Saturday nights in the dining room,
silver service are you any good? Stopover’s in case you need
accommodation.

Well done today and especially with Mara, she’s Pam’s daughter
and she was very impressed with how you handled her and call me
Dan. Bring your gym stuff and trainers tomorrow I have a surprise
for you.” I said I would, answering him back In Italian, I had
understood all he said yeah, I told Dan that I had passed that part
of the course too, and did private functions a couple of times a
month and knew how to do the waitressing and serving wine too, last
minute functions for the masonic functions, and to ask my Uncle
Preston, the steward of the Masonic Halls, if he needed a
reference, he laughed and said Michelle sang my praises all the
time. I waved goodbye, smiled and went to meet Michelle.

“I’m trashed Michelle that was a hard days graft. Well done
Mara, no missing in action tomorrow, if you do your own toilet
duty, and I can manage on my own. So Miss, uniform on and at the
pot-wash area at half seven on the dot.” She was too knackered to
argue and waved us away she got in her mums’ car and waited for
her. “I’ve been asked if I can do Friday and Saturday evenings,
what shifts are those like?” She smiled.

“Cushy ones, they don’t do as much grafting, as we do during
the day, they only have evening meal and supper pots to clear, oh
and crap from the outside functions they do, and they are cushy
jobs to get too. Mornings have twice as much, but it’s tricky for
the ferry and sometimes you have to stopover, especially if they
have functions, but you get a room and extra pay, plus I get to let
my hair down, you too now, we need to enjoy the summer Michelle get
you a fella.

Oliver likes you, he’s the waiter from the main dining room,
he asked me about you, as well as Ste and then Dave, you had them
arguing who was going to ask you first, they may have a side bet
going as to see who can actually get you in their bed first too.” I
smiled and feigned a shocked horror face.

“I’m not ready for that and I don’t think I will be with
anyone else. Michelle, my trust issues now are way too screwed up.”
I got a hug and a squeeze. We got to the ferry and set off over the
sea to Hambleton. I loved my first day, but even though it was only
six o’clock, I was ready for bed, so tired.

“See you tomorrow Michelle, I need my bed and a shower and dry
underwear, note to self don’t wear good undies.” She disappeared
into her house.

“Hello you lot I’m back.” Grandma was sitting knitting my new
cardi, a fluffy black thing. I had a feel and smiled a most
excellent comforter. I gave her a kiss and she smiled, I asked were
the giant was; Michael had gone fishing with the skipper and would
be out all night.

“Did you have a good day Michelle?” I smiled I had and it was
wonderful.

“I did, and I got promoted on my first day too, I’m head
morning shift pot washer.” I laughed loudly she smiled and asked
had I eaten. I had and was going to bed, today had been tough and I
had hoped it would get easier. I slept well and right through to
Gramps waking me to get up again.

This went on all week until Sunday, when I had a much-needed
day off. So went for a run, I hadn’t had much time to think about
things, I was too busy at work, but I did actually think about Sam,
all the time on the tram journeys to and from work. I loved him I
couldn’t help it, but I’d scuppered any of them plans with Paul’s
stupid kiss. I ran to the estuary and back my fitness had improved,
the dance class was at three, so I went back and changed. I had a
quiet walk around to the church hall Lizzy was opening the doors.
She smiled and gave me a hug.

“I’m back use me and abuse me please. I need to be teaching
the male steps I’m doing the teaching classes. Lee has asked me to
be a teacher, I’m so pleased Lizzy.” She smiled.

“We have a fresh load of men and they are a bit of a handy
bunch of old gents and boy are they lively, well they are for me. I
teach a ladies class too, they are all hard work, but it pays well
Michelle, they are terrors much more so than the caterpillar
class.” I laughed her caterpillars were a handful for her too. We
cleared the floor placing the chairs around the edges and sweeping
the already clean floor and putting down grated wax to polish the
floor whilst we danced. I put on my dance shoes and smiled as I
heard the rabble coming in.

“Grams is coming later too, to walk me home. She likes people
to think she taught me all I know.” We had our first class turn up
the village kids. I ran them through their dances whilst Lizzy
fretted in the office, apparently all the oldies now had to come
for their lessons at the same time.

“You lot are cracking at this, you dance better than my lot
and they all passed, so you know the rules, about what you need to
wear so make Lizzy and yourselves proud what time do they need to
be here Miss Lizzy?” She smiled.

“Please be here at seven sharp.” I was stunned that they did
night exams here.

“This is the only exam class I teach Michelle the rest are
pleasure for dance classes, a yoga class and a ballet class.” The
Caterpillars were collected and I was busy meeting and greeting old
dance mum’s I hadn’t seen some since last summer.