Just Another Day

[v_harkryder]

It turned out that Virgil didn't have any more cards from the shelter when he opened his desk drawer, so he wrote the phone number down and gave it to Tanya after their conversation. He hoped she left before the hitting happened again rather than after. 'After' might be a relative word, but it could also prove to be too late.

He pulled his late-model Chevy into the shelter's lot and killed the engine. It was just past noon, which meant they'd be serving lunch. He'd been on good terms with the staff since he started referring people for everything from drug counseling to psychiatric help. Becoming community-minded had been a way to take his mind off of what happened to him before he turned in his gun and badge, and he actually liked helping people.

The air had a definite chill in it, even though the snow had melted, and the warmth indoors was a welcome change. Virgil looked around for Stephanie, the day supervisor, then started towards the kitchen. If she wasn't in there, the people preparing lunch would know where she was.

Comments

Re: Just another day

[v_harkryder]

One big hand rubbed the back of his head, and now he was playing Place the Face too. The girl was probably just a volunteer, since locals came in a lot to donate time behind the scenes. And he only showed up occasionally, to drop off announcements about class schedule changes and pick up business cards. But the young face was familiar.

"I'm Virgil Harkryder," he said by way of introduction. "I do referrals for the shelter sometimes. I was just droppin' by to pick up some extra business cards. I didn't have an appointment or anything."

Re: Just another day

[melodymagic]

"Oh! That's right, I've seen you sometimes, when you've dropped in and talked to Stephanie," Mel replied, "I'm Melody and my mom and I do lunch here for her every Wednesday, to help out." She went to hold her hand out, then hesitated, dropping it down a little, unsure of whether he would take it.

Re: Just another day

[v_harkryder]

"It's nice to meet you, Melody."

Virgil was a foot taller than she was, and he hunched his shoulders a little so it didn't look like he was looming over her. Her hand was ridiculously small compared to his. He glanced at her mother, who seemed to be still occupied.

"It's good to see new faces," he remarked when he'd taken his hand back, "I thought I recognized you, but I only come by every couple of weeks. Are ya'll ready for the lunch rush?"

Re: Just another day

[melodymagic]

Melody watched her hand disappear into his, used to people being taller, but having to look up that far had her craning her neck a little.

"Yes, mom is just wrangling the dumplings into the soup," she told him, "because with this cold snap she figures they can use all the carbs they can get, so she made lots extra." She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost time to start serving, people already lined up at the door.

"Stephanie's not back, so if you want you could step in and help serve till she gets back," Mel suggested, indicating the buzz of people gathering outside. She wondered where Stephanie was, as she had been gone a little while now, and had planned on being back in time for serving. "Maybe the snow has made it hard for her to get to the store."

Re: Just another day

[v_harkryder]

"Yeah, I could do that," the veteran said with a nod. He was still holding his cap in his hands, and he looked around for a place to set it down before taking his jacket off as well. He'd done his share of kitchen duty in the army, and if they were short-handed until Stephanie got back he should pitch in and help.

"Are you in school?" he asked Melody as he washed his hands. She seemed about college age, although now that he was pushing forty most of the people he met seemed really young. "Or do you work somewhere?"

Re: Just another day

[melodymagic]

"Me? No, just finished," she told him, grabbing him an apron and putting it on the counter for him. "I work now, in a shop, and for my mom at events she caters when she needs the help," she told him, checking over the dishes that were ready, and grabbing a stack of bowls to put in place, ready for the serving of the soup. Her mother called out to her in broken English, telling her to go and open the doors and let the people in from the cold. Mel did that, managing to make it back to the kitchen in front of the flood of them who were mainly interested in getting in from the cold wind.

As she hurried back around the counter she distributed the serving utensils into each of the trays in the bain marie, her mother already checking on the next batch of dumplings. WIth barely a glance at Virgil Mel started ladling out the soup, making sure each bowl had at least four of the dumplings, as her mother had told her. She pointed to the other trays and called to Virgil, telling him what to serve up, before turning her attention back to the bowls she was filling, and the hungry faces that were waiting.

Re: Just another day

[v_harkryder]

Virgil worked efficiently and largely in silence, dishing up food and passing the plates over the counter to the waiting throng. Feeding the homeless wasn't that much different than feeding hungry soldiers, and his hands moved methodically as he fell into a rhythm. The routine was comforting.

The chatter from the dining area picked up in volume as people took their seats at the long tables that had been set up, and the crowd gradually dwindled. The veteran handed one last dish to a boy of about fourteen, who had accompanied his mother through the line. He put his hands against the small of his back and stretched to his full height with a smile.

"You're a pretty good worker," he told Melody with a muted chuckle. "Have you done food service before, or just when you volunteer here?"

Re: Just another day

[melodymagic]

Mel wiped her forehead, the steam from the soup and heat from the bain marie having helped her build up a slight sheen of perspiration. "I've been helping my parents waitress since I was about 14," she told him, resisting the temptation to levitate the trays for the dirty dishes up from under the benches. Her mother would have just rolled her eyes and turned away, but she wasn't about to do it in front of Virgil, so bent down to grab them and put them out on the servery for the return of the dishes.

"You're not bad yourself," she returned, indicating the remains in the trays. "You done this before?" she asked, looking across as Stephanie came in through the door, arms full of cartons, clearly full of more than just the extra plates she had gone to purchase.