A DROP OF DRAMA

"Get away from me!" she hissed through gritted teeth. Her fists were clenched and her fiery eyes blazed blue, her curly brown hair framing her hard determined face.

"I just want to talk to you," he said on the verge of whining, his hands palm up and his shoulders shrugging. "Just for a minute."

Luckily it was between the lunch and dinner rush so there weren't too many customers to witness the drama, Jamie thought. He shook his head and went back to working on the schedule. He'd come in part way through the scene and realized what was going on pretty quickly.

Danielle was more than just The Fantastic Food's most popular daytime waitress, she also was in charge of inventory. She'd been working for Jamie for 6 years.

"NO! I don't care what you have to say!" she shouted at her ex-boyfriend. "I don't want to hear it! You'll say you're sorry and that you've changed and that you miss me and you want me back, but you have to understand, IT'S TOO LATE!"

And without even realizing she was doing it she grabbed the salt shaker on the table because she noticed that it wasn't full and that maybe she should fill it up before the dinner rush.

"But baby..."

"I am NOT going back so just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

His face was white, his eyes large and those big hands of his were shaking. Jamie wondered if this was going to be one of the ones who threw a fit, broke a chair or tried to grab her. He had chosen a table nearby just in case he had to jump in and also had the phone beside him for just in case.

But the ex just watched Danielle turn and storm away. After 10 minutes he realized that she wasn't coming back out so he got up and he left the restaurant. Jamie sighed and got up and made his way to the back.

He found her in the dry storage room, that salt shaker filled up and in her hand, ready to go back on that table, when she could stop crying.

"You okay?"

"I can't believe he came here! Why can't he just leave me alone!" she sobbed and turned and was crying on Jamie's offered shoulder. He had another shirt in his office for just such an emergency, so the thought of the snot and the tears was not going to stop him from being supportive. Once he'd forgotten to bring an extra shirt to work and she'd really become upset when he'd picked up a slightly damp cloth that she'd wiped a couple tables with and put it on his shoulder between her face and his shirt. She had looked at him with those hurt eyes, blinking through the tears, wiping at her nose like he was the bad guy in all the drama. From then on he always had what he called the "Danielle's Drama Back-up Shirt."

Danielle had been drama since day 1, Jamie thought as Danielle cried in his arms. He hated to see her go through these painful breakups, but she just wouldn't change her ways. He used to try and give her advice and try and help her make better relationship choices, but it had been no use. She was caught up in her patterns.

In the end, he realized putting up with her drama was a small inconvenience. She was a hard worker who truly cared about the restaurant and it's patrons. She was great with numbers and she always seemed to have the right amount of everything in stock.

"I don't know how you put up with me!" Danielle said suddenly as if reading his mind. "Oh... in all the excitement I forgot to tell you that there was a woman who came looking for you earlier. She came when you were picking up Ronaldo from the medicenter. You didn't bring him back with you, is he okay?"

"A couple stitches, that's all. But Robert was already coming in to cover the shift so I just drove him home, let him have the day off. But, what woman?"

"Long dark hair, dressed like she was going to a wedding maybe, had an accent, tattoo of an owl on her forearm... about yea high," Danielle said indicating a medium height.

Jamie felt a chill. He knew who she meant. What was Arlene doing in town? Oh... that's right, he'd read about her uncle in the obituaries. She'd come for the funeral.

Just then Candace poked her head in.

"You okay Danielle?"

"Yeah."

"He's gone and good riddance."

"Yeah."

"Some woman is here to talk to you Jamie."

Jamie felt a tightness in his chest. He tried to breathe without making it look like it was work. He couldn't fall a part in front of his staff. What was she doing here!? What did she want?

"I'll be right out," he managed. He had to change that shirt.

He went to his office and he grabbed his back up shirt and put it on, fumbling with all the buttons. What was wrong with him? So what that she was here, so what? He was a different person now. It was a different time.

He walked out into the restaurant and Candace had Arlene sitting at the table where Jamie had been doing the schedule. She looked amazing, the years not having affected her hardly at all. Yes, there were some lines fanning out from the outside corners of her eyes and the two vertical lines between her eyes had deepened, but she looked beautiful and confident and like a panther about to pounce.

"Uncle Sid passed away. I was in the neighborhood. Your mother told me where I could find you."

"How thoughtful of her."

"She's a lovely lady."

"Yes, misguided, but lovely. Well, it sure is nice to see you, but as you can imagine, I have some work to do before the dinner rush..."

That sounded as weak as it looked, what with the restaurant being almost completely empty just then.

"Oh is it really so bad? Honestly? You can't even be civil for a couple minutes? Yet I have proof that you would have done a lot more than offer me a coffee and a few minutes of your time. Long silly letters which I have somewhere. I bring them out at parties. They always get quite a laugh."

Jamie's face was red and there wasn't any way to hide it. She laughed.

"Is that why you're here? To throw it my face that I was such a fool as to imagine I loved you?"

"You're still foolish if you don't realize you're still in love with me."

"Oh no... that died with that last letter you sent."

"Oh, that. I was trying to help you get over me and move on. It's cruel to be kind, so they say."

"You are not welcome here. I need you to leave."

"Oh, you've moved on have you? You're saving your loving for someone who loves you back? Is it miss 2 out of 3 over there with the pretty blue eyes that came out of the back room touching up her make up?" she said, indicating Danielle who was hovering nearby and who had heard the whole exchange.

"This is private property and you are now trespassing. I have asked for you to leave," Jamie said, but his voice was barely over a whisper.

"Yeah, get out!" Danielle said, not a trace of a whisper in her voice nor her stance.

Jamie got up from the table and walked towards the kitchen while Danielle stared Arlene down. He went into his office and shut and locked to door. About 10 minutes later Danielle knocked at the door.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks. Thanks for sticking up for me and thanks also for checking on me."

"Oh, no problem. But maybe you should work on getting a little less drama in your world," she said.