“I ever tell you about the waitressing gig I took in New York?” she smiled, stepping into the room and taking a seat at the end of Willow’s bed. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloom, the darkness having become norm for her little sister in the weeks following her ordeal. “I needed the money, desperately, and I was struggling to get work as a bartender, so I applied to a few restaurants. Got hired by a diner in The East Village, a real shit hole ran by an even bigger shit hole. Anyway, on my second week there, I ended up spilling an entire plate of bacon and eggs and an entire jug of orange juice of a woman’s lap. I said it was an accident, but that bitch had it coming. So entitled, treating me like dirt just because I was working a dead end job. I got fired, obviously. Especially after the hissy fit she threw about me ruining her cashmere or some bullshit like that. But, yeah. Waitressing? Definitely not for me,” she smirked, absentmindedly picking at a wool throw that sat beside her on the bed. Kassia studied her sister for a moment, watching as she took a seat at her desk in the corner. The beautiful young girl had an air of sadness surrounding her that had seemingly replaced her once joyful spirit. Kassia wanted so badly for Willow to open up to her, to let her in. But she knew these things took time. She, herself, was the same following the death of their father. She just had to be patient. Willow would come to her when she was ready. “So, any plans today, Loey?” she asked, desperate to bring a sense of normalcy to Willow’s day to day, even through conversation. “If you’re free, we could have a horror movie marathon? Whip out the ol’ classics, just like we used to. I could even head to the bakery, pick up some snacks?”
She grinned at the story, tapping one of her rings against the ceramic edge of her mug. It didn’t take much to imagine her sister in a waitress apron scowling at every other customer. “I haven’t heard that one before. Do you think you just emit these snob pheromones? You know like they’re just drawn to you like bees to the honey?” She was sure she’d heard some similar story set in Portland or Phoenix. Her sister had chosen to live literally anywhere else in the country besides home.