When you're younger, working in a fast food restaurant isn't really work at all...if you pick the right one, it was more of a social gathering! Sonic, for me, was that place. Two sides exist at a Sonic: the kitchen side and the fountain side.
On the kitchen side, where life isn't as fun, you have the crew dumping chicken strips and fries into the hot oil, the sound so loud you can barely hear the person yelling their order into the speaker. Burgers are always on the grill and the buns are constantly being buttered and toasted. Sometimes I wonder how I didn't gain 50lbs just by smelling the fresh fries and onion rings!
The fountain side--or up front, as we call it--contains the rest of us...laughing, gossipping, having a ball. Granted, we DO work- making cherry limeades, chocolate sundaes, orange slushies-we just work harder on our social lives! (Just a little side-note: We CAN hear what's going on in your car even when you don't push the button...oh and pushing that little button more than once really doesn't do anything!) Every now and then, your boss yells at you to be quiet, but even she is commenting on how cute the guy in car up front is, but how horrible of a tipper he tends to be. Life is great on the fountain side.
One place hides inbetween the two different sides...you might not notice it outside, but inside, everyone knows the sacred spot to get away from it all. A room separated from the smell of oil and the sound of our laughter exists. This room isn't separated by anything more than two walls-not even a door keeps out the crazy-yet the serenity of the stacks of cardboard boxes filled with stirofoam cups will surprise anyone who sets foot into a fast food restaurant during lunch rush. It's a place where a person can look around and ask themselves, "Do we REALLY need THIS much ketchup?" and you get a silent answer, "Yes...we do...". Suddenly, you snap out of your vision of people pouring ketchup down their throats and you realize, "Damn, I really need to go tell Kristen what happened earlier, she'll get a kick out of it!" You go back up front just in time to hear your boss tell you that 3 more cars just pulled in.
All you can hope is that they really don't want something to drink with that...you're story isn't finished.
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Your sense of humor comes through here, Ryan. I smiled at "On the kitchen side, where life isn't as fun," and I like the way you stick to the kitchen side / fountain side structure. You've also done a great job with specific, sensory detail in this piece: the roar of the fryers, the list of beverages, and the oceans of ketchup in the silence of the box room come alive for me. The final line works well too, I think. I like the way the piece stops mid-story. Form follows function there -- the line makes me want more.
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