When Lily showed up for her first day of work behind the counter at a nearby café, she smiled broadly. The previous week had marked the beginning of the summer holidays, and Lily was eager to spend the next few months creating new artwork. That would not be feasible, though, without this new position. She was more excited about their first day than most people would be since she planned to utilize the money she earned to purchase an easel and new paints.

Better supplies were required for her intended use. Additionally, since cheap paint did not have the same effect, it would make her artwork pop. She arrived at work a little early than anticipated and got to work listening carefully to Kyle, the other employee, who was working. “Alright, so you will be giving the commands. He said, “I have been told you know how to operate the system.” “You can assist me with easy tasks like serving or packing muffins and other tasks while I am concentrating on brewing coffee.”

 

“Nice,” Lily grinned and nodded.

“However,” Kyle raised a finger. “Mornings are the most difficult. For the next several hours, we will not stop running. I need you to stay alert since one mistake could cause us to regress severely.”

Lily swallowed, then nodded.

“Well, we were meant to have someone else on this shift,” whispered Kyle after pausing to look around. “Mr. Reynolds, the manager, is crazy. I would advise you to avoid him as much as possible.”

She responded with a small grimace, “He hired me.” “He was rather pleasant.”

“That is just for display,” shook his head Kyle. “Once you are on the payroll, he goes nuts, even though he wants people to take the position.”

Lily nodded and thanked her for the advice.

“Alright, new chick,” Kyle gave his hands a rub. “Let us get this show going!” Lily changed the door’s sign to “OPEN,” and a surge of businesses came in. Running to the cashier, she began accepting orders. She persevered through some of the trickier coffee orders, trying not to be intimidated by them.

She was jumping a little when there was a strong tap on her shoulder because she was already feeling in the zone. Mr. Reynolds was there, and he had fiery eyes.

“Hey, new gal, congrats,” Mr. Reynolds said. “On your first day, you managed to get fired.”

“What? However, Mr. Reynolds, why? Did I do something wrong?” Lily asked.

Yes, you did arrive at work dressed like a clown. Mr. Reynolds waved his hand over Lily’s vivid blue hair. “Well, get back in your clown vehicle and drive away. “Lily touched her own hair, which she had dyed that same weekend. “However, the dress code says nothing regarding hair color…I verified, sir.” Mr. Reynolds bit his lip. “Hiring a snotty teenager was a bad decision; I should have known better. You do not know how to carry yourself in a professional manner. Someone like you has no place in my coffee shop. Now exit!”