Nightmares

I had work again last night. I knew from the start that it wasn't going to be a good night. I was working alongside Hayley. I could never have even guessed just how bad it would be.

The night started off slowly, as it usually does. There was the usual cleaning up after departed functions, setting up of the bar (which I forgot to do), helping out at reception and the fixing of minor details for the function. As soon as I signed on, I was dismissed by Hayley, "Food needs to come out for the that group". That was the details she gave me. That's it.

Confused, I waited there for a moment, expecting a bit more from her, but it never came. Shrugging, I headed into the kitchen where Kylie was and asked her where the food was going. She thought it was going to one of the function rooms. The function room in question had about 15 people in it. The food was for 10. I didn't think that was right. Kylie didn't either. It turned out, the food was for the women who were sitting in the lounge, waiting for the meeting to finish.

That was the first hiccup of the night. It just proceeded to get worse after that. Little by little.

I was made to do the entire function on my own. Normally, I wouldn't mind, as my other supervisor, Tim, usually has me look after a function solo, too... The difference was that when I do a function for Tim, he actually comes around fairly often to see if I need any help. He actually asks me if I'm okay, offers help. Hayley, once I've started the function, will ignore me for most of the night, only turning up when she figures she should, out of duty. I didn't even have a chance to say, "no, I'm okay. Everything is under control."

She's not a good supervisor, despite having worked at a major hotel in Melbourne long ago. A short way into the night, before the food had even come out, she was already pissing me off, taking orders for drinks, then passing it off to me, nor writing down what she took out, then telling me and expecting me to remember what she said. As if I can remember a muttered "2 Sterlings, 3 Crowns, 2 glasses of chardonnay and 2 bottles of the Woolpunda" as she quickly walks past while I'm serving 2 Cascade light to some customers. I only can just remember it now!

While clearing the entrees (which were soups, so, heavy!) I cleared almost the whole room on my own; Hayley turned up as I was starting the last table. She "helped".

It was the same for main course. Things changed after desserts were brought out, though. The soups for the entrees had been pumpkin and minestrone. There was some left over so staff got them. Seeing as though it was my function, by rights, I get first choice of food. Damien, head of cafe, came and asked me if I wanted the soup. "I don't want soup" was my reply. So he claimed the minestrone for himself. There was sticky date pudding for dessert. There were extras of that also. Damien came to see me. "Are you having the sticky date?" "I don't eat sticky date" I replied. He was happy.

Anyway,back to the point of this. Later on, after desserts, I was doing tea and coffee (sort of. I had to get Fran to help me because the coffee hadn't been made and there was no sugar and creamers on the table) and I was frantically bringing out the creamers set. I kicked the storeroom door open, since my hands were full and I heard a loud, shocked "Oh!" and a crash.

Hayley had been coming out of the kitchen with Damien's soup (no one knows why, though we suspect it's because she wants him)and I had kicked the door into her. I felt so bad. To sum it up, I cleaned it up, with a smile on my face because I had hurt her, even by accident. I felt so guilty though. I had been talking to Kylie earlier on, asking her if I could punch Hayley. It seemed like fate. I still feel bad about it.

On my break later, which went for longer than it should have, Kylie came in and talked to me, since the kitchen was finished, and she told me that after I had accidentally rammed the door into Hayley, the woman had stormed into the kitchen cursing my name. "Fucking Amber, spilt soup everywhere. She knocked the fucking door into me". Kylie's just gone, "hang on, it's not Amber's fault".

It was a bad night. It got marginally better when Hayley left. Kylie cheered me up at the end of the night too. Thanks. I appreciate it. Damien wasn't happy at the end of the night either. We talked about it and we both agree; this place would run a lot smoother if she wasn't there.