Front of the House by Crystal Koo
Natasa forgot that right of way is guests, hot food, cold food, empty plates, empty-handed staff, not free for all, and collided with Stefanos, causing Table 14’s moussaka to fall off his tray like an angel of light from the sky. I was signaling Stefanos to get Alecto and her sisters a new moussaka plus a shiraz on the house when Georgios at reception started tapping his right temple with three fingers at me and I thought, VIP Party of 3 isn’t due till an hour later, and in swings Orpheus with his Telecaster slung over his shoulders, THRACE FTW stickered on the body, and that was the beginning of the end because my best table, the window seat with a view of Styx Piers and Charon’s new fleet of hydrofoils, wasn’t cleared yet and where was that new busser Eurydice when you needed her.
Crystal Koo was born and raised in Manila and is currently working in Hong Kong. Her most recent publications include short stories in The Other Room; Corvus Magazine; and Short, Fast, and Deadly. She maintains a blog at http://swordskill.wordpress.