Jimmy sat at the front of the classroom, both listening and not listening to his professor. He had a bit of stubble on his chin. He had forgotten to shave that morning, as he overslept, and even if he remembered, he probably wouldn’t have had time to do it, anyway. He barely had time to throw some clothes on, get his books, fight through the 8 AM traffic, and reach class just before the lecture started. He had been so focused on getting to class in time that he managed, even for a fleeting moment, to forget the reason he was late.
He was working at the Lobster Trap, the city’s hottest seafood restaurant, when the manager assigned him to a very high-profile couple. This was the moment he had been waiting for. This couple was known for tipping really well, and if he had impressed them, they might have even helped him get promoted.
Of course, that isn’t how it ended up working out at all. The wife, who was allergic to shellfish and had asked for a salad, ended up getting an allergic reaction, anyway, and before the husband could rush her to their car and drive her to the hospital, Jimmy asked him (as respectfully as he could) to pay the bill before leaving. He got quite an earful from the husband, and after that was done, he got an earful from the manager. Now, he was more likely to get fired than promoted, even though it wasn’t all his fault. If anything, he should have been fired for all the smoke breaks he took when he should have been working.
What happened with the couple reminded Jimmy of a previous encounter at an old job, which he didn’t entirely remember but which had been just as stressful for him. In fact, just trying to remember it kept him up late into the night. Not the event with the couple, but an event that happened years ago. He wasn’t even sure why he cared so much. Either way, he wasn’t able to remember it. Maybe he dreamt it. If he did, he forgot that dream, too. His hand was on his chin, the stubble like the ghost of a past self.