Mildred Pierce - James M. Cain [64]
Wally pulled over a chair and sat down with Bert and Veda. Bert asked him sharply if he had attended to the transfer of beneficiary on the fire insurance. Wally said he figured he'd wait till the place burned down. Bert said O.K., he was just asking.
When Mildred looked up, Ida was standing in the door. She went over and kissed her, and listened while she volubly explained that her husband had wanted to come, but got a call on a job, and simply had to look into it. Mildred took her to the table that now had only one chair, the other having been borrowed by Wally. Ida looked around, taking things in. "Mildred, it's just grand. And the space you got. You can get two more fours in easy, just by shifting those twos a little bit. And you can use trays, big as you want. You got no idea how that'll help. It'll save you at least one girl. At least."
It was high time for Mildred to get back to the kitchen, but she lingered, patting Ida's hand, basking in her approval.
The well-oiled machine was in high now, humming smoothly, pulling its load. So far, Mildred had found a few seconds for each new arrival, and particularly for each new departure to. give a little reminder of the home-made pies she had for sale, and wouldn't they like to take home one? But now she was working a bit feverishly, frying chickens, turning waffles. When she heard a car door slam she didn't have a chance to look out and count customers. Then she heard another door slam. Then Arline appeared. "Two fours just come in, Mrs. Pierce. I got room for one but what do I do with the other? I can shove two twos together, but not till I get Miss Ida moved out—"
"No no! Let her alone."
"But what'll I do?"
"Seat four, ask the others to wait."
In spite of herself, her voice was shrill. She went out, asked the second party of four if they minded waiting. She said she was a little rushed now, but it would only be for a few minutes. One of the men nodded, but she hurried away, ashamed that she hadn t foreseen this, and provided extra chairs. When she got to the kitchen, Arline was jabbering at Pancho, then turned furiously to Mildred: "He's washing plates, and the soup bowls are all out, and if he don't let me have them I can't serve my starters! Soup bowls, stupid, soup bowls!"
Arline screamed this at Pancho, but as Mildred shushed her down, Letty came in, heavy footed and clumsy at unaccustomed work, and dumped more soup bowls on the pile, which went down with a crash, three breaking. Mildred made a futile dive to save them, and heard another car door slam. And suddenly she knew that her machine was stalled, that her kitchen was swamped, that she had completely lost track of her orders, that not even a starter was moving. For one dreadful moment she saw her opening turning into a fiasco, everything she had hoped for slipping away from her in one nightmare of an evening. Then beside her was Ida, whipping off her hat, tucking it with her handbag beside the tin box that held the cash, slipping into an apron. "O.K. Mildred, it's them dishes that's causing it all. Now she ain't no good out there, none whatever, so let her wipe while he washes, and that'll help."
As Mildred nodded at Letty and handed her a towel, Ida's quick eye spotted dessert dishes, and she set them out on a tray. Then, to Arline: "Call your soup."
"I want a right and left for two, three and one, chicken and tomato for four, and they. been waiting for—"
Ida didn't wait to hear how long