The Silver Slipper Grill (a fairy tale) (late 1980's)

"Ralph the busboy is a pussy," said Tom the short order cook
as he handed a steaming plate of vegetables
to Amanda the waitress

She rolled her eyes at this crack and gave no reply as
she rushed the plate to a tourist couple who'd told her
they were from North Carolina.

Tom wiped his hands on the towel that was tied against
his rock hard belly with his apron, and turned back
to the grill

"Ralph the busboy is a pussy," he muttered and jerked
his left arm away because a bit of grease had splattered
against his fresh Betty Boop tattoo son of a bitch

Amanda weathered details of a trip she would never take
herself
and felt her mind crawling away from the smile
that had disgustingly, easily come to her face

"Ralph the busboy is a pussy"

Amanda walked past the specials board and caught a
glimpse of a family passing outside, dressed to the nines
Her appetizers were all finished and she was waiting
on the dinners so she went out through the kitchen
past that dick Tom and had a cigarette out on
the stair landing.

Across the alley, an old Chinese woman sat in the
kitchen of a Chinese restaurant and sliced onions into
a huge silver basin and tears streamed down her
ancient face

"Ralph the busboy is a pussy" accent on pussy,
startled, he was right behind her
dropped her cigarette
It made a hissing noise as it splashed into the small
barrel that sat underneath the drainpipe just
next to the landing

"Ralph the busboy..." cut him off "I heard you"
accent on heard
Brushed shoulder to shoulder by him as
Ralph the busboy entered the kitchen, out of earshot

The passed in front of the shelf with
the porcelain ramekins

"Hello Amanda"

"Hello Ralph"

What nice eyes

Ralph pulled off his weather beaten blue sweater and hung
it on the coat rack. The hook came through the sweater,

it was so worn.

"RALPH THE BUSBOY IS A PUSSY"
Earshot, good shot "What did you say?"
Tom the short order cook held the sautee pan
in his left arm and looked down at the burner

"You heard me" accent on you
Ralph hands on his hips, not liking this
Amanda put the pumpkin pie onto the table and
laughed off the crash from the kitchen to the man from
New Jersey, probably slipped on suds from the sink she said
"Ralph the busboy is a pussy" ran around inside her head

The ramekins were all around him on the floor the burn on
Ralph the busboy's forehead would leave a scar
Life always seems to move in slow motion at the strangest
times he thought as he closed his eyes after seeing Amanda
float over tile and broken porcelain like
Cinderella on the day of the ball