DAMIEN WEST ALMIGHTY SYSTEM

Inside Big Bite Diner in Westlake City, Damian was running from table to table, collecting orders non-stop. 

"Cheeseburger for table five!" someone called out.

He rushed over to grab the order slip. Before he could even catch his breath, another voice rang out.

"Two cheeseburgers here!"

"Tea and coffee at table eight!"

"We need noodles over here!"

Damian was the only server left. All the other workers had gone home already. It was just him and the manager now, and that was because he chose to stay. He'd already finished his first ten-hour shift delivering pizzas for another company. Now he was nine hours into this shift with just one hour left to go. Twenty hours a day. Every single day. That's what it took to pay his grandmother's hospital bills and give his girlfriend Megan the life she deserved, the life he wanted her to have.

He knew this was killing him slowly. No proper sleep. No time to take care of himself. But the one thing that kept him moving, the one thing that pushed him forward, was knowing that hard work pays off. If he kept pushing, everything would get better. All his problems would be solved. So he had no choice but to keep working.

He collected all the order slips and rushed to the back room where the kitchen staff prepared everything. After a few minutes, the orders were ready. He loaded them onto his tray and started moving between tables, dropping off burgers, noodles, drinks. One table after another until the tray was empty.

He turned around fast, ready to head back and take more orders. His feet were moving before his eyes could catch up. That's when he stepped on someone's foot.

A woman shot up from her seat. "Are you blind? You stinking crazy bastard! Can't you see my leg was right there before you stepped on it?"

Damian looked back at her. "I'm sorry."

Hearing Damian say sorry seemed to make the woman even angrier.

"Sorry?" she snapped. "Is sorry going to fix what you did? You think sorry is enough?"

She looked down at her shoe and saw a small smudge on it. Her face twisted.

"You stained my shoe! Do you know how much this cost? You think someone like you could ever afford it? You're trying to ruin my whole evening!"

Damian bowed his head lower. "I'm very, very sorry. It was just a mistake."

"A mistake?" Her voice got louder. "So I'm invisible now? You did it on purpose!"

She grabbed the glass of water sitting on her table and threw it at him. The water splashed across his chest and face. Damian squeezed his eyes shut and bent forward at the waist, almost folding himself in half.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He pulled the handkerchief from his apron pocket and dropped to one knee. He started wiping her shoe, rubbing the small mark gently.

The woman stuck her foot out further. "Clean it properly, you crazy bastard. Even if you saved up every paycheck for a year, you still couldn't buy this shoe. And you want to ruin it?"

When he finished, he stood up and bowed again. The woman pointed at the table.

"The water I spilled. Where do you think you're going? You're not going to clean that up?"

Damian bowed again. He wiped down the table, then got on his knees to clean the floor where the water had dripped. 

"Next time, use your eyes before you walk around stepping on people's things like some animal."

She sat back down. Damian stood up slowly.

"Thank you," he said, forcing his mouth into a smile.

This was normal for him now. Every single day, someone treated him like dirt. He'd gotten used to it. Did it make him angry? Yes. Did it disgust him when people acted like this? Absolutely. But what could he do? He needed the money. That's all that mattered.

The last customer walked out the door. Damian stood by the entrance, forcing one more smile.

"Thanks for coming. Hope to see you tomorrow."

The door closed behind them. The diner was empty now. Damian stretched his arms over his head and twisted his waist. His back cracked loud, the sound of bones that had been bent too long. His face looked drained. Hollow. Like someone had sucked all the life out of him.

He stood still for a second and looked outside. It was raining. The evening air pushed through the open door and touched his skin. It felt warm. Gentle. For just that one moment, he closed his eyes and let it wash over him. He wished his life could feel like this. Calm. Peaceful. Simple.

But that wasn't his reality. Some people were born into easy lives. Others had to claw their way up from nothing. He was one of those people. That's just how it was.

Footsteps came from behind. The manager walked up to him holding a small envelope.

"This is your pay for today."

Damian grabbed it fast, bowed his head. "Thank you."

He already knew how much was inside. No need to check.

The manager didn't walk away. He just stood there, staring at Damian.

"I should've taken some money out of this, you know. Because of that mistake you made earlier. I saw it. You're so tired you're starting to mess up."

Damian's head dropped lower. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. It was just a small mistake. I fixed it right away."

The manager kept looking at him. Really looking. At the dark circles under his eyes. The way his shoulders sagged. The way his whole body seemed like it might collapse any second.

"Does all this suffering even matter?" the manager asked. "I see that necklace you're wearing. That's from your girlfriend, right? And your phone. She's in every picture. I've heard you talk to the other workers about her. How you want to give her everything. A good life. Nice things. Everything a man should give his wife. But you don't even take care of yourself. So tell me, is it worth it? Can't you see it's not? I can tell just by watching you today, rushing around like that, you're heading somewhere else after this. Another night job maybe."

Damian looked at the manager.

"You're right. That's her. She's all over my phone. But there's something you don't know." He paused. "She's been with me through Everything, while I'm working, she provides time to take care of my grandmother. If she didn't care about me or my family, why would she do that? She's been there for me when things were good and when things were bad. Sometimes I feel like giving up. Sometimes I don't even see a reason to keep going. But then I see her standing next to me, supporting me, and it gives me strength. It makes me want to give her the world. If I could work all twenty-four hours in a day, I would. Just to make sure she has the best."

The manager just stared at him. He didn't say a word. But something in his eyes said he thought Damian was making a terrible mistake. Still, he kept his mouth shut.

Damian shifted his weight. "Well, I should get going now."

He turned and jogged to the back room. He pulled off his apron and hung it on the hook. Then he grabbed the gift box he'd bought during his first shift before coming here. He tucked it under his arm and headed for the door.

Just as he was about to step outside, the manager spoke.

"I really wish time could turn back, so I could tell you what's right and what's wrong."