Akarima
Legacy Name: Akarima

Akarima closed the door of the cafè behind her last customers, two old ladies who had arrived with the lunchtime rush and had dithered there ever since, and sighed, resting her head on the cool glass door. Carefully checking over her shoulder that she was definitely alone, she slid her feet out of her high heeled shoes and moaned with pleasure as they touched the cold linoleum.

She walked slightly unsteadily to the nearest table and sat down, stretching her legs out til her knees and ankles popped. A nine hour shift with no breaks and no help was driving her mad. Zane, her ever tardy co-worker, had called in an hour after his shift was due to start to tell her that he quit because his band was going places and the job at the cafè was holding him back. Infuriated, Akarima had called Keila to offer the young girl an extra shift, only to find out that she was with Zane and was going to be singing lead vocals to his guitar.

Aka had slammed the phone down then and attempted to smile at every customer as she apologized time and again for the wait. Now her jaw ached from the fake smiles, her feet ached from running to and from the cash register and her back ached from the heavy lifting. Akarima was exhausted.

But she knew that the cafè wouldn't clean itself. Sighing and feeling like she was creaking as she moved, Aka set about cleaning and moving the tables back into place. She hated to think what her customers' houses looked like if this was how they ate on a daily basis. It took her almost two hours of hard graft to clear up the mess of crumbs, china and spilled drinks to get The Garden Cafè to look the way she wanted it to.

Sliding her feet back into her heels she whimpered slightly, uncomfortable in the shoes once more. She picked up her handbag, shook her hair out of her eyes and walked out, locking the door behind her. Thank goodness the cafè didn't open on Sundays. She would have time to call the agency tomorrow to get temporary cover until she could hire someone permanent.

Monday's temp was caught snacking on scones in the kitchen. She called for a replacement. Tuesday's temp was too busy texting to help her. Akarima asked for a different temp.Wednesday's temp had a broken heart and cried all day, sniffling and wiping his nose on the sleeves of his shirt. Akarima felt sick and begged for yet another temp.Thursday's temp never arrived. Fuming, Aka called for help from a different temping agency, vowing never to use the original group again.

On Friday, Akarima set up early and waited nervously. She felt like this was her trial, not theirs. At 8:30 there was a soft knock at the door. She rubbed her hands on the front of her apron, took a deep breath and opened the door.

A young man, smartly dressed in black trousers and a crisp white shirt, stuck his hand out and gave her a firm handshake, quietly introducing himself as Ethair. He stepped over the threshold and headed straight to the kitchen where he rolled up his shirt sleeves and washed his hands thoroughly. Akarima smiled softly and explained what she expected of him. He nodded, taking everything in, his gaze coolly assessing as he looked her up and down.

Ethair was a godsend that day. He moved with light-footed grace, determinedly heading towards the customers and clearing the vacated tables. He was polite and courteous and several of her regulars were suitably impressed.

For the next week, Ethair arrived at 8:30 to help her set up and never left before 6, despite their closing time of 5. Akarima phoned the agency, leaving a voicemail for them as she gave a glowing report on Ethair. She offered him the job on a permanent basis and was thrilled when he accepted.

After an incredibly busy Saturday where their profits were more than double their previous best day, Akarima sent Ethair home at 5:30 and finished alone, whistling softly to herself.

She walked home alone as she always did and noticed that her answering machine light was flashing. Idly wondering who could have left her a message she pressed the button and heard the standard beep.

Hi Akarima this is Janelle from the agency. I'm just calling to apologize for our temp Layden not coming to help you this week. His aunt died suddenly and he was called out of state. I'm not sure which agency you went with in the end but Ethair is not one of ours...