How Table 14 Ended Up with Bullet Holes in the Window (and how I found the mysterious napkin)



Story from Jordan's Perspective

I don't understand why people take on such large debts to go to college. 27% of graduates don't even work in the field of their degree (Plumber, 2013). That means that 73% of people take on $150,000 in debt to work in a field unrelated to their major (Bridgestock, 2018). So, why should I take that risk?
Life is simple. I show up at Applebee's. I check the schedule to see if I am working in the Front of the House or the Back of the House. Then I work, and I go home. It's simple. It's predictable. It's safe. Predictable and safe, I like it that way.

The day that I found the note. That was an interesting and unpredictable day. I arrived at work for a double shift in the front of the house (That means I was waiting tables). We have all kinds of customers, but table 14 was unusual. They talked in whispers and hushes, and every time I approached the table, they became quiet. They covered their notes, and nervously waited until I left.

My boss stopped by the table a few times, because they were there all day. Quesadillas, wings, salads, they ordered just enough to keep the manager happy, and the rest of the day I served waters. I should have asked them to settle up their bill at the shift change--that would have been a good idea.

Around 8:30pm is when it happened. They stayed through the lunch rush and the dinner rush. The puzzle that they mulled over captured their full attention through all of it. They did not even turn to watch a small fight that broke out at the bar in the center of the restaurant. They kept their focus on the scribblings and notes on the table.

It was about 8:30pm when we heard the first loud bang. It sounded like someone dropped something big and heavy. Boom. Just a single loud crack. I looked around and noticed that the two men at 14 were frantically packing everything into a bag and ducking behind the booth.

Then we heard the sound two more times. This time, I saw holes in the large window next to their table. They were bullet holes. Gun shots! That is the sound that we all were hearing.

The two men pushed their way through the kitchen and set off the alarm when they exited through the back door. My coworkers were bewildered. One or two seemed to understand and hid behind the wall that divides the server station from the restaurant. I remember the look on Kristy's face. She was terrified. She looked like she could cry at any moment.

I approached the window cautiously. I needed to see what was outside, but all I could see was the darkness of night.

I was the first to go back to work. When I cleaned the table, I saw something between the seat and the wall. A napkin with scribblings and notes. It looks like a puzzle, a game, that can be figured out on a day when I have more spare time. I slip the napkin into my pocket.

That was it for that day. That is the story of how table 14 ended up with three bullet holes in the window.  Management is too cheap to replace it. As for the napkin, I don't know where I put it, but I'll find it in my mess of a room someday, and I'll try to figure it out. Until then, I have my puzzle books and my cryptography games to keep me busy.

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Works Cited


Bridgestock, L. (2018, January 23). How Much Does it Cost to Study in the US? Retrieved from TopUniversities.com: https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/student-finance/how-much-does-it-cost-study-us
Plumber, B. (2013, May 20). Only 27 Percent of college grads have a job related to their major. Retrieved from Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/05/20/only-27-percent-of-college-grads-have-a-job-related-to-their-major/



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