Read Online Alligators in the Trees by Cynthia Hamilton - Free Book Online Page A

Frank was demanding of the attention-shy celebrity when she came to his rescue.
    “Well, he managed to eat it, Frank, so I guess we need to give him credit for that,” she said, as she wedged herself between the two men on the pretext of filling Tobias’s nearly full cup.
    “Wa credit? No take credit,” Frank protested in his usual semi-hysterical fashion.
    “That’s not what I meant. He ate it, so obviously it was fine. You know, I just saw June hang a couple orders. No time to rest on your laurels, Frank. Can’t keep your customers waiting,” Priscilla patiently instructed her employer. She narrowed her eyes to convey the significance of her meaning, but as usual, Frank missed the point.
    “I go to kitchen—make more good food,” he said uncertainly.
    “That’s right, Frank. Your customers need you in the kitchen more than they do out here.”
    “Customers need more good food,” he said nodding. Priscilla nodded along with him. “Oh yes,” he squealed with delight, “must make more good food.” Priscilla let out a sigh of relief as she watched Frank make his way back to his post, only briefly accosting two other diners along the way.
    “I assume you’re done with these,” she said to Tobias as she cleared his plates. She caught sight of his lyric-covered placemat, but she carefully averted her eyes this time.
    “What was that all about?”
    “I don’t know. His leash must’ve snapped. We’ll do our best to see it doesn’t happen again,” she said with exaggerated regret. Tobias chuckled softly.
    “He didn’t really bother me. I just couldn’t understand what the hell he was trying to say.”
    “Yeah, well, that is a hazard.”
    “How do you manage it?” he asked. “I honestly could only make out every fourth or fifth word.”
    “That’s not bad for a beginner. Understanding Frank is an acquired skill. In fact, my namesake never quite got the hang of it. Frank tried to tell her one day he liked her hair, and she thought he was firing her. She changed out of her uniform, told him off and marched out the door never to be seen again. I consider her to be one of the lucky ones. Can I get you anything else…Bromoseltzer?…Barf bag…?” Tobias laughed, a sound that was enormously pleasant to Priscilla’s ears.
    “No, that’ll do it,” he said. Priscilla was walking away when he stopped her. “One question though, if you don’t mind.”
    “I suppose one question a day is permissible,” she said, dishes suspended in one hand while the other rested on her hip.
    “Why do you work here?”
    Priscilla exhaled deeply. “How can I answer that? I can only assume I have some deep-seated psychological disorder. I mean, who else but a crazy person would prefer working at Frank’s to actually making a living?” Never mind, I shouldn’t have said that. Let’s just say the customers keep me here,” she said facetiously, anxious to escape the spotlight.
    The wry smile on Tobias’s face made her acutely self-conscious. She turned her back on him abruptly, intent on the nearest bus tray. She passed Philip’s table, pausing only long enough to inquire if he needed any change. Philip shook his head agreeably, as if her question was one of the nicest things anyone had ever asked him. Priscilla blinked then resumed her charge.
    She had been so sidetracked by distractions the last few minutes, she had failed to notice the booth of hungry men who had seated themselves in her section. All five were glaring at her from a distance, their dispositions souring as their impatience grew.
    She dropped the plates hastily and grabbed a pot of coffee, an act in itself that was a type of retaliation. “Good morning, gentlemen. I see you’ve had ample time to make your decisions, so what will it be?” she said, filling coffee cups all around. The men rattled off their orders, none willing to let her off the hook yet. She calmly took down their orders and set off to deal with their numerous