She watched in horror as the tray tumbled from her hand. Even before it reached the floor, she could feel the stares of customers witnessing the catastrophe taking place, including some of the patrons who's order she had been delivering. Despite the glacial pace at which it fell to the floor, the glassware exploded, showering her feet and surrounding area with a mixture of sticky and sharp droplets. The soundtrack erupted shortly after.
The response was immediate. With the last tinkle of broken glass, a silence washed over the restaurant, perferated mementarily by the sound of nearby chairs sliding out of the viscinity. Time slowly reinstated control of the room, starting at the outskirts and slowly progressing inward to the epicenter. The spell's last hold was broken by a busser, cleaning gear in hand, excusing himself towards the scene. The waitress' panic finally transformed into action, apologising to the customers as she began to gather the larger bits of glass.
Retreating to the bar, the dread of dealing with the manager was already beginning to germinate. As she arrived, a duplicate tray had just finished being assembled for delivery. Another waitress appeared, saving her from having to repeat the journey.
The manager approached her and began his lecture, taking great pleasure in watching her eyes track downward tothe floor as he outlined the indivudual costs that would be coming from her earnings. Or would have been, if it wasn´t for her anonymous benefactor. A moment passed before the statement tunneled its way into realisation. He pointed to a gentleman at the bar.
She hesitantly walked over to the bar, unsure of what to say, how to react. "Why?" was the only thing that her mind would form, and took several moments to pass the word through her lips.
"There are good days and bad days, miss. Ev'rybody has 'em. Today was a good one for me and lookin' to be a bad one for you. Reason enough?" His chair slid against the floor, and he rose to leave.
