Quest for Normal Pt. 02

"Graduated. Student program," Herbert said, showing Jenny that the cast iron cooktop was similar to a normal stove top. Each section had its own burners.

"All the knobs on, then the whole top's going heat up," Herbert said, unconsciously thrusting his hips toward Jenny.

"Uh huh, what I thought," Jenny agreed, running her hand over Herbert's arm.

"SO, I get the job here, I got to dress like that?" Darla asked, indicating Jessie's too short tank top, very short shorts.

"Yeah," Jessie snapped, hoping that this would frighten Darla away.

She also hoped to see Darla's breasts; the tee shirt the girl wore, advertising some radio station out of Myndee, Arkansas stretched quite tightly over Darla's breasts. The jeans Darla wore showed that she had a delectable rump, nice legs.

"Okay," Darla smiled. "Miss Decker? All done here."

Jenny tore her eyes from Herbert and swiveled around. Whether consciously or not, Jenny thrust her buttocks toward Herbert as she motioned to Jessie to get Darla's application for her.

"Need a reference, I can vouch; Darla's one of the nicest people I know," Herbert said, placing his hand on Jenny's back, just above her rear end.

"Uh huh, but who's going vouch for you?" Jenny flirted.

"I will," Darla smiled.

"Okay, uh, Ms. Michaels. I can get you at...this a cell phone number?" Jenny said.

"Yes ma'am," Darla agreed, pulling the cell phone out of her purse.

"Hah! Mine's got a bigger screen," Jessie sniped, happy to have something to berate the beauty about.

"Hmm? Yeah, was my mom's, then my dad got her a new one for her birthday," Darla said, not rising to Jessie's antagonism.

"You. Need you fill one out too," Jenny said to Herbert.

He left the kitchen and sat at the counter. Jessie slapped both application form and pen in front of him. With a wave Darla left the diner and Jessie marched into the kitchen.

"You hire that cunt, I quit," Jessie hissed at Jenny.

"What?" Jenny actually laughed. "Jessie! Double J needs waitresses; we're not handling all the shifts on our own, huh?"

"I mean it," Jessie snarled.

She then cupped her braless breasts and skipped around the kitchen.

"Hi, I'm Darla. I whisper because I'm just too cute talk out loud," Jessie whispered in a chirpy voice.

"Oh. My. God. You are jealous," Jenny realized.

"Am not. I just don't like her," Jessie argued.

"Well. Tough. I'm half owner and this half? This half is hiring her," Jenny said.

She pointed at Jessie. Jessie scowled and moved to bite Jenny's finger.

"And that half? Just has to learn to live with it," Jenny continued and pulled Jessie in for a kiss.

"Ow! Jessie, quit!" Jenny cried out when Jessie bit down on Jenny's bottom lip.

"Please, Jenny, please don't hire her," Jessie begged.

"Jessie, just give her a chance," Jenny pleaded.

"Fine, bitch," Jessie snapped, stomping away.

She then turned and scowled at Jenny.

"Fine. You hire her? I'm going steal Herbert from you," Jessie threatened.

"Steal Herbert? Jessie, how you going steal him? Going make him your brother?" Jenny asked.

"Jessie is 1 crazy ass insane looney tunes psychotic jealous lesbian bitch, all one word, no spaces," Jenny thought as Herbert reached through the opening to hand her his completed application.

"So, when are we opening?" Herbert asked.

"Going do a soft run next Saturday," Jenny stated.

Altogether, they compiled nine applicants, one of which was Stacy, an older woman that had worked at Stepping Stones Diner for sixteen years. The woman looked around at the new furniture, the clean paint, and the lewd paneling on the rear wall and sneered.

"Parasols? That one them hoochie magazines?" Stacy asked.

"You tell me; they sell it right there, at the grocer's," Jessie shrugged, pointing in the general direction of the local grocery store.

"And uh, Honey? Ain't no one told you? Can see them nipples right through that," Stacey said, indicating Jessie's snug tank top.

"Uh huh, Believe it or not? Trailer's got a mirror in it," Jessie shrugged.

"All I'm saying is, need wear a bra with that," Stacy snarled.

"Applying for the job of waitress or my momma?" Jessie asked.

After Stacy left, Jessie again tried to get Jenny to not hire Darla. She threatened to hire Stacy if Jenny did hire Darla.

Todd, the waiter from the local Pizza Hut was another applicant. He barely managed to fill out the application; his eyes were unable to tear away from Jessie's snug tank top, or Jenny's snug tee shirt. When asked why he was no longer at Pizza Hut, he tried to spin an implausible yarn. When Jenny reminded him that all she had to do was call and talk to Chris Roebuck, the manager of Pizza Hut, Todd admitted that he'd had one too many complaints from female customers.

At their kitchen table that evening, Jessie did read through Todd's application. Both she and Jenny laughed at the boorish young man's misspellings. And again, Jessie threatened to hire Stacy if Jenny hired Darla.

"Half the money she steals? Is your money too," Jenny smiled. "Now, taste this, tell me what you think."

"Tastes like Darla rubbed her ugly ass all over it," Jessie said.

"Taste it, you crazy ass bitch," Jenny demanded, holding out the spoon.

"Mm, oh, I like that; what is that?" Jessie agreed.

"Sauerkraut soup," Jenny said.

"Sauer, you made me, I just ate sauerkraut?" Jessie squealed, indignant.

"And said you liked it," Jenny reminded her.

"I was just trying not hurt your feelings," Jessie said, wiping her tongue with her hand.

"Jessie, Really? You're nuts, you hear?" Jenny said.

"Sauer, oh! Your Grandma had beer? Why you didn't tell me we had beer?" Jessie asked, rummaging around in the refrigerator.

"Jessie, Jesus! You live here too, look around," Jenny said, continuing to stir the soup. "Now, what you think about us serving that one day a week? Be our 'Soup Du Jour' huh?"

"Sauerkraut soup? Bet no one buys it; where'd you get that stink ass recipe anyway?" Jessie complained, then made a face as she sipped the beer.

"Out one your porn magazine," Jenny said, indicating the Parasols magazine she had open on the counter. "Got a column called 'Cooking For Two. Or Three' right there."

"You actually reading that?" Jessie asked, taking another sip of beer and grimacing.

"Uh huh, thought you liked beer," Jenny teased.

"I do. Like Budweiser," Jessie lied. "This is that crap Coors though."

"Jessie St. Martin, you are so full of shit, you hear?" Jenny laughed. "Don't want it? Give it here. I'll drink it."

"Don't call me Jessie St. Martin," Jessie said.

"Hmm?" Jenny asked, taking a big gulp of the beer. "Then what you want me calling you?"

"Jessie, um, Jessie, Jessie Decker," Jessie decided.

"Okay, Jessie, why you don't like this? This is good," Jenny said, tasting the soup. "I'm going have me a big old bowl of this right now."

"It's sauerkraut. SAUERKRAUT. Think about it; its sauerkraut," Jessie said. "Anything else eat?"

"Lots of stuff eat, but this is all I'm cooking," Jenny said.

Jessie microwaved herself a bean burrito and tried to drink some more of the beer. Jenny ate the soup and declared it to be delicious.

"Smells like ass, tastes like ass, even looks like ass," Jessie declared.

Jessie Decker, you are cuckoo, just plain flat out cuckoo," Jenny said, shaking her head.

"And you love me, so what's that make you?" Jessie asked smugly.

"Very, very tolerant," Jenny suggested.

"What else you find in this?" Jessie asked, looking at the Parasols magazine.

"Bunch of stuff," Jenny shrugged. "Unlike you? I actually read the thing."

"Oh!" Jessie suddenly cried out. "Jenny! I can get me a tattoo?"

"A what? Jessie, know how much that hurts?" Jenny said, wondering if she should offer pumpernickel bread with the soup.

"Look, oh God," Jessie said, turning the magazine and showing a very well-endowed brunette with a rose tattoo adorning her left breast.

"Ow, makes my tits hurt just thinking about that. Jessie, they take a needle, stick it in you and squirt ink. You don't think that's going hurt?" Jenny said.

"They do not, huh? Squirt ink?" Jessie argued.

"Come on, we'll look it up. And Sauerkraut soup's going be our Wednesday soup," Jenny declared.

Jenny sat at the computer. Jessie sat between Jenny's splayed legs as they waited for the computer to turn on. Jenny couldn't help but kiss Jessie's neck, then shoulder as she leaned forward to type in the password.

A quick search and Jenny pulled up a video of a woman getting a tattoo applied to her bicep.

"Yeah, but I'm going have it on my boob," Jessie argued.

"Just watch," Jenny ordered.

"Ow, shit!" the woman actually said.

"Want me stop?" the tattoo artist asked.

"No, no, just didn't think it'd sting that much," the woman admitted.

"Arm, boob, its going hurt, Jessie," Jenny said, hugging Jessie from behind.

"But it would look so cool," Jessie weakly offered.

"And why you don't like Darla?" Jenny quietly asked Jessie, again kissing Jessie's shoulder.

"She's stupid. And she's ugly," Jessie snapped, suddenly typing out a search.

"Jessie Saint. Jessie Decker, she is not!" Jenny exclaimed.

Jessie clicked on a link and they watched a woman talking about how to select which hair dye to use. Backing out of that, Jessie then selected a video that showed a slightly unattractive woman actually dying her hair.

"What you think I'd look like with blonde hair?" Jessie asked.

"As beautiful as you already are? Kind of hard imagine you any other way," Jenny said. "Now, come on, tell me..."

"Because she's fucking beautiful and I hate her," Jessie cried out.

Jenny grabbed a handful of Jessie's hair and pulled the girl back against her, hard. She kissed Jessie's throat, then jaw, then temple.

"You're absolutely beautiful and I don't hate you," Jenny whispered. "And I'm pretty hot and you don't hate me, huh?"

"Let me go," Jessie demanded.

"Jessica Saint, damn it, Jessie Decker, you're fucking nuts," Jenny stated and released Jessie.

"Hi! I'm Darla. Fuck me, fuck me," Jessie whispered and skipped out of the room.

"You. Are. In. Sane," Jenny said, clicking on another link.

Chapter 8

The new knobs came in the next day; they were the correct knobs for the stove. A check with the local grocery store showed Jenny and Jessie that the local grocery store could not or would not be able to handle their needs on a large scale. Looking through Heloise's records gave Jenny a basic idea of how much food she'd need in a week.

Jenny also noted the almost hostile service she and Jessie received from the staff of the grocery store. She saw no reason to patronize a store that clearly did not want their business. They would not even allow her to pin a notice about the upcoming opening of Double J's Diner on their bulletin board.

Jenny borrowed a tank top and a pair of shorts from Jessie's wardrobe and stood on the east side of 467, holding a handmade sign that read 'Double J's Diner, opening Saturday.' Jessie, dressed in bikini top and shorts, stood on the west side, across from Jenny and held up her own sign.

They found out that there wasn't much traffic on Highway 467 during the day. But they did get a few cars that honked at them. A few even yelled at them.

Jenny did let Darla know she would be hired. She also let Darla know that there was no dress code.

"You don't have to dress like Jessie does," Jenny said, looking as a nude Jessie sat on Heloise's recliner, trying to find something to watch on television.

"You sure? She said..." Darla whispered.

"I'm sure. Jeans, tee shirt, shorts, whatever you're comfortable in," Jenny said. "You're going to be on your feet a lot."

She also hired Heather O'Toole, a slightly chubby blonde with a wide smile and bubbly personality. Angelle had finally bailed Frank out, so, they now had three cooks and three waitresses. Frank let Jenny know, in a pinch, Angelle would come in and help out as a waitress.

Jenny was willing to take a chance on Frank; he'd been in jail when the others had been helping themselves to Heloise's till. He was also quite up front about his penchant for drinking.

"But not on the job; Miss Heloise was here she could tell you. Wasn't never drunk on the job," Frank assured Jenny.

Saturday morning, Jessie stood at the counter while Herbert and Jenny did some prep work in the kitchen. Jenny smiled; Herbert did seem to bump into her a lot, even though there was plenty of room in the kitchen.

"She's here," Jessie snarled.

"Well, let her in, and be nice to her," Jenny ordered.

Jessie hit the switch for the door and Darla pushed on the handle.

"Fucking sign says 'pull' you dumb cunt," Jessie snarled bitterly.

"Jessie!" Jenny shrilled.

"Old door was a push door," Herbert reminded Jessie.

"Sign says..." Jessie said.

"Hi! Old door was a push," Darla whispered, entering the building.

"Uh huh," Jessie said and hit the switch again for the door to lock.

Darla was dressed in a sleeveless blouse that did not reach the top of her short khaki shorts. It exposed a goodly portion of her belly, almost to her tiny dimple of a navel. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail.

She indicated her outfit to the glowering Jessie.

"I know you said dress like you," Darla whispered. "But I just, I don't have the guts like you."

"Yeah, well," Jessie snarled.

"Maybe if I was as pretty as you," Darla continued.

"Huh?" Jessie asked.

"I mean, God, wish I was as pretty, but..." Darla said and picked up the order pad from the counter. "Now, there anything special 'bout this?"

"Nope, just write down what the customer wants and Herbert will burn it for them," Jenny said.

"Ow!" Jenny giggled when Herbert slapped her on her rump.

At ten o'clock on the dot, Jessie threw the switch and the 'Open' sign in the front window lighted. The door unlocked with a click. And the four young people stood and waited.

At ten thirty, Darla wandered around the diner, looking at everything. She nodded with satisfaction when she saw that Double J had replaced the old clock with a stainless steel one and that the clock showed the correct time. She looked at the back wall.

The old wall had been dirty, graying cinder block with two doors, one for the women's' room, the other for the men's' room. The previous doors had been thin, flimsy doors with handles that always felt greasy. They also wobbled and it just never felt like the door was securely locked.

The new doors were solid looking. They were painted a gleaming white with a large 'L' painted in red on the Women's' room and a large 'M' painted on the Men's' room. She looked at the covers of the Parasols magazines on the wall, blushing slightly but not looking away.

"Hey Jessie, come see," she called out.

Because it was so quiet in the diner, Jessie did hear Darla's whisper. She pushed herself away from the counter and walked to where Darla was standing.

"Yeah?" Jessie asked.

"That. Is that you?" Darla whispered, pointing to an attractive brunette on the cover of the February 2017 issue.

Jessie looked where Darla was pointing. The girl had long brown hair, much like hers. She also had a nasty smile, lips painted bright fire engine red. The bright red umbrella was unfurled, but not open. The cover girl held the umbrella pointing downward against herself. The tip of the umbrella extended to just below her crotch, the spines of the umbrella held the bright red fabric open to just barely cover the model's areolae from view. The model's long brown hair had been combed to drape around her body, covering her lush hip, but leaving the other hip bare.

"No," Jessie admitted.

"You sure? You can tell me," Darla cajoled.

"It's not me," Jessie said, actually smiling at Darla.

"February, seventeen," Darla mused, checking the date. "Wonder if my dad's got that one?"

"Your dad likes Parasols?" Jessie asked.

"Uh huh. And this other one, Rub?" Darla said, staring again at the magazine covers.

"Rub?" Jessie asked.

"Uh huh. Says there's even nastier sluts in that one," Darla said.

She looked around. The door had not chimed. There were no customers, they were still alone.

"That's what he calls them girls. Sluts." Darla stated. "Actually? Calls most women sluts, whores, good for nothing but..."

"Never heard of Rub," Jessie said, cutting Darla's complaint short.

"It's this pocket sized one. You know, so you can carry it around," Darla said, turning to face the wall again.

"Rub," Jessie repeated, determined to look it up when she had a moment.

"So, how long you been growing your hair like that?" Darla asked, actually reaching out and tugging a strand of Jessie's hair.

"All my life. My momma belonged to this fucked up church said women can't cut their hair," Jessie admitted. "You?"

"All my life," Darla admitted. "But when it gets down too long?"

Darla reached out her small hand and cupped one of Jessie's buttocks.

"Go to Miss Curls, right up the street there and have her cut it to about here. She donates the hair to Locks Of Love," Darla said and removed her hand from Jessie's buttock.

The door chimed and a burly man swaggered into the diner. Darla scurried to grab a menu as the man wedged himself into a booth.

"Nah, don't need that, Sugar; already know what I want," the man drawled. "Tell Ernie Big Jim's here."

"Ernie's not here," Darla whispered.

"And it's a new menu, sir," Jessie said politely from behind the counter.

"Huh!" Big Jim said, now actually glancing around. "Shit! Where's Merline? Daphne?"

"Gone," Jessie said.

"Well then, let's see," Big Jim said, now looking at the laminated menu. "Huh. Where's that chili? Stuff was the best chili in Stepping Stone."

"When Miss Heloise died, apparently took the recipe with her," Darla offered tactfully.

"Died! Man! Could've sworn that old bitch was going out-live all us," the man said, now upset.

He ordered a grilled steak sandwich and the ten bean soup along with a big glass of Coca-Cola. Darla brought him the drink, then brought his soup and sandwich a moment later, eyeballing his soda to see if it needed to be refilled.

Big Jim's arrival must have been the signal; the diner quickly filled to capacity. By three o'clock, they'd sold out of the chocolate cheesecake and had two slices of the cherry cheesecake left. By six thirty, they'd sold out of the soup du jour and Jessie gratefully clicked the 'Closed' sign.

"Okay. Still want be waitresses?" Jenny asked Darla and Jessie.

"Uh huh," Jessie tiredly agreed.

"Uh huh," Darla tiredly agreed.

"You. Still want be a cook?" Jenny asked Herbert as he shoved the last rack of dishes into the dishwasher.

"Uh huh, like working with you," Herbert smiled.

"Hey, want get a soft serve at the Dairy Queen?" Darla asked Jessie. "Got all kind of tips and..."

Jessie turned and looked at Jenny. Jenny smiled and waved the two out.

"You know, that's kind of like a date 'round here," Herbert said.

"Huh? What is?" Jenny asked, quickly clicking the switch to lock the door behind Darla and Jessie.

"Asking someone get a soft serve at the Dairy Queen," Herbert said. "I mean, shit, ain't nothing else do around here."

"Yeah?" Jenny asked, looking up into Herbert's eyes. "So, uh, want go get a soft served at the Dairy Queen?"

"And a burger and fries," Herbert agreed. "Damn, got so busy, ain't had time eat nothing, huh?"

"Oh, you wanting eat, could just go on back my place. I can fix us something," Jenny suggested, hand rubbing up and down Herbert's arm.

Jessie and Darla must have had the same idea; they showed up five minutes later, both slurping on their rapidly melting ice cream cones. Jenny raised an eyebrow at the sight of their linked fingers.

"Oh, thank God! I'm starving!" Jessie whooped when she saw Jenny cooking.