“Wakey wakey, Alice!” someone sang right into my ear. I screamed and flailed and nearly fell off the changing room bench. Jiae stood over me, cackling like a hyena.

“Jesus Christ, Jiae! Why would you do that?!” My chest heaved up and down. I looked around, suddenly hyperalert.

“Why are you sleeping in the changing room?” she asked, unpacking her locker. “Class has been over for an hour and a half. Why don’t you go sleep at home?”

“I don’t have the time to go home-- wait. Class has been over for how long?!”

Jiae looked at me with wide eyes. “An hour and a half… Even the mentor classes are over. Why? Did you need to be somewhere?”

I shot up and hurried to the door. “I’m late to work! See you tomorrow!” I yelled on my way out.

I was only supposed to sleep for an hour. Now I had to sprint to the ice cream shop. Why hadn’t my alarm woken me up? I tried to turn on my phone to figure that out, and found that the battery was dead. That would explain it.

“. . .” I kept swearing to myself with every stride through the crowded sidewalks.

It was a miracle that I made it to the front door without tripping over a dog or something.

“Alice, where have you been?” asked Mr Jung, the owner of Jung Ice Cream Shoppe. “You’re half an hour late and your phone is off!”

I bowed. “I’m so sorry, sir. My phone died and I overslept after class.”

He shook his head. “I was just worried. You’re lucky my wife isn’t here, or she’d nag your ears off.”

I smiled and took my place behind the counter. The bells over the door jingled and a group of customers walked in. They looked like high schoolers. Their uniform colours weren’t from around here, though.

I took their orders one by one and served them fresh ice cream on fresh cones, all made in-store by Mr Jung. His wife, Mrs Ok seems to think she’s vital to the business as well, but frankly things run a lot smoother when she’s not around.

The bells rang again, and speak of the devil. Mrs Ok walked in with the gait of a show horse. “Hello,” she said.

“Hello, ma’am.”

She went into the back to chat with her husband for a bit while I plugged in my phone to let it charge.

Mrs Ok came back to the front only to use the bathroom. A minute later she was out again, staring at me like she wished I would disintegrate. “Alice, why haven’t the bathrooms been cleaned when that’s clearly your duty, and the first thing you should do upon the start of your shift?”

I blinked. “I, uhh…”

Mr Jung poked his head out. “That was my fault. Alice came in right when I was struggling to keep the stacks of big ice cream containers from toppling down, so I called her in here to help. Then a big group of customers walked in, and then you came.”

Mrs Ok rolled her eyes. “Listen here, kid. In this economy, you’re lucky you even have a job after being away for as long as you were.” I stared at my feet. “So you’d better start doing your job, and I mean doing it properly, or else we’ll find someone who will. Do you understand?”

I bowed. “Yes, ma’am.”

A voice came from behind me. “Sorry, when you said ‘being away as long as you were’,” started Joshua, “were you referring to when she was in a coma? After she was involved in an accident of nature that was in no way controllable or foreseeable?”

Mrs Ok’s mouth was agape. She looked at him and she looked at me. I only looked at him, trying to figure out why he was here.

‘I was just in the area,’ he thought.

Mrs Ok finally regained her composure. “You’re Joshua from Seventeen.”

Joshua nodded. “You must be Mrs Ok. Alice has told me lots about you.” I widened my eyes in fear of what he might say, but he just winked at me. “All good things about how nicely you treat her, and how kind and understanding you are, and how much work you put in around the shop. I think it’s wonderful. These days it’s tough to find an employer that treats their employee like a human being, so I commend you.”

I rolled my eyes. That’s not going to change her for long, you know. She’ll resume being a as soon as you leave.

‘Then I guess I won’t leave until you do.’

“You must have somewhere else you need to be,” I said, accidentally out loud.

“Alice!” Mrs Ok scolded. “Is that any way to speak to a customer?”

Joshua waved dismissively. “Nah, that’s fine. I actually have the day off today, and decided I’d spend some time with you.” He turned to Mrs Ok, “Of course, if that’s okay with you. I promise not to distract your hard working employee too much.”

Mrs Ok smiled. “Absolutely.”

Joshua hopped from one foot to the other. “I do have to use the bathroom, though. Where is it?”

Mrs Ok rushed into the conversation before I could get a word in. “Oh, they still need to be cleaned, I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “Well then, please let me know when it’s clean. In the meantime, Alice, what would you recommend, ice cream-wise?”

I grinned. “Well I really like the salted caramel, but I think you would love the strawberry. It’s made with fresh strawberries.”

“Actually,” Mrs Ok tried. “Alice, could you..?” She vaguely pointed towards the bathrooms.

Joshua turned to her again. He smiled so sweetly it would give a religious flosser toothache. “I’m terribly sorry, do you mind?” he asked. “I’m trying to talk to my friend, Alice, while I wait for the bathrooms to be cleaned. Thank you.”

The witch grumbled and went into the bathroom. Thank you, I thought to him. For real. I’d never be able to speak up for myself and keep my job, but she’ll apparently let you boss her around like you own the place.

‘I’m surprised. You seem like the type to speak your mind to anyone.’

Not to my boss. I need the job. She almost didn’t take me back after I woke up.

‘There must be better jobs out there with better bosses.’

I shrugged. I’d feel bad leaving Mr Jung without a safe venting person.

Joshua laughed and I laughed with him. “If I buy you a cone could you sit with me and eat it?”

“No, not while--”

“Yes she can!” yelled Mr Jung. “Just while there are no customers in the shop.”

“--I’m on a diet,” I finished pointedly.

“Come on! I’ll get you the one with the least calories and I’ll get it in a cup so you don’t have to eat the cone.”

“Don’t make the man beg, Alice,” Mr Jung joked.

“Well maybe men ought to beg more,” I argued.

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