"When you walk into a restaurant, you only expect the best service possible. By best service, I don't mean to expect the quality of the best from a little family-owned cafe that is barely afloat. I mean that you just don't expect service unbecoming of the industry. The magical smells filling the air shouldn't be tarnished by a nasty waiter who can't seem to come back with your food. Whether you have revisited a family dinner that you've been to as a child, or you've come to the high dining establishment that you'd expect to see from chefs with Michelin Stars, you expect service befitting of it. The service of someone like a mixologist would have a completely different service than one of a bartender in your local pub. This not to say that one is objectively better than the other. Not at all. You go to your local dinners for the nostalgic food that built your childhood from the ground up, and you go to an empty cafe so you can maybe have a moment to yourself as you sip on that hot drink or eat that nice pastry. However, when you find a service that goes beyond the stereotypical approach, it can only elevate the experience. The level of whatever niche you're searching for can only be improved by services that extend beyond the expectations of the customer, so that's why with my incredibly immaculate service, you should give me a 20% tip," Eli passionately concluded with a small grin on his face.

The portly man across the counter looked at him with a frown on his face, and instead of tapping on the bright blue box on the little screen in front of him that said something along the lines of 'Our service is amazing, so give us an amazing tip', he swiftly smashed his finger into the no tip box and smirked.

Eli let out a quick exhale, and continued on with his service. "Would you like to round up for charity?" he asked with a monotone voice.

The voice wasn't meant to sound disrespectful to the sneering customer in front of him, it was just a reflection of his mental state. He had just spent the past 5-minutes trying to get an actual tip from the sleazeball in front of him, but it ended in tremendous failure.

Despite Eli's excessive ranting, the man wouldn't have even given him a tip in the first place. He had come time and time again to this little fast food chain, but no matter the service given to him, he wouldn't give a tip. Unless you were a girl and could tolerate his leering.

The bastard of a man didn't say a word; instead, he pressed the 'round up' button, and walked over to an open seat to wait for his food.

Eli gazed around the rest of the empty restaurant. In a holistic sense the U-shaped arrangement, of the tables and chairs, created a seemingly unhindered dining experience, but that illusion was shattered into bits when you noticed the roadblock waddling through the 'U' slower than a grandma.

Even at his fastest pace, the portly man took over a minute to turn the bend away from the cashier.

Wow, I can't believe that someone could consistently order enough food to clog up the production line of a fast food chain, Eli inwardly admired, if I had the money, I wouldn't, but who am I to judge when our grimy food is an actual paradox.

Every time the man came to order, three things would happen; all the women would dive into the kitchen or hide somewhere else, the kitchen would start hurrying up other orders, so they had time for the Goliath about to be ordered, and everyone would vote in a snap election that normally ended with Eli being pushed towards whichever side the man was coming from.

He was such a menace to the chain that they had his car memorized by sound, and knew exactly when he would enter the restaurant if he didn't use the drive through.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Why haven't we blacklisted him yet, Eli wondered.

A quick chime brought Eli out of his wonder, and the young man quickly turned around to the kitchen. There lay a fleet of trays filled to the brim with the chain's packaging enclosing fresh, piping hot food.

Eli let out a sigh and got to work transporting the hundreds of dollars worth of food towards its doom, but couldn't seem to do it with a smile.

He had set out to finally get a tip from the monster, but had, once again, resulted in failure. His pockets would remain dry, but all Eli could do was carry tray after tray out like some newly invented robot. This was the only job that would hire him with his lack of professional documentation.

A job like this that paid minimum wage was barely keeping him afloat, but that didn't keep it from being unbearable at times. The diverse cast of customers that came up to the register wouldn't fail to make it a horrible day no matter the time. The walking barrel that came in just recently was only one of the many unique characters that kept him disappointed with humanity, yet there was always some good that Eli could find when he need to make an excuse to keep coming back.

The main one was his coworkers. They were just as diverse, but the simple fact they were together for all of the torture provided by customers, was all Eli needed. The union formed was unbreakable, and that was one reason why Eli always had the energy to try his hardest to earn that tip.

After delivering the literal piles of food, Eli slowly made his way back to the register, and checked the analog clock on the wall. The old fashioned time keeper had always been an oddity, but it only piled onto the large amount of character the wacky establishment had. This time, the clock read a wonderful 7:00pm.

Eli aggressively wiped his eyes, blinked a few times hoping they would help refocus sooner, and looked at the hands of the clock.

The hands of a metaphorical God read 7:01pm.

Eli swiftly took off the signature red apron that he was forced to wear when he was on shift, and when that was done, he left without a word.

He took his first step free from all of his responsibilities with a smile on his face, and he started to walk to his bike.

Eli mounted the slick red beast, and started to pedal down the road.

The sunset cast a red-orange hue across the road, but it only made Eli happier.

Thank gosh that shift ended then. If I had to deal with the second course, I don't know what I would have done, Eli thought with a sense of relief.

This was Eli's third month working there, but he could confidently say it was the worst part of his life. While he hadn't had a horrible upbringing, it wasn't exactly a dream craved by every toddler, yet he never found any faults with it. His parents were lovely, and things only got bad when he had turned 15, but that wasn't their fault.

Cars drove past Eli as he made his way back down the never-ending stretch of road, and the gusts of wind threw his hair into a tangled mess.

I can't wait to get home and finally get to play that new game, or I could read that new book, Eli's mind raced. The road was a long straight wind, but it started to reveal a turn going off into another long street.

This street was surrounded by trees reaching for the sky and casting shadows as they rose towards the clouds. Eli turned down the gloomy street, and continued biking for a few minutes before reaching his home.

It was a small cabin-esque abode, but it was enough for the blooming teen to blossom. He made his way through the empty rooms, and cleaned himself while he decided what to do with the remaining time of the day.

Okay, got everything ready, Eli thought. He set his book and snacks to the side of him, plopped himself on the couch, and opened the first page.

As he opened the book, darkness overtook him, and his world turned dark as he lost consciousness.

{&#$@!

{PLANET found: PLANET-ERF}

{Adjusting the PLANET to fit}

{Prepping inhabitants.....Percentage of inhabitants prepped....100%}

{Separating subjects into colonies}

{Assigning balance changes}

{Reviewing work....Issues found}

{Eliminating bugs}

{Reviewing work}

{Grade: Perfect}

{Starting the Preface}