Ben's Pre-Nano prompts: Oct 10

I smiled at the angry suit, watching as he yelled corporate gibberish into his cell phone. Outside, the sky had started to scum over with high white clouds, possibly presaging rain for later that evening. That was going to ruin a few trick-or-treaters' plans.

"Is he here yet?"

I looked around at Stan, who'd just come out to the lobby for about the fifteenth time that morning.

"I don't think so." I looked around the lightly populated lobby for a familiar navy blue trenchcoat. "Nope. Guess not."

Stan frowned. "It's not like him to be late like this." He looke dout at the lowering sky. "Do you think the weather's bad in Chicago?"

"I don't know. They said this was coming up the coast--"

"Hey! What th' hell is it with y'all New Yorkers?! FORTY CENTS for a long-distance call?"

We looked around at the suit, who'd just strode over to the desk, all righteous indignation and pure Texican.

"I believe so," I said blandly.

He looked at me scornfully. "SHEEE-yit! Listen, little girl, back in Texas we can talk to hell an' back for jes' a dime!"

Stan gave him an annoyed look. "Perhaps, but you have to remember that from Texas that's a local call."

ETA to add: Based on a true story....

15 minutes, no edits, doesn't mean I have to like it

I smiled at the angry suit as he wiped the red slime from his pants and threw his napkin on the table. He was carrying on as if the waiter had poured candle wax on his lap instead of the short glass of tomato-clam juice intended for his beer.

"Don't look so amused," Shauna said as she passed my table on her way to the kitchen.

I shrugged. She knew as well as I did that Len was not that accident prone. He'd never dropped anything, not even a napkin, in the fourteen months we'd worked together. Besides, the suit hadn't given me a second's notice before he departed.

"Jan?"

I regretted staying for a drink when I saw our manager motioning to me from near the kitchen. I sighed and got up. I had a pretty good idea what was coming, but it didn't mean I had to like it. I liked it even less when Len pushed past Bryan and left without a word.

"I need you to cover the last hour of Len's shift."

"You can't be serious. It was an accident. You're sending him home for that?"

"Can you cover or not?"

"Fine." I went into the kitchen. Nothing happened outside the kitchen staff's hearing. "Spill it, Kev."

"Doesn't pay to mess with the owner's wife."