Trendy. I hate the word trendy. You won�t often hear me say the word �trendy,� because, I...like many others in my age demographic...am one of those individuals who likes to think they don�t conform to certain standards and expectations that others lay upon us. So I don�t shop at the GAP, and I don�t eat at McDonald�s (anymore) and I�ll see any film that�s won a Sundance award, but I refuse to spend my money on Lord of the Rings, you know what I mean? Trends bother me. However, I seem to have defeated myself in that I�m so anti-trend, it�s almost trendy.

At any rate, I have a weakness. And my weakness is very trendy. The ACME restaurant is in the center of town, and is probably the most popular eatery that the likes of Nanaimo has ever seen. Known primarily for their martinis, ACME falls short on no account. The menu is varied and unusual, yet always delicious, and the resident sushi chefs are always coming up with new and creative sushi rolls that are hard to resist. Another thing that ACME has going for itself is its staff. Here�s where we get to meet Jen. Jen is a server at ACME, and has been for nearly a year now. After getting to know her a little better (fortunately, she�s a friend of a friend), I have come to realize that Jen is not only a server, she is a chameleon.

Jen is twenty four. She has mahogany brown hair that she usually wears in a high ponytail, a little ski-jump nose and eyes that smile even when she isn�t. At work, Jen sparkles. It�s something you have to see for yourself. She is in her element when she works.

Jen serves between twenty and thirty tables in a shift, on average. She often works the lounge, which is located downstairs beneath the restaurant itself. Consequently, Jen runs up and down a flight of stairs all night balancing martinis, entrees, and appetizers between the kitchen, the bar, and ACME�s trendy clientele. The physical strength and stamina that the serving industry demands is often overlooked or unknown, as people like Jen make it look so easy to balance four martinis, two ice teas and four glasses of water on one tray while rushing (not walking...rushing) up a flight of stairs. Likewise, servers need to have a keen attitude and an attention to detail for those customers who like their �martini shaken, not stirred...with gin. And I don�t want my salad to come before my dinner, I want it alongside. With the dressing that comes with the Frazzled Brie salad, but no cheese. And no tomatoes. Last time I asked for no tomatoes and my salad came with tomatoes. I DON�T LIKE THEM.�

To customers such as these, Jen smiles sweetly, and replies, �Certainly. Can I get anything else for you?� She then delivers the order to the kitchen, muttering to the other server on staff, �asshole on five.� I have witnessed Jen laugh and giggle with a group of five girls all sassed up for a night on the town, smile demurely and politely for an elderly couple in a corner booth, and flirt with three guys at a window table all in one fell swoop. You can see her demeanor adjust as she glides from table to table, and she becomes whomever you need your server to be. �I can often tell when people want me to be attentive or aloof, whether they want me to be silly or serious. Makes for good tips.�

I asked Jen what days were best to work. �Well, I guess Friday and Saturday nights,� she replied.

�Better tips, eh?�

�Fuckin� rights.� This is the thing, Jen swears like a lumberjack. But you�d never know it to look at her. She�s so...sweet. I ask her how she feels if someone gets upset with her. Does she have to bite her tongue? Does it bother her?

�Well, it doesn�t happen often. And I don�t get offended or anything...I just get pissed off. People who come to ACME are mostly good people, and they rarely complain. But one time, I remember, a couple brought in some friends from out of town. We were smokin� busy at the time, and one of them ordered a pizza, so I let them know that it would be a little while for the pizza because they�re made from scratch, and they often take longer to prepare. They were fine with it, and that was that.�

Jen gets really animated when she talks. Her hands fly through the air as she speaks, physically articulating her position.

�Anyway, after twenty minutes they were hailing me over and this one guy goes up one side of me and down the other sayin� they�ve been waiting too long and this is ridiculous...blah blah blah. He wouldn�t even let me get a word in. Asked for the manager and shit like that.�

So did the manager get mad at you?

�Hell, no. He knows we�re doing our job...he used to be a server too. He went over to the table and let the guy go off on a rant before he asked them to pay the bill and leave. He supports us all the time. He�s a good guy.�

And thus, Jen makes her way through another shift, rushing plates to tables and glasses to the kitchen and bills this way and that...often skipping her break to keep tables happy. This is what she does for a living (and she makes a very good one, at that), and this is what she enjoys, right Jen?

�Fuckin� rights.�