I got back in the car and headed off to the casino, trying to brush off the conversation with Mark, but not really succeeding. Though I liked to think I was one of the guys back at the office, there were times when it was obvious I really wasn't. The conversation had just driven home that point.
Technically, I probably could have called what he'd done sexual harassment, but it would have been a pretty weak case. Besides, that hardly mattered. I'd never lower myself to pursuing such a lawsuit, and Mark knew it. At least he'd had the good sense not to tease me about the costume.
Well, at least thinking about my jerk of a partner kept my mind off the fact that I was about to get shrunk again. When I got to the casino, though, I was quickly jarred back to reality. Heather, who had by now graduated to the main floor, spotted me when I walked in the door. "Hey, Ashley!" she yelled up at me, waving her tiny arms to get my attention.
Good Lord, I thought, she sure is small! That's me in a half hour, though, I reminded myself, trying not to stare. "Hey, Heather," I said, biting back my nervousness. To avoid having to look down at her twenty-inch form, I sat down on the floor next to her, marveling not only at how small she was, but at how little she cared about that fact.
"Look at me, I'm finally outta the rookie zone!" Heather told me excitedly. Her voice, I noted, was slightly higher pitched than I remembered, and a bit softer as well. I supposed I probably sounded the same way when my vocal cords were a third their normal size. I resolved to raise my voice when asking customers if they needed a cocktail.
"Good for you. You say it's a couple of weeks over there? I was hoping to start making the big bucks sooner than that," I lied smoothly.
"Oh, for me, a coupla weeks, sure," she piped. "This was my first waitressing job, y'know, so I had to learn everything from scratch. I heard Beth talkin' about you, though. She thinks you'll be ready by Friday, 'cause you're off to such a good start."
"Lucky me," I replied sarcastically. "Hey, listen, this shrinking thing is all really new to me, and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to chat about it a bit after work. You could give me some pointers, now that you've been promoted and all."
"Sure," Heather replied proudly. "Me and Lori are doin' some bowling at six. You're welcome to join us. You know where that is, right?"
"I know there's an alley here in the casino," I replied. "Is that where you're meeting?"
"Yep," she answered. Then she glanced down at her watch, and back up at me. "Hey, if your shift starts at noon, you'd better get a move on!"
"Okay, thanks," I replied, getting to my feet. "See you later tonight!"
"Yep, enjoy your second day!" she yelled up at me, then scampered off to go take another order.
I sighed. Well, if Heather could get so comfortable with being small in less than two weeks, I was sure I could do the same.
Steeling myself, I headed into the dressing room to get ready for another day of being small. Fortunately, I was only working half-shifts until I went off probation, so I wouldn't have to be that size too long. Maybe I'd eventually get used to it, but for now, I didn't want to be two feet high any longer than I had to.
Beth met me in the dressing room and showed me where I should look to pick up my uniform. It was the exact same one as yesterday, but it had been dry-cleaned overnight. Even the pair of cowboy boots were the same--they had scuffs in the same places, and I'm trained to notice stuff like that. Apparently, once I'd been assigned an outfit, it was mine.
The freshly cleaned costumes weren't stored in lockers, but in a series of slots along the back wall. Behind my uniform, I saw, were several other types of footwear. I looked at them curiously, and Beth took them out and explained what they were for.
Each job I could get assigned at the casino came with its own shoes, as it turned out. As you already know, the cowboy boots were for walking the floor as a cocktail waitress. As I'd seen yesterday, the low-heeled ankle boots (which were actually made of a soft, comfortable material that made them feel more like sneakers) were used for the highly athletic workouts on the craps table. A pair of shiny knee-highs were for poker, and lace-front soft-soled calf boots were used by the blackjack and baccarat dealers. Another pair looked like standard high heels, but with some kind of black leather wraps that went up the calf and around the knees. They were used for something called pyramid, a game I didn't know about yet.
It was the final choice that really made me wrinkle my nose in disgust, though. They were thigh boots made of black latex, with stiletto heels that only a trapeze artist could have balanced on. Noticing my scowl of disgust, Beth laughed and told me they were for the roulette table and wheel of fortune, both of which required almost no walking at all. That was good, I thought, because I doubted I could take more than a couple of steps in those travesties without falling over.
Since I was going to be walking the floor again, I kept the cowboy boots out and put the others away. Keeping my right eye closed, I changed quickly and squeezed into the skimpy costume. Once I was sure I was ready, Beth took me to the miniaturizer, but told me this time I was on my own. I assured her I knew the way, and she left while I stepped into the machine.
I was still nervous about being shrunk, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. As before, I started to tingle, sort of like you do if you get a really cold chill, but without the shivering. As it faded, I started to get smaller, and walked over to the two-foot door, trying to calm myself down as I watched the knob slowly rising up to meet my waiting hand.
It's not that bad, I kept telling myself. You'll get used to this, Kate. Really, you will.
Once I was small enough, I went through the door and found my way to the rookie area. Yesterday, when I came out, Beth was there to help me get over the shock of seeing the casino so big, but today, I was on my own. I swallowed, looking UP at everything as usual, and headed towards the bar to begin my shift.
As soon as I got close, another tiny waitress spotted me and headed my direction, a huge smile on her face. She was a bit shorter than I was, and thinner, with short black hair and a dark, even tan. "Hi, I'm Loriel Wellington," she said, with the barest hint of an Australian or British accent, I couldn't tell which. "Everyone calls me Lori, though. Nice to meet you."
"Ashley Robinson," I told her. "Say, you must be Heather's friend. She invited me to do some bowling with you later tonight."
"Great!" Lori replied. "It'll be nice to talk to someone else. This whole thing is so weird, you know?" She swept her arms out to indicate the massive slot machines all around us. "Look at how big this place is!"
"I know what you mean," I told her. "I sure am glad to hear you say that! Everyone else seems so nonchalant about it. Heather and Beth seem to really enjoy being small, but not me."
"Oh, I know! I thought I was going to die the first time I had to ask someone if they wanted a cocktail! They're just so tall! It's like looking up at a building or something."
"I can't imagine what it must be like being even smaller," I admitted. It actually felt good to be able to talk about this with someone. "Everyone keeps saying I'll get used to it, but so far, I haven't. How long have you been working here?"
"This is my fourth day," Lori told me. "I just started doing triples, so I think I'm almost ready to move up, like Heather just did. In fact, now that you're here, I'm done. I'd better go and let you get to work."
"Okay," I said with a smile, happy to have been able to share my thoughts with her, if only for a moment. "I'll see you tonight at bowling."
"See you then!" she replied, heading for the exit and leaving me to get started with my shift.