CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT –CONFRONTING THE UNKNOWN

In the midst of it all, Laura found herself frozen, unsure of what to do. It was Tina who took charge, her voice cutting through the mayhem. "Alright, everyone, calm down!" she shouted, climbing onto a chair to be seen. "Customers, please return to your seats. Your meals are on the house today. Staff, back to your stations. We've got a diner to run." As normalcy slowly returned to the dining area, Laura caught up with Tina by the coffee station. "What do we do now?" she asked, still reeling from the sudden turn of events. Tina sighed, running a hand through her hair. "We keep going. Mario... he's done this before. He'll cool off and be back in a day or two. In the meantime, we've got to keep this place running." Laura nodded, impressed by Tina's calm in the face of crisis. As she turned to head back to her tables, she caught sight of something that made her pause. Jake, the new busboy who had started a few weeks ago, was huddled in a corner, speaking urgently into a cell phone. Th