"I'm sorry... could you repeat that?" He was struggling on his first day. Some might say that "struggling" was a bit of an understatement. He was starting to weigh the pros and cons of being a waiter vs. being a cook. He flashed back to when he was trying not to burn pancakes and trying to flip eggs so the yolks were still intact. It was not pretty. He decided that he was still better off.
"I wanted some hot chocolate, an order of pancakes, and a side of hashbrowns." The lady he was tending to was slightly annoyed now, but she was polite and punctual.
He scribbled down her words frantically, "...hashbrowns..." and he slashed his pen across the pad, underlining it. "Alright, I'll be right back with your hot chocolate." He smiled and walked back behind the front counter. He ripped off the paper on the pad. Instead of attempting the diner lingo, he just clipped the paper up in the opening to the kitchen. He poked his head through the window, "Hey guys I have pancakes and hashbrowns. Thanks."
Chris came up next to him, "Fry two and let the sun shine. A short stack, too." He looked at Jack with an empty stare, "You know, you could at least try." He walked away back towards his section to tend to more customers.
Jack stood there, leaning against the counter for a moment, slightly discouraged. The Easy was just a job to get him through right now.
(man I don't need this right now)
He stared outside the window for a moment. The sun was just above the horizon. Orange stretched across the sky, a few clouds hung, suspended in time.
He started to make hot chocolate, scooping chocolate bits into a thick, brown mug. His eyes wandered to the back of the diner, the corner booth to be exact. His mind wandered...
Mr. Frank... huh... Who is he? He doesn't talk.. doesn't eat with anyone, at least, no one i've seen.. no ring on his left hand, even. Was he married before? Can a guy really live alone like that? Ok. So he seems semi-normal. He eats at the diner! Ok, scratch that, he's a freaking freak of nature. Hm. I guess I don't really know, do I? I wonder if anyone here knows...
"You're making it wrong, ya'know." A voice interrupted Jack's thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Tina, another waitress, was standing next to him now, eyeing him with distaste. She's been working at The Easy for many years now; and she really knows the ins and outs of the place. In her old age, her wisdom was boundless. When she spoke, she would make you feel as if you were nothing; she really is better than you, though. Her white hair was frizzled. Jack just supposed she didn't care much about her looks anymore, but that wasn't really the case.
She once said, "All these characters here," she would begin all of her stories like this, "they're all the same. Once enough of them come through, you'll hear it all, ya'see? Those truckers come by and they'll be willin' to talk to anyone. They'll tell you their stories of being alone for so many hours, all their wives, maybe even some girls they pick up on the road. They don't care who they talk to, they just gotta talk.
Oh yes'suh, you'll get all diff'rent sorts of people down in here. I like it when those teenagers come by. They make me feel young again. They come in here and have their little emotional troubles.. oh boy, that makes me feel young again. You know in my high school years, I was quite a catch. You might not look at me and think that now, but that's what happens with old age, son. I had my share of boys back and in the day. You, Jackie, you getting your share of young girls?"
Tina had been teasing Jack since his first day on the job. He didn't deal with awkward questions that well, and Tina reaped the benefits of his discomfort. Today was no different.
"You're making it wrong, ya'know." Tina walked up to Jack as he was boiling some milk, her smoke-aged voice flowed into his ears.
"Wah?" Jack looked down at the cup, unaware of what he was talking about.
"There's too much chocolate, ya'see? It'll make it too bitter." Tina took the cup from Jack's hands and took some of the chocolate out. "I'll do it for you, honey."
"Uh.. ok.. thanks Tina." Jack was slightly relieved. He actually had no idea what he was doing. He had only watched Chris make hot chocolate once, and the only thing he learned from that one time was that he needed to put some whipped cream on top. "Hey Tina.. You've been working here for a while now, right?"
"Mmhmm, that's right, suh." She nodded and wiped away some chocolate she spilled on the counter with a rag. "Why do ya ask, Jackie-Boy?"
"Well that man, Mr. Frank, who is he?" He moved around to the other side of the counter and sat down at a stool, fiddling with a napkin dispenser.
Tina smiled. "Mr. Frank.. he's a queer character, isn't he? Not too much is known about him, but this is what I heard." She leaned on one elbow over the counter, stirring the milk every once in a while. "He came here about a year ago. Just walked into The Easy one morning, sat down, and ordered his meal. He always orders the same thing for breakfast. It's his usual: two eggs, sunny-side up; a poppyseed bagel with apricot jelly; and coffee, black. He never gets anything else. Every time he comes here.. the same ol' thing. Sometime after he eats here, he has a smoke outside. Every time I see him out there, I say to myself that I'll join him. I haven't done that though, the look in his eyes is just too lonely. Gives me chills sometimes. Well, anyway, when he first came here I believe I heard he used to be on some bomb squad. Apparently his buddies were disarming a bomb and it exploded on them. He wasn't in the room though, and he survived the blast. Maybe he got knocked up in the head a bit. Well since then, he hasn't been the same. Not at all. He just went nuts after that, prolly from the guilt. He divorced his wife, she was bein' beat or something, and he came to this lil' town... dunno too much more about him."
A voice rang out, "Uh... Jack? I had a hot chocolate?"
"Oh! Right.. uh.." He looked to Tina nervously.
"Oh don't worry, Honey. I'll get it right to ya." She told the girl. She turned back to the hot chocolate, "Well Jack, that's just what I heard, ya'see?"
"I wanted some hot chocolate, an order of pancakes, and a side of hashbrowns." The lady he was tending to was slightly annoyed now, but she was polite and punctual.
He scribbled down her words frantically, "...hashbrowns..." and he slashed his pen across the pad, underlining it. "Alright, I'll be right back with your hot chocolate." He smiled and walked back behind the front counter. He ripped off the paper on the pad. Instead of attempting the diner lingo, he just clipped the paper up in the opening to the kitchen. He poked his head through the window, "Hey guys I have pancakes and hashbrowns. Thanks."
Chris came up next to him, "Fry two and let the sun shine. A short stack, too." He looked at Jack with an empty stare, "You know, you could at least try." He walked away back towards his section to tend to more customers.
Jack stood there, leaning against the counter for a moment, slightly discouraged. The Easy was just a job to get him through right now.
(man I don't need this right now)
He stared outside the window for a moment. The sun was just above the horizon. Orange stretched across the sky, a few clouds hung, suspended in time.
He started to make hot chocolate, scooping chocolate bits into a thick, brown mug. His eyes wandered to the back of the diner, the corner booth to be exact. His mind wandered...
Mr. Frank... huh... Who is he? He doesn't talk.. doesn't eat with anyone, at least, no one i've seen.. no ring on his left hand, even. Was he married before? Can a guy really live alone like that? Ok. So he seems semi-normal. He eats at the diner! Ok, scratch that, he's a freaking freak of nature. Hm. I guess I don't really know, do I? I wonder if anyone here knows...
"You're making it wrong, ya'know." A voice interrupted Jack's thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Tina, another waitress, was standing next to him now, eyeing him with distaste. She's been working at The Easy for many years now; and she really knows the ins and outs of the place. In her old age, her wisdom was boundless. When she spoke, she would make you feel as if you were nothing; she really is better than you, though. Her white hair was frizzled. Jack just supposed she didn't care much about her looks anymore, but that wasn't really the case.
She once said, "All these characters here," she would begin all of her stories like this, "they're all the same. Once enough of them come through, you'll hear it all, ya'see? Those truckers come by and they'll be willin' to talk to anyone. They'll tell you their stories of being alone for so many hours, all their wives, maybe even some girls they pick up on the road. They don't care who they talk to, they just gotta talk.
Oh yes'suh, you'll get all diff'rent sorts of people down in here. I like it when those teenagers come by. They make me feel young again. They come in here and have their little emotional troubles.. oh boy, that makes me feel young again. You know in my high school years, I was quite a catch. You might not look at me and think that now, but that's what happens with old age, son. I had my share of boys back and in the day. You, Jackie, you getting your share of young girls?"
Tina had been teasing Jack since his first day on the job. He didn't deal with awkward questions that well, and Tina reaped the benefits of his discomfort. Today was no different.
"You're making it wrong, ya'know." Tina walked up to Jack as he was boiling some milk, her smoke-aged voice flowed into his ears.
"Wah?" Jack looked down at the cup, unaware of what he was talking about.
"There's too much chocolate, ya'see? It'll make it too bitter." Tina took the cup from Jack's hands and took some of the chocolate out. "I'll do it for you, honey."
"Uh.. ok.. thanks Tina." Jack was slightly relieved. He actually had no idea what he was doing. He had only watched Chris make hot chocolate once, and the only thing he learned from that one time was that he needed to put some whipped cream on top. "Hey Tina.. You've been working here for a while now, right?"
"Mmhmm, that's right, suh." She nodded and wiped away some chocolate she spilled on the counter with a rag. "Why do ya ask, Jackie-Boy?"
"Well that man, Mr. Frank, who is he?" He moved around to the other side of the counter and sat down at a stool, fiddling with a napkin dispenser.
Tina smiled. "Mr. Frank.. he's a queer character, isn't he? Not too much is known about him, but this is what I heard." She leaned on one elbow over the counter, stirring the milk every once in a while. "He came here about a year ago. Just walked into The Easy one morning, sat down, and ordered his meal. He always orders the same thing for breakfast. It's his usual: two eggs, sunny-side up; a poppyseed bagel with apricot jelly; and coffee, black. He never gets anything else. Every time he comes here.. the same ol' thing. Sometime after he eats here, he has a smoke outside. Every time I see him out there, I say to myself that I'll join him. I haven't done that though, the look in his eyes is just too lonely. Gives me chills sometimes. Well, anyway, when he first came here I believe I heard he used to be on some bomb squad. Apparently his buddies were disarming a bomb and it exploded on them. He wasn't in the room though, and he survived the blast. Maybe he got knocked up in the head a bit. Well since then, he hasn't been the same. Not at all. He just went nuts after that, prolly from the guilt. He divorced his wife, she was bein' beat or something, and he came to this lil' town... dunno too much more about him."
A voice rang out, "Uh... Jack? I had a hot chocolate?"
"Oh! Right.. uh.." He looked to Tina nervously.
"Oh don't worry, Honey. I'll get it right to ya." She told the girl. She turned back to the hot chocolate, "Well Jack, that's just what I heard, ya'see?"
2 comments:
I really like the Tina character. (:
Or at any rate, how you're writing her.
haha thanks. I think I'm trying to combine different characters from different diners in media together. and also what I imagine it to be like.
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