Diner Guy

I always wanted the quiet life. As long as I can remember, I just wanted to settle down and live a happy, fulfilling life somewhere small. When I was growing up, all the other kids said they wanted to be astronauts or ballerinas. Pop stars or firemen. When I was asked, I'd say I just wanted a simple life. All the adults used to laugh at that. At the time, I wasn't sure why. Weren't they leading that life? Shouldn't they understand?

By now, I know. They did understand. And they laughed because they believed I could do more with my life than living in a crappy one bedroom flat above a Chinese restaurant and working a dead end job in an American-style diner.

Life well and truly screwed me over.

The door to the diner swished shut which meant my one and only customer this evening had left. I immediately got my hopes up that this might mean that I could get off early. However, my hopes were soon deflated when my manager, Keith, strolled out with his jacket on, bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, Alex. Listen, I've got to take off and since we're pretty dead tonight, you mind staying behind to close up?"

I sighed and resisted the urge to tell him that he was the manager, why couldn't he do that? But, like always, I bit my tongue and gave him my best fake smile. "Sure, Keith. I can do that."

"Thanks, dude." He made his way to the exit, his usual swagger setting my nerves on edge. I couldn't explain it. The guy just bothered me.

"Keith." I stopped him. "I was wondering..." I started. He raised his eyebrows which really didn't help. "I mean, I was hoping to book next week off. It's my little sister's birthday and we were able to get tickets to Disneyland. Would that be alright?"

Keith wrinkled his nose. My hunched shoulders fell in defeat. With him, that could only mean one thing. "Sorry, Alex. I've already got two people off next week. I just can't spare you. Maybe you could go the week after?"

That was ultimately the wrong response and a million different replies flooded into my brain. However, I was determined that most of them would likely get me fired. "Yeah," I muttered instead. "Maybe."

With that, Keith left and I was stuck closing everything down. Scowling to myself, I grabbed a broom from the cupboard and began sweeping the floor. "Maybe you can take her next week," I mimicked. "Sure, Keith. Not like my sister only gets one tenth birthday."

I was so wrapped up in my conversation that I hadn't heard a customer come in until he cleared his throat loudly. I spun around in surprise to see a guy around my age leaning against the counter, grinning at me. "Hi." He gave me a little wave. "I'm not too late to order, am I?"

"No, no." I put the broom down and hurried over to the counter. "What can I get you?"

He squinted at our menu. "You know, it all sounds so good. What would you recommend?"

"Uh..." It occurred to me that no one had ever really asked me that before. Most of our customers were either people just getting a coffee or regulars who had the same order every day. No one ever really perused the menu for all that long. "I guess the blueberry pancakes are pretty good. But if you get those, you have to have them with the caramel syrup otherwise you just won't appreciate them properly." I stopped myself. "Sorry, I think I'm rambling. You probably don't care."

"What are you talking about? If I'm getting pancakes, I want to appreciate them properly. I'll go for some of those, thanks. And I'll take some tea, as well."

"Really, tea?"

"What?"

"Nothing," I said. "We just don't get many orders of tea. Most people have coffee."

"I don't drink coffee. I don't believe in caffeine."

"Don't believe in it, as in, don't think it exists?"

"No, just don't like it." He shrugged.

"Fair enough," I replied, putting the order through on the till. "That'll be £5.50, please." He took out his wallet and began counting out the money. "You know, tea has caffeine in it, too."

He handed me the money and shook his head. "Don't ruin this for me, it's all I've got left."

"Sorry," I smiled and headed in the direction of the kitchen to get his pancakes ready.

"So, who's Keith?" He asked before I got there.

"Excuse me?"

"When I came in, you were yelling at someone called Keith. Just wondering who he could be and why he made you so angry?"

"Oh, right." I nodded. "He's just my boss. My boss who won't let me take next week off so I can take my little sister to Disneyland."

"No?" The boy raised his eyebrows. "He's denying you Mickey Mouse? What a monster!"

"It's not a joke. My sister only turns ten once and I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. I'm really upset about it."

"Do I look like I'm laughing? Of course it's important. Keith is obviously an idiot if he doesn't get that."

I tilted my head in thought. "Keith is an idiot. He's the one who left me to close the diner on my own so he could leave early."

"He's earning major douche points."

I couldn't help but smile at his comment. "Aptly put." I turned on my heel and strode into the kitchen. Making the pancakes took me no more than twenty minutes and when I came back out holding the plate, he was sitting in one of the booths, head in a book. I studied the cover as I walked over. "What are you reading?"

"A book about running away. Starting a new life completely different." He looked up at me, eyes sparkling. "I've always loved the idea of that. Have you heard of oblivion?"

"Wasn't that a movie a few years ago?"

"Maybe." He scratched his head. "But that's nit what I'm talking about. Oblivion means to be forgotten. By everything and everyone. Sometimes I wonder if that would be nicer than all the responsibilities of every day life. You could start a whole new chapter. What do you think?"

"I think that's pretty dangerous thinking. Besides, why would you want to be forgotten? There has to something that makes you want to stay. Something worth staying for."

"Like what?"

"Well" I paused for effect. "For starters, these delicious pancakes." I set the plate down in front of him. "Won't get these anywhere else."

He grinned. "Fair point. You see where I'm coming from, though? Right?"

I pointed to the empty seat at the booth. "May I?" He nodded in approval and I sat down opposite him. "I think everyone wonders what it would be like to run away sometimes. Believe me, I'm not a great lover of this mundane life I lead. When I was younger, it was all I ever wanted. Now, I'd give anything for some excitement. And maybe some foreign place could give me that. But I would never do it, no one would ever do it."

"Why not?"

"Because where we are right now, we're needed."

He sighed and gazed out of the window, as if he couldn't accept what I was saying. "I wish I could believe you."

"You'll come to see that I'm right." I stood up. "I'll let you eat your pancakes in peace."

"My girlfriend broke up with me." He blurted out.

I stopped and turned back around. "What?"

"My girlfriend. She dumped me last week."

"Why would you tell me that?"

He skirted around the question. "My relationship ended. My brother just moved overseas with his fiancée. Both my parents died a few years ago. I don't really have a lot keeping me here. I certainly don't think I'm needed here."

I blinked in surprise. Here we were, two virtual strangers and he was pouring out his heart to me. I definitely wasn't expecting that. "Why would you share that with me? I'm just the person who served you pancakes."

He shrugged. "No one else here to listen."

I tentatively stepped back over to the booth. "It sound like life dealt you a really bad hand."

"You could say that, yeah."

I pursed my lips together. "Can I tell you a story?"

"If you want."

"Ok," I sat back down. This didn't feel like the kind of thing to be standing up for. At least, that's what I felt. Opening up to a stranger wasn't exactly my forte. "When I was younger, I had a friend. Her name was Becky. We did everything together. I guess you could say she was more like my sister."

He gave me a confused look. "Exactly how is this supposed to be helping?"

"Just listen," I silenced him. "One day, she didn't come into school and, naturally, I was concerned. I didn't like not having my partner in crime with me. So, after school, I went around to her house to find a moving van and half of her family's belongings being hauled into it. She was sitting on the porch steps. She told me they were moving away. She'd known for a while but didn't want to tell me because she knew it would upset me."

"So she was just going to leave without saying goodbye? That's horrible!"

"We were really young. And, yes, I was upset. But you know what I did?"

"What?"

"Picked myself up and carried on. Because life goes on and you can't let these things stop you from living it. I made new friends who made me just as happy. I stuck around and things got better."

"But I'm confused. Weren't you just complaining about working late here? About working next week? Are things really so great?"

"Well, if I wasn't working tonight, would I ever have met you?" I questioned. "I believe these things happen for a reason."

He raised his eyebrows. "Wow. I didn't think about it like that."

"Of course you didn't." I stood back up. "Now, seriously, eat your pancakes otherwise I'll be throwing you out at closing time."

I left him to it and resume my cleaning duties. Halfway through mopping the kitchen, I peered out and saw him scribbling something on a piece of paper. He was definitely an odd duck.

Just as I was finishing, I heard the door shutting. At first, I assumed it was another customer but when I came out, I saw no one. His booth was empty, pancakes demolished. Just like that, he'd left. And I'd probably never see him again.

I strolled over to his booth to clear his plate and, as I was doing so, I noticed he had left a piece of paper underneath his mug of tea. Lifting it up, I saw that it had a fairly large ring of tea from the bottom of the mug plastered on it. However, the writing was still readable.

Dear Server,

I have to apologise. I realise I never actually asked for your name. That's weird, right? We were bearing our hearts out to each other and we didn't even know the other's name. Maybe it's better that way. I don't know.

I want to thank you. Before I came into this diner, I was planning on upping sticks and leaving. That really wouldn't have been wise. I have a nine to five job. I have a neighbour who just asked me to look after his cat. I have responsibilities. To be honest, it just didn't seem like that much to me. But what you said, about being needed here, you were right. Which is why I'm not going. Tomorrow I'm planning on Skyping my brother, maybe arranging to go visit him to see his new digs. I'll be alright.

Thank you for setting me straight. I think I would have ended up making a huge mistake had I not come into this diner.

Also, I want to say, you should absolutely go to Disneyland. Your sister does only turn ten once. Don't let your boss stop you from going.

Sincerely,

Diner Guy

(P.S. The pancakes were delicious. You were 100% right about the caramel syrup.)

I had to read the letter three times before it sank in. His words hit me really hard. Had my crazy rambling really helped him that much? Maybe it had. Crazy.

Feeling pretty happy with myself, I finished cleaning up, flicked off the lights and exited the diner, It's A Small World playing in my head.