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“Well, I work at the Maple Street Diner. Butpleasedon’t show up if you’re just going to get me in trouble. My boss is an asshole.”
I don’t like the sound of that one fucking bit. I’m going to have to do something about that boss of hers. Without Sunny getting the blame for it, of course.
“Fine,” I say. “What time do you get off?”
“Six.”
“Then I’ll be there at six.” I pause, taking a moment to remind myself that there are certain conventions when it comes to things like this. “We’ll go on a date.”
“Oh? That’s the plan, huh?” Sunny says, amusement shining in her face.
“No good?” I ask.
“No, that sounds great,” she says, beaming at me. “Actually, it sounds perfect.”
4
SUNNY
“Happy Valentine’s Day, you two,” I say as I clear the dirty plates from one of my tables at the diner. The elderly couple warmly thanks me as they get out of the booth. I smile as I watch them walk away hand-in-hand. Today the diner has been full of couples of all ages, and the feeling of love is in the air.
I’m stacking the dishes in the dish pit when my boss, Ian, comes up to me.
“You’re not pushing the special hard enough, Sunny,” he says.
“I’m pushing the special,” I say. “I’m telling everyone how tasty it is.”
“Well, be more enthusiastic about it,” he says. “We’ve got too many goddamn strawberries.”
I resist the urge to point out that he was the one who over-ordered the strawberries. Instead, I just nod and get back to work. One of the other servers called in sick today, so I’m covering her tables too. It’s a lot to juggle, but it’s nothing I can’thandle. Besides, the extra tips are really going to help me out. It will be good to make a more significant payment on my credit card this month.
“Miss?” a woman says to me as I’m wiping down the booth next to hers. “I’m so sorry, but our daughter spilled her milkshake. Could we get some extra napkins?”
“Of course,” I say. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
I grab a few clean towels, some napkins, and tell the kitchen staff that I need a milkshake when they have a moment. When I show up at the booth where the little girl’s milkshake spilled, I find her in tears.
“Oh, honey, it’s okay,” I say as I clean up the mess. “Don’t worry, a brand new milkshake is on its way.”
She sniffles and swipes away her tears. “I didn’t mean to knock it over.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. And you know what? People spill things all the time here. Even adults. It’s really, really not a big deal. I’ll bring that new milkshake over to you as soon as it’s ready, okay?”
The little girl smiles at me. “Okay.”
About twenty minutes later, the couple and their daughter have just left, and I’m clearing off their table. I almost miss the scrap of paper that the little girl left behind, but I notice it just in time. She’s left me a drawing of a smiling sun peeking out from behind a cloud, and the words,Thank you for being nice!! Love, Ginny.
I’m caught off guard by how emotional the note makes me feel. Looking up from the note, I gaze out into the parking lot and see Ginny and her parents getting into their station wagon. A pangof longing hits me, and I wonder if I’ll ever have a daughter of my own.
Feeling Ian’s reproachful eyes on me, I shake off my emotions and get back to doing my job. Unsurprisingly, we get a surge of guests as dinner time approaches, but since I’m off at six, I’m leaving just as things start getting really hectic.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay a little longer?” I ask Mandy, another server.
“No, no, you just worked a long shift,” she says, waving away my offer. “Enjoy your evening.”
I feel a little guilty leaving the diner when it’s so busy, but I’m exhausted and ready to leave work, too. And I certainly haven’t forgotten about my date with Thorne. He’s been on my mind all day, the thought of him a constant threat of distraction. I’m still processing what happened last night. It feels like it was a dream.
And as I walk out of the diner, leaving the hustle and bustle behind, the sight of Thorne waiting for me also feels just as dreamy.
