Fallon moved closer to the front door. “Shanna, take your luncheon and shove it up your ass. Fuck you!” They’d take a few seconds to comprehend what she’d just said since it was out of character for her to talk back like that. By the time she heard her father and Shanna yelling, she was out the door and in her car. Her father rushed out, but she kept backing up, even when he pounded on her window and threatened all sorts of punishment for her “insolence.”
Tears clouded her vision but she drove on, creating as much distance as she could between her andthem. She drove aimlessly through the town she was born in, realizing she had nowhere to go or anyone to turn to. Of course, she could go to the warehouse and see if Sylvia was around, but she didn’t want to deal with Emerald, Heidi, and Cassie. They always gave her a hard time, and whenever they did it in front of Shanna, she’d join in. Her dad would usually give them a stern look except when Shanna was in on it. Another one of the ring girls, Pippa, didn’t pay attention to her one way or another, too busy turning tricks to make a lot of money so she could move to Los Angeles. Fallon had overheard her telling Cassie that she wanted to start a career in acting. Sylvia was the only ring girl she liked and considered a friend, but she couldn’t burden heragainwith her problems.
She drove out of Tula and headed south on the old highway toward Alina.Maybe I’ll get some lunch or window-shop.She held her breath.Maybe I’ll bump into Diablo.She exhaled and gripped the steering wheel.
Tula was only thirty miles from Alina, so Fallon made it there in no time. She’d never driven through the town, so she wasn’t sure how to get around, but she kept driving toward the seven-story buildings until she hit Main Street. She drove up and down the large street, loving the way the cherry blossoms framed it in a wave of pink and white colors. Spotting the familiar sign for Leroy’s Diner, she pulled into a parking space and got out of the car.Maybe Diablo will be in there with his friends.
People’s voices, plates on counters, ringing bells for orders, and Chuck Berry on the overhead speaker surrounded her as she entered the eatery. The place was packed. Her eyes drifted to the chalkboard that had the blue plate specials written in yellow lettering. The waitress who’d waited on her and Sylvia a few days before waved her over to a seat at the counter.
“You’re busy,” Fallon said as she took the menu from her. The waitress nodded, then rushed away. It was apparent she hadn’t recognized Fallon. She looked at the menu, then placed it down on the counter. She wasn’t very hungry; her stomach was still in knots from the earlier fight at home. Dread threatened to suffocate her as she thought about going back home later that day.
“What’ll you have?” a woman in her fifties with thick red-framed glasses asked.
Fallon looked to her right and her left to see what the other diners were eating. Plates of mashed potatoes and chicken fried steak swimming in gravy were all around her, and nausea assaulted her. “A ginger ale with a lot of ice. What soups do you have that aren’t cream-based?”
“Vegetable.”
“I’ll have a cup of that with extra crackers.” She’d read that soda crackers and ginger ale were good for a queasy stomach.
As she sipped her drink, she looked around the busy diner, hoping to see a good-looking bearded man who had the most amazing tats she’d ever seen. To her, he was perfect. She noticed how many women checked him out, but she’d never seen him pay any attention to any woman at the warehouse except her. Funny tugs at her breasts and between her legs caused her to shift on her seat.So he’s nice to you. He probably feels sorry for you.The thing Fallon hated worse than deliberate cruelty was pity. She’d take a slap to her face or a mean phrase over the look of sympathy and pity she’d sometimes see in strangers’ eyes when she’d go out in public. But Diablo didn’t look at her with pity; his gaze was kind and was all for her.
“Anything more?” the waitress asked as she held Fallon’s bill in her hand. She shook her head and the woman slammed the bill face down on the counter before going over to another customer.
She glanced at the clock on the back wall, wondering what she was going to do. There was no way she was going back home. She figured she’d wait until Shanna and her dad were asleep, then sneak in and go to her room.I could go to the library and read.She loved libraries; she and her mother had gone often when she’d been young.
Taking out her wallet, she saw her phone. The truth was that she really didn’t want to be alone at that moment. Without analyzing it, she sent a text to Diablo, then held her breath.
Fallon:Hi.
A ping! She tugged at the front of her shirt, licked her lips, then looked down at the screen.
Diablo:Hey. Good to hear from u.
She smiled.
Fallon:Guess where I am.
Diablo:No idea, sweet pea.
She grinned.This is the second time he’s called me that.When he’d first said it, she’d thought she hadn’t heard him right, but she liked it. She liked that he didn’t say something common like “babe” or “baby” or “sweetie.” It seemed like a lot of men threw those words out to women, but when he’d called her “sweet pea,” it felt like he used it just for her. Some women may find it hokey, but she liked it.
Diablo:U still there???
Fallon:Yeah. Sorry. I’m in Alina at the diner.
Diablo:Is that right? Gonna have to come by & see u.
She inhaled and exhaled deeply, her pulse pounding in her ears.Here goes nothing….
Fallon:I’d like that. It’s super crowded in here.
Diablo:Give me 30 mins. Gotta wash the grease offa me.
Fallon:Ok. Should I just wait here?
Diablo:Ya. Order a piece of coconut cream pie. It’s fuckin’ delicious.
Fallon:Ok. I’m at the counter.
