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Danny
AfterIgotoff work early this morning, I texted the guys on my team, and we agreed to meet up with the guys from the Mooseheads hockey team to play a pickup game, like they had offered last night.
If I ever had a doubt as to whether or not I should have pursued hockey at a higher level, that hour and a half on the ice crushed them all. To say they were amazing players was an understatement. They skated circles around us, even when they weren’t trying. And despite my original thought that they would be stuck up, or overly competitive, they weren’t. They turned out to be some of the nicest guys I have ever met. And even though we lost badly, we still had a great time.
But now it’s time to turn my head from hockey to my date with Jenni. I don’t know what it is about this girl, but she had piqued my interest and I had spent the rest of the night, which was pretty uneventful, with her on my mind. The fact that she had agreed to have breakfast with me, or lunch by the time we would actually meet up, had me more excited than I had been for anything in a long time.
Knowing I’m on a tight schedule, I rush through my shower, and quickly throw on a clean shirt and a pair of nice jeans before rushing out the door and heading back to town.
Making it to the diner with a few minutes to spare, I quickly park my car in the back lot and walk around to the front door. As I open the door, the bell chimes. When I look around at the busy diner, I suddenly start second guessing my decision for our dining location.
What the hell was I thinking bringing her here? This is the worst idea I’ve ever had.
“Why hello there, Officer Russells. I thought after your late night at work and then that pickup game you boys had that you would be fast asleep by now.” Amy, the petite blonde hostess greets me as she drops off a plate at a table nearby. How did she even know about the pickup game? Well, I shouldn’t be surprised, small town news travels fast. “Why don’t you just grab a seat at the counter? I can serve you from there and get you in and out real quick.”
“Umm…” I pull at the collar of my shirt, why is it suddenly so hot in here? “Actually I’m meeting someone, so I’m gonna need a table, Amy.”
It feels as if all of a sudden the din of all the patrons comes to a halt. Amy’s eyes, along with the rest of the diners, turn to me, as if they can sense the gossip in the air.
“Meeting someone?” she asks with an innocent voice. “One of the guys coming out to meet you for breakfast?”
I tug at my collar again, “No, umm… I’m meeting a girl for a late breakfast. Her name is Jenni.”
“Oh, a girl, you say? Do I know this Jenni? Well… we have this nice table right here. Let me just clean it off, and it’s all yours.” She says as she points to the table in the center of the room, as the volume in the small diner suddenly rises. Clearly all the tables are gossiping about me and my date. We’ll be the star attraction.
Oh, great.
I wait while Amy cleans off the table, standing there awkwardly listening while everyone around me discusses my upcoming date. I finally get to sit down, but in no way does my seat allow me to hide from the prying eyes of all those in the diner.
“Oh, this must be her coming up the block,” someone comments from a seat by the window, as I cock my head to try and see who made the comment and who will be getting a parking ticket the first chance I get.
“She’s cute,” someone else chimes in.
“Looks like a good girl,” another voice rings out.
Looks like I’ll be writing parking tickets for everyone in this room in the next few weeks, that’ll show ’em.
“Shh… she’s coming in.” Amy calls out, as I let out a loud groan and lower my head into my hands to hide my embarrassment.
