Polaroid blues

A man in a rusty coat arrives at the entrance of a diner. He slowly reaches for his pocket with his wrinkled hand and retrieves a photo of what looks to be a much younger version of himself and a young woman standing beside him holding on to a baby. He compares the backdrop in the image to the current diner and exhales deeply. He walks into the diner pensively and goes past a laughing couple and then a young woman sat on her own looking through the window with her drink in front of her. He gives her a second look the goes passed her to find a quiet corner to sit. A waitress grinning from ear to ear approaches him

“Good evening sir, would you like anything?”

“A second chance” he mutters

“Sorry, what was that?”

“I’d love a coffee, decaf with 2 cubes of sugar and no milk. Thank you”

“Okay” she scribbles “anything else?”

“That will be all thank you”

“Okay!”

He turns away as the sound of her heels gradually eases out. He reflects on the photograph again, calmly stroking the image of the woman with his thumb. The waitress returns, causing him to sit upright and conceal the photo

“Here you are sir!”

“Thank you…thank you” he forces a smile

“Would that be all?”

“Yes. Thank you”

She leaves as he turns his head slightly to notice a tear roll down the cheek of the young woman he saw earlier, still sat alone. After a moment of reflection, he takes his coffee in his hand and rises off his seat. He walks slowly towards the young woman and on approaching asks,

“May I…join you?”

Startled, she hurriedly wipes her face

“Ummm, sure…”

He sits across her and adjusts himself while placing his coffee on the table. He notices a small pile of pancakes with syrup on the side

“I’m sorry to intrude, but I have a strong feeling we’re going through the same thing”

“Why do you think that?”

“Feel…I feel so. And I know that being alone doesn’t make things better. It won’t take the pain away”

“What if it works for me? What if I deal with it better alone?”

He sighs “You know what? I have thought this exact same thing for years. It only took this old man coming all the way back to a place he’d been running from and seeing a lonesome young woman to realize self-pity hasn’t and will never really help”

“Sadness and self-pity are two different things”

“Not when you keep to yourself they ain’t”

He points at the pancakes

"May I?"

"Sure, go ahead"

He takes one and has a bite, then looks at her

"Won't you join me?"

"Their cold now but sure...might as well complete the ritual"

She eats, then pauses and turns to him

“So what’s your story?”

“Same old. Dumb young man loses the love of his life due to youthful pride and spends the rest of his life taking it out on everyone else”

“I won’t lie it’s a classic”

He chuckles “Yes, yes it is. And uh, you?

“Well let’s see. An equally dumb young woman loses the love of her life on the same day she graduated from college”

“Sheesh, that’s rough”

“It get’s better. We spoke after I received my certificate on the podium. I was so mad at her, so mad she wasn’t there to support me on my big day. Only to find out I was there to support her in her last hours”

“She died…?”

“Early the next morning, whilst I was out partying. Imagine that”

He pauses, then takes a sip of his coffee

“I’m sorry to say this, but college must’ve been some time ago”

“Seven years”

“Ah right, today’s the memorial”

“This was her favourite place. We came here very Saturday to have pancakes”

“She loved them that much?”

“She hated them. She’d just always have a glass of milk and we’d talk and talk and talk”

He smiled

“She was like my best friend, we could talk about anything. Boys, smoking, parties I went.” She goes sober “Anything but…”

“But what?”

She pauses for a moment

“My real dad. No matter how may times I asked, she wouldn’t say a word about him”

“Must have been a terrible man”

“I’m not sure it was that. She always wanted to appear strong…on top of things…in control of her emotions. But that was the one thing that brought her guard down”

“Ever seen him?”

“Never in person, just in a old picture of hers she tried to get rid of”

He pauses then looked straight at her

“Can I please see this picture”

“I must look really sad for you to guess I’d have it on me”

He smiles. She reaches for her bag ad then takes out her purse. He watches eagerly as she unzips the purse ad brings out a folded picture. She unfolds the picture and shows him

“I realized this was their favourite place too”

His hand begins to shake slightly as he takes a closer look

“If it isn’t obvious enough, I’m the baby”

He looks at the picture then looks compassionately into her eyes

“Don’t get all emotional on me right after you’ve made me feel better”

He quietly puts his hand in his coat and brings out his own photograph

“My bad, I forgot to ask if you had one of your wife”

He stays silent and places it right beside hers. She looks at both pictures at a glance, then leans forward to take a closer look. She looks at the old man as her breathing increases

“You knew her?”

“I-”

“Where did you get this? She gave it to you?!”

His eyes are filled as he speaks softly, “Ruby?”

She stays silent looking at him as tears race our of her eyes

“My Ruby” he stretches his had to hold hers. She looks him dead in the eyes

“Dad?”

He immediately starts crying

“I’m sorry”

She recoils her hand and gets up abruptly

“Please forgive me”

She stares at him, then rushes to him and hugs him and sobs loudly. They hug each other tightly and are noticed by the waitress and the couple who couldn’t help but smile. The waitress approaches them as she cleans her eyes

“Your order is on the house, if you’d like anything else please let me know”

He wipes his yes and mutters

“I’d love a coffee, decaf with 2 cubes of sugar and lots of milk. Thank you”

THE END