Greasy Spoon Sally's

Greasy Spoon Sally's

Okay, dude, this is gonna sound weird, right? I'm not really a cook and I don't get paid to do anything here. I'm just the guy who got stuck with this diner.

No it wasn't an inheritance from a long lost uncle or anything like that. I don't even know who Sally is!

So, how did end up here in this diner?

************

I was heading back home one cold night after a sales conference when I started hearing that rumbling sound heading my way and my barely functioning ac unit was attempting to filter that annoying wet scent from the cab with no success. 

I knew I would regret trying to drive through a downpour that I knew was coming so I pulled off on an exit to a small town that I had never heard of and started searching for nearby restaurants to wait out the storm, when I saw a sign about one that was only a half a mile away that was called "Sally's Greasy Spoon. Always fresh coffee"

I sighed knowing full well that it would be over a hundred miles before I would find an exit with a restaurant nearby so, I took the exit and parked in front of the little diner feeling every crunch from the gravel and broken glass littered parking lot and stepped out of my vehicle just as fee drops landed on my head.

I felt the wind blowing my coat off so I clutched it tightly around me and opened the glass door, hearing the squeak of the unoiled hinge. I was immediately greeted with a "Can I hep' ya?", from a burly man in the back.

"Um.. yes, I wanted to come in here to wait out the storm. Some coffee would be nice. "

A grumbling sound came from the man, or was it the storm...

"Sit anywhere ya like and I'll get to you."

I wandered around the empty little diner that smelled of disused cooking oil that had mixed with ammonia and chose a booth near the bathroom and thanked God that I was not actually hungry or at least for right now that was true. I hoped that the lack of hunger would last through the downpour which had already started to patter on the window. 

The burly man came back with a cup and saucer and placed them in front of me and then went to retrieve the coffee itself. The cup and saucer radiated a heat that made it hard to touch which suggested that both of these items had just come out of the dishwasher and I assumed that these were the only things that were clean in.the whole diner.

I sighed and looked out the window as the hot liquid was slowly being poured into the cup adding to the already piping hot ambience of the cup and saucer.

As I turned back, I suddenly heard the sound of running footsteps and the rustle of pom poms being shaken as I saw 10 cheerleaders standing by the table all beaming at me. 

I was going to say something, but as soon as I opened my mouth, all of them started on another cheer routine that vaguely reminded me of the "whoo girls" from those pedal taverns that I used to see in the city.

I thought this was sort of weird happening for a practical joke television show or something. After all , who would willingly come to this backwater diner?

"You did" , my conscience said

My coffee started to shake and spill as with every jumping jack backflip they did and to this day, I still don't know how they managed to do all that in a tiny little diner, all the while singing this cheer.

When you're been on the road

For a really long time,

Come lay down your load

It ain't no crime!

We got you a spot

Where the coffee's really hot!

Here at Greasy Spoon Sally's

We "

The noise of all that jumping around, almost madee.forget about the storm outside 

Just as this odd, out of body experience was.happening to me, I saw the burly man run out of the diner and into the downpour shouting "Freedom!" .After a few minutes of that, he got into a dilapidated old truck and drove off leaving me alone with the coffee and the cheerleaders.

"Oh,. don't you wear a frown!

There's no reason to moan!

Here at Greasy Spoon Sally's,

You'll never be left alone!

Whoo Hoo!". High kick, high kick, back flip etc

I took that moment and went for the door and it was locked, of course. One of the cheerleaders came to me,.tilted her blonde head to the side, and handed me the bill for my coffee. It almost slipped out of my hand, because of the grease.

I looked at it and it was a note from the burley guy who took off.

"Coffee's on the house. Looks like it's your turn to entertain the ghosts. No, I don't know how they got here or why. All I know is that I've been waiting 20 years for someone to take over and you just happened to be the guy.  Thank you and Good luck!"

*******

So that's it! That's the story. I tried to find that burley guy again but I had no luck. I ordered sage and threw the salt over my shoulder but it made no difference; they're still here.

I'm pretty sure I lost my sales job too, but of course I can't leave the diner, because I have to play nursemaid to some ghosts, who won't leave me alone! 

Day and night there's that constant cheering and jumping up down and backflipping! I can't get much sleep!

I tried to find some ghost hunters to help but none of them took my story seriously. One of them, who drove an old black Impala said being haunted by a bunch of cheerleaders sounded like a dream haunting to him but he couldn't help.

Anyway,.all I have left to say is this:

Mayday mayday. S.O.S. Heellpp!!