Simpler Times

“The Big Belly Bustin Breakfast, Three Pancakes with your choice of bacon strips, sausage, or ham. And served with two eggs” 

He thinks about her eyes as he skims the sticky plastic pages of the menu . 

“Chicken and Waffles..”

Her eyes shined a tigers eye shade of brown. The color almost matched her hair. He remembers her hair sometimes getting stuck on his clothes, and he would never be mad about it. It was just a beautiful reminder of her, how could he be mad about that? In fact he had some on the jacket he was wearing in the diner. He looked at it enveloped in the fibers and thought back on better times.

“Big Poppas Biscuits and Gravy..” 

He was hunched over the metal table sitting in a sticky red cushioned chair. The kind that sticks to your jeans when you shuffle around in your seat. But for some reason his was especially sticky

“Chicken Fried Steak…” 

The restaurant was one of those time capsule restaurants. The kind you only see in action movies when the hero is down on their luck. The man could relate to that. Usually those characters go in to ponder what they should do. The man was pondering but had no need to figure out what to do.

“Classic B.L.T…”

She always wore the same makeup and clothes. She never had enough money to afford better clothes so she would just style the same jacket and shirt everyday. The man thought it was cute, she hated the fact she couldn’t afford more clothes. But she was a genius in fashion making every outfit look different everyday.

”Mammas French Toast Breakfast”

She had the special ability to make you happy from just looking at her. But she didn’t know that, she just assumed she was ugly. Anytime she got a compliment, she thought people were pitying or mocking her for her awful clothes.

“Would you like to order anything other than coffee?” 

The waitress asked.

The man had forgot the waitress was standing there while he was reading the menu. 

“Uh… I think I’ll have… The Big Pig Breakfast, and I’ll have over easy eggs with that.”

He said. It didn’t really matter what he ordered. 

“Alright, I’ll have that out shortly”

The waitress said walking away in a strange pace. 

The man thought it was a little strange she looked so nervous to talk to him. But he continued to stare at the menu that laid before him.

She always listened to one song. Usually before she fell asleep. It was a little cheesy, but she would listen to That’s Life by Frank Sinatra every night before she went to bed. She would put the song on and look through the window and watch the cars go by. She never told anyone about it, but it was like her lullaby. She could only sleep if the song was playing.

“The Big Boy Sunny Burger…”

She would always talk about old bands and movies. She claimed they were “simpler times” where “love had the most beauty”. At least that’s what she told her friends. The man agreed with her. Love songs used to be so beautiful, and he always thought it was so sweet how singers were so excited to even say they were in love with someone. They truly thought love was beautiful and they were lucky to have it.

The man’s face felt sticky. 

She was usually a very happy person until she had started to become a little paranoid. She stopped talking to the people in her life. And her friends became a little worried. But the man was happy because he would be able to spend more time with her. Yet she still didn’t talk to him.

The man’s hands were aching. 

She stopped going to her window because she felt like she was being watched. She claimed there was a car there every time she looked outside. And she stopped styling her clothes when she went out. The man had started to worry about her. He didn’t want her being scared.

The man’s eyes were heavy and tired. 

She said the car that was watching her was a tan color. She would tell her friends to look out for it. But her friends thought she was over exaggerating or being too paranoid. 

The man looked out the window at the cold night. 

One night the girl disappeared. And the friends started to become paranoid. They never really cared about her or her interests. They never understood her. Not like he did

“Sir are you ok? Your face is covered in… Do you need me to call an ambulance?” The manager asked while the nervous waitress stood behind him. 

“No I’ll be fine, but thank you for the coffee”

The man said while getting up. His shoes were sticky, his jacket was stiff, and his jeans felt a little crusty.

She was gone but in her room still played Sinatra. 

He walked through the glass doors to the cold night.

Or that’s what the cops said, but the man knew that when he dragged her out of her room, he was the one who played the song.

The man got into his car. It was a cream color but at night it looked more tan. Especially under street lights.  

The song was already cued to start playing. Even while she was terrified and paranoid, she still needed the song to put her to sleep. So she could dream of a simple life.

The man drove off into the cold dead night. 

She was beautiful and deserved to be in simpler times. Her friends didn’t know this, but the man did after all that time of knowing and watching her. So he took it upon himself to gift her with simplicity. 

He drove off, the street lights speeding past him. Soon enough those lights would turn blue and red. But for now he was enjoying the night with his love sitting in the passenger seat. Toward the simple life they both dreamed of. The one people would die for. Luckily they could afford that life.