Mel’s Diner

Mel’s Diner

 Carrie lays longways across her couch, feet up on the armrest. After finally finishing her third double in a row in retail Hell, she wanted nothing more than to unwind on the couch. To doze off watching awful cable TV. Her eyelids grew heavy, and her breathing relaxed. She was on the cusp of unconsciousness. 

“Hey, Mom?”

The soft sing-song voice of her daughter rang out, stirring her from her stupor.

“Mm?”

Carrie hummed as she began to come to, much to her dismay.

“What is it, Nikki, baby, I’m trying to sleep.”

She replied tiredly. 

Her daughter nodded, nervously playing with her light brown hair, twirling the ends between her fingers.

“I know, I know, I know, I'm sorry I just…I’m kinda…hungry.”

She said softly.

Carrie hummed again, still refusing to open her eyes.

“There’s snacks in the kitchen, pumpkin.”

She slurred, trying to will herself back to sleep.

Nikki nodded in response.

“I just…really wanted a grilled cheese.”

She replied. Carrie could feel her lips tug down into a frown. Grilled cheeses were the comfort food of the Mackersun house.

“And you just make them so well that-.”

Nikki began, before her mother’s eyes finally opened. As Carrie looked ahead she saw the miniature version of herself standing before her; shoulder-length brown hair, cheeks dotted with freckles(courtesy of her father), and those oh-so-adorable pencil-thin eyebrows. She couldn’t fight the smile forming on her lips. 

“Fine, I’ll make you a sandwich.”

Carrie began.

“But I want all the tea.”

Carrie added, making her daughter groan in embarrassment.

“Fine, as long as you never call it tea again.”

Nikki agreed, making her mother huff.

“I'm hip.”

Carrie murmured in defiance.

 She got up off the couch and stretched her body out.  Carrie slid her aching feet into the black cloud-like slippers she had left at the foot of the couch. Nikki followed Carrie to the modest little kitchen of the home like a duckling. The kitchen always served as the emotional core of the house, where everyone would discuss their problems over comfort food. Carrie took a mug from the cabinet and began making herself some coffee, kissing any idea of slumber for the next while goodbye.

“Grab your cheese and spill, Nik’.”

Her daughter nodded in compliance. 

“White bread or something else?”

“Texas toast. And it's just dance team drama.”

Nikki chose, handing her mother some garlic bread and the deli bag of Colby jack. Carrie whistled.

“That’s gonna  be one pretty sandwich, baby.”

She said playfully as she began to cook. Carrie butters the texas toast before putting it on the skillet.

“What about the dance team, Nik? I thought you liked it.”

Carrie asked.

Nikki sighed softly.

“I do.”

The child began.

“But, Molly’s throwing a slumber party after our next dance contest and she BASICALLY invited everyone on the team but me.”

Carrie frowned, feeling sympathy towards her daughter.

“Ohh, pumpkin, I'm sorry. Why don’t we invite April and Becky over? I’m sure they wouldn't go without-.”

Carrie started, before seeing the betrayal and heartbreak on full display on Nikki’s face. The look said more than any words could. Carrie cursed internally. She put the Colby jack onto the bread and then took a long sip of coffee to get the cobwebs out of her brain. She hummed in thought.

“When I was around your age-.”

Nikki cut her mother off with a groan. The child could feel a long, uninteresting story brewing.

“Hey, I’m not your Dad, young lady. This won’t be some long, boring story about nothing. Have some faith in the coolest Mom on this side of Jersey, hm?”

Carrie asked rhetorically. 

Once the floor was hers again she resumed.

“Anyway, back when I did cheer as a kid, I was always excluded from the sleepovers and the after parties and stuff. Unless one of the other moms forced their daughter to invite me. And even then, it sucked.” 

Carrie shifted her attention back to her daughter’s food. She saw the toast turning a crispy brown and flipped both pieces. After, Carrie turned back to face Nikki, frowning as she saw her sitting on the counter. Without a word from her mother, the kid hopped off.

“My Grandmother told me way back then that not everyone will like you. And that's ok. What matters is focusing on the people who like you. The people who matter.”

Carrie explained, glancing over at the stove to check on the sandwich again. She flipped it one more time as her daughter nodded. Carrie smiled a bit as her daughter caught on.

“Why don’t we throw a little party after your next contest ourselves? We can invite some of the girls from your old gymnastics team over.”

Carrie suggested as she grabbed a paper plate for her daughter.

Nikki smiled softly at her suggestion, watching her mother pry the two halves of the sandwich off of the skillet with a spatula.

“Yeah.”

Nikki agreed cheerfully.

“Maybe we could buy those really good cupcake mixes or something from the store?”

She asked as her mother handed off the plate to her.

“Of course, kiddo. So long as you little demons don’t make a mess out of my kitchen, I think we’ll be ok.”

Carrie teased her daughter as she took another drink of her coffee. Her exhaustion had fatigued a long while ago by now. She felt bad in hindsight, for being so dismissive of her daughter earlier. In a few years when Nikki was too old or too cool to come to her, she’d long for days like today.

“Hey, hon?”

Carrie asked as Nikki began to eat. Her daughter nods at her.

“I’m sorry for blowing you off before. But next time you want to talk, just tell me, ok?”

Carrie asked, putting her arm around her daughter’s tinier shoulder. She cleaned some of the crumbs off of the corner of Nikki’s mouth with her thumb, smiling a bit. Just like her father, she's a messy eater. Despite looking just like her, excluding a few of her father’s facial features, she has most of the head of the house’s mannerisms. 

Nikki nodded in response once her mother finished talking. She smiled at her usual shows of maternal affection.

“Of course.”

Nikki reassured, melting into her mother’s warm embrace.

“And thanks. I love you.”

“Of course, sweetheart. I love you, too.”

Carrie pressed her lips against the girl’s forehead.

“The sandwich is good?”

Carrie asked, rubbing her daughter's shoulder idly as she watched her eat.

Nikki hummed as she finished eating.

“Perfect. As always.”