Chapter3
“Hello, honey, what can I get you?“, she said in a warm voice.
“Some water, please, and the menu would be nice.”, my voice was quiet and raspy. She threw a quick glance at me, her eyes held curiosity, but as soon as they landed on my cane 1 spotted a hint of sadness.
“Sure thing, sweetle. And if you need to use the bathroom – it’s just behind the bar. Take your time, your water and the menu will be waiting for you when you come back“, her voice was soft and low, her tone wasn’t hostile, it made my nerves calm down a little.
“Thank you“, I said just as quiet as before, grabbed my backpack and my cane and limped away.
As soon as the toilet door closed behind me, I took a deep breath, gathered my inner strength together and looked in the mirror. Shit, I looked like shit. Messy and dirty dark brown hair, that went to my shoulders, pale skin, dried tears in the corners of my almond shaped brown eyes. And an ugly red 5 cm long scar over my right brow. I guess if you lie about being raped, doctors don’t do a very good job in stitching you up. My once pink lips were almost blue. I needed to get myself together. I quickly brushed my teeth, splashed some cold water on my face, pulled my hair in a messy pony tail and pinched my cheeks to bring back a bit of color to my face. I also changed my t–shirt, because the one I had on looked very bad. Now I had a white v–neck with short sleeves with a pug print on my stomach
Deep breath Go.
I slowly returned to my booth, dropped my backpack on the seat near me, the cane on the previous spot. Just as the woman said, a menu and a glass of water flavored with some lemop and peppermint was waiting on the table. I gulped the water hungrily and tried to choose something to eat.
“You look better, sweetheart. What can I get you to eat?“, the woman came back. Wow, if everyone was so sweet in this town as her, I could consider staying.
“Thank you“, the water made my throat less sore, so my voice wasn’t as harsh as before. “Maybe some chicken soup would be nice?
“Sure thing, honey! I’ll be back with your food soon.
I
While I was waiting for my soup, I decided to take a good look around the diner. Maybe I could work here? The design of the place was pretty decent- white tiled floor, creamy walls with pictures of smiling customers in simple wooden frames, a clean bar with 10 dark red leather bar stools, some tables covered with white linen and artificial flowers in small vases, big windows and several booths, also with dark red leather couches. Pretty small, nothing fancy but a very homey diner. It wasn’t too crowded – a couple of old guys at the bar drinking beer and sneaking glances my way, some teens in the booth In the far corner of the diner, and they seemed pretty interested in who I was, but didn’t dare staring, so again – sneaking glances. I’ve spotted only one waitress, the one that served me and a chef. The radio was playing some old Dixie, the music seemed soothing and I found myself feeling relaxed for the first time in last two months. The place was nothing like home and that’s a good thing. I leaned my head on the back of my seat and closed my eyes. 1 allowed myself to dream a bit about how my life would be if I stayed here. Maybe they have a decent school here? The town looked suitable for raising a child, a lot of fresh air, life seemed calm here, maybe that was what I needed to forget?
A sudden voice near me made me jump on my seat a bit, but I soon realized that was just a waitress putting my soup on the table. Took me a moment to stable my breathing, but I quickly reminded myself, that I was far from home.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, dear. Here’s your soup and some bread.“, said the waitress.
“It’s ok, thanks“, I answered. The smell of hot soup was mouthwatering, I wasted no time and started eating as fast as I could, I was extremely hungry. After all, I have spent two days solely on crackers.
“Wow, slow down there, or you’re going to choke!” Said the woman with an amused laugh. I felt my lace heating up.
“Yeah.. Just hungry.” I replied shyly.
“I can see that” she laughed.
I threw her a small smile and continued devouring my soup. I was so consumed with eating, that haven’t even noticed, that she decided to join me and sat right across from me.
“So, what’s your name, sweetheart?“, s
17o, she asked after my eating pace slowed down
“Uhm… Emily.“, I answered. It was weird, that a waitress was being so up front with a customer, but I guess living in such a small town means that you know everyone and the common rules of client service don’t really apply in this case.
다
