Families logo

Piglet's Diner

Fall of 1986- Four high school truants take a midnight stroll around the fictional town of Flower Pot, New York. Ben's aunt and uncle operate this 24/7 diner that opened just a week ago. During their visit to the diner, an impromptu event occurs.

By Talia DevoraPublished 4 years ago 9 min read
2
Piglet's Diner
Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash

Fall of 1986 in Flower Pot, New York

On a gloomy Tuesday night, four high school truants discover the coolest thing ever- a family-operated 24/7 restaurant called Piglet's Diner. During their neighbourhood stroll at 2 am, Ben hears his all-time favourite song playing loudly from the diner. His friends Wendy, Emily and Tom want to visit the local liquor store to grab a few bottles of lager and visit the little parkette two blocks away from the diner. On the other hand, Ben is craving a juicy, all-beef cheeseburger with crispy french fries, black coffee and a pink, melt-in-your-mouth strawberry cheesecake milkshake, but also wants an alcoholic drink of some kind. McDonalds is closed for the night. The other local 24/7 diners and eateries are too expensive. So what's next on the list? Ben suggests that him and his pals visit Piglet's for a bite to eat, since his aunt Poppy and uncle Wilbur are the owners of the diner. They all agree to tag along. Uncle Wilbur and Aunt Poppy happily greet their first midnight customers as the teens enter the vibrant, 50's style eatery.

AUNT POPPY: Hey Ben! Who are these little suckers behind you?

BEN: Oh, hey Aunt Poppy! These are my friends Wendy, Emily and Tom. (His three friends willingly shake the hands of Aunt Poppy and Uncle Wilbur).

WENDY: Nice to meet you. My name is Wendy Cunningham.

TOM: Hey Mrs. and Mr. My name is Tom Paddington. It's a pleasure to meet you.

EMILY: Hey Mr. and Mrs. My name is Emily Cochran. It's lovely to meet you as well.

UNCLE WILBUR: What brings you here so late on a school night?

BEN: Ummmmm..... it's nothing special. My friends and I were really hungry as we were going for a 60 minute walk around the plaza when we suddenly saw a diner that was recently opened. I realized that you and Aunt Poppy were the owners and would give us a good deal for tonight’s meal. We were not in the mood for the usual large cheese pizza and bottles of coke tonight. We originally wanted to sit under the tree at the park with a few bottles of lagers and cigarettes. But we found something even better.

UNCLE WILBUR: Alrighty then! I'll get you guys some menus. Follow me to the large table on the right!

Ben and his friends settle in and start determining what they will eat and drink. Uncle Wilbur brings the four teenagers some cold water with ice and lemon as the four of them grab their own illustrated, laminated and scarlet covered menus. Ben finds something unexpected.

BEN: Hey y'all. Look what I found?

WENDY, TOM AND EMILY: WHAT BEN????!!!

BEN: A wide selection of alcoholic beverages!!!

WENDY, TOM AND EMILY: Wow!!! HOW SPECTACULAR!!

BEN: So what do you guys reckon we do?!

WENDY: Let's get wasted!!! We can still get burgers, french fries, coffee and milkshakes though!

TOM: I'm down!

EMILY: I'm down as well!

BEN: Alrighty! Sounds impeccable!

By GoodEats YQR on Unsplash

A few minutes into their visit at Piglet's, they scrunitize the menu for any good food and beverages. Ben already made up his mind, while the others were slow as worms. Aunt Poppy approaches the teens with her white-washed diner apron and red floral dress, white waitress hat, cherry-red lipstick, charcoal black high heel shoes, her mini notepad and pen.

AUNT POPPY: What can I get you guys?!

BEN: Oh, hey auntie. I would like to order a black coffee, a bottle of lager, the bacon cheeseburger with spicy waffle fries and the strawberry cheesecake milkshake please. Please add mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup and relish to the order.

AUNT POPPY: Okie dokie! What can I get your chums here?

BEN: They still need a little time. See if they wants any beverages in the mean time.

Aunt Poppy gently grabs the attention of the three other customers, with a small smile. Emily, Tom and Wendy have decided on the beverages, but not the food yet.

EMILY: Oh hey ma'am! Can I please order a caramel-infused coffee with a bottle of lager please? Tom and Wendy will have the same order as me please. We still need a couple more minutes to figure out our main meal and dessert, if you don't mind.

AUNT POPPY: Sure sweetheart. I'll be back in a few minutes.

EMILY: Thank you ma'am!

By Wengang Zhai on Unsplash

A few minutes have passed and Wendy, Emily and Tom have finally made up their minds. Emily wanted the mushroom and onion double cheeseburger with curly french fries and a chocolate brownie milkshake. Tom decided on the spicy nacho burger with french fries and a plain vanilla milkshake. Wendy wanted the loaded french fries with a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake. There mouths were starting to water as Poppy walked back to their table with the coffee and lager.

AUNT POPPY: Have y'all decided on your mains now?

EMILY: Yes! Can I please order the mushroom and onion double cheeseburger with curly french fries and a chocolate brownie milkshake please? Please include a side of vinegar and mustard to the order. I am starving like a pig!!!

AUNT POPPY: Okay dear. Comin' right up! What can I get you Wendy?

WENDY: I'll do the loaded french fries without the olives, meat and peppers and the peppermint chocolate chip milkshake. I am a vegetarian, so I cannot consume meat. The taste of olives and peppers make my stomach queasy.

AUNT POPPY: Hahahah.... well I wouldn't want you feelin' queasy, so we'll skip the olives and peppers. I will also omit the meat since you are a vegetarian. You're all set now!

WENDY: Thank you ma'am. I greatly appreciate it.

TOM: Hey Poppy. Can I have the spicy nacho burger with french fries and a plain vanilla milkshake? Please add hot sauce, because I love spicy food to death! Also, please add lots of vinegar, relish, salt and pepper to the fries!!!

AUNT POPPY: Alright Tommy. You're all set! Your orders will be ready in about 25-30 minutes.

By Alex Holyoake on Unsplash

As Wilbur flips the burgers in the steaming hot kitchen, Ben notices a little jukebox on the walls beside him. As he was exploring all of the songs, he pulled out his wallet and picked up a quarter. Ben is a big fan of Elvis Presley and so were his friends. As soon as he inserted the quarter in the jukebox, Ben selects his favourite song called "Don't Be Cruel" by Elvis Presley. Him and his friends kick back and relax like a group of men at a bar as they slowly sip on lager and hot brewing coffee. The long chats about the teachers they abhor, the girls and guys they are attracted to, their childhood memories and what movie they want to see this weekend lasted for about 10-15 minutes. As Tom chugs down his lager, he starts to feel a little loopy. On the other hand, Wendy and Emily are too busy savouring the sweet, candy-like taste of their caramel-infused coffees and singing along to the song. Ben quietly hums and recalls the time he put on his Elvis Presley costume and black Mohawk wig and danced to "Hound Dog" in his bedroom one night as a young boy. Ben continues to sip on his lager, but no longer wants the black coffee. The 30 minutes was up and the delicious smell of juicy all-beef burgers and salty french fries create a camp-like scent around the table. Ben and his friends were ready to chow!!!

BEN: Thank you auntie.

EMILY: Thank you ma'am.

WENDY: Thank you Poppy.

TOM: Thanks Poppy.

AUNT POPPY: It is my pleasure. Enjoy your meals and let Wilbur and I know if you need anything else.

By Moritz Mentges on Unsplash

As Ben and his friends enjoy their meals, Ben continues to play the jukebox with all of the songs that he and his comrades have enjoyed throughout the years. Wendy hears something familiar which reminds them of their middle school days. A classic rock and roll song called "Ballroom Blitz" by The Sweet was once played at a school dance they attended in junior high. The four of them get up from the table and start to boogie-woogie to the nonstop jukebox hits. Throughout the whacky excursion, an impromptu diner dance party occurs, which is something that Uncle Wilbur and Aunt Poppy have never expected from Ben, since he was not considered a "party animal" but rather someone who likes to "just sit back, have a drink and smoke cigarettes at a local tavern".

A few more customers enter the diner. Three adolescent guys with huge biceps, jet-black hair, leather black and crimson sport jackets, blue jeans, white sneakers and blue t-shirts quietly follow Uncle Wilbur to the upholstery on the left. Both Ben and Tom shyly introduce themselves as they resume eating, drinking and dancing all at one time. Wendy and Emily exchanged strange looks at each other. The sight of such huge, tall 16-year old boys creates butterflies in their stomachs since the two girls are petite and skinny.

BEN: Hey man! How do you do?

BIG GUY NO. 1: Hey. What brings you here?

TOM: We were hungry and bored, so our girlfriends and us decided to visit Piglet's. Bens aunt and uncle are the operators of the diner.

BIG GUY NO. 1 AND 2: Ok then. I see you guys have decided to have a little dance party. Our friend doesn't really dance, so he'll just observe as he is examining the menu and drinking his black coffee with sugar and milk. Can we join you guys?

BEN AND TOM: Yes, why not?

BIG GUY NO. 1 AND 2: Alrighty!

It is now 5 am in the morning and the music continues to play. Wendy, Ben, Tom and Emily are not tired, despite how long they have been dancing and how much they have imbibed and ingested. On the jukebox, there is no more 50's and 70's music playing. It is all the recent tunes that are often played in the hallways at school.

30 minutes later, Tom and Ben are extremely intoxicated and full from all the sugar and alcohol they consumed in one night. Wendy and Emily are not as inebriated, but rather a little tipsy and stuffed. What an epic night the four of them are having? It is even better when spontaneous school mates join the fun!

Since Aunt Poppy and Uncle Wilbur are the owners and Ben is their nephew, he and his friends do not have to pay for their first meal. The kids are too drunk and exhuasted to bid farewell, so they will just leave the diner and start walking. They do not live far away from each other, so they will walk back together and bid each other farewell. As Ben enters the little yellow painted hut, he immediately walks into his bedroom and collapses on his bed. His parents are fast asleep, so they do not know anything about his crazy trip to the diner. Ben puts on his ripped, dirty pj's and falls asleep. Out of all the nights he and his friends would stroll around town on school nights, this is the night that Ben will never forget.

By Alex on Unsplash

humanity
2

About the Creator

Talia Devora

Poetess, visual artist and lifestyle/quiz writer! My pastimes include reading, sleeping, gaming, music, fitness, etc! Be yourselves, be kind and value life! Let's connect and be friends!

My IG accounts: @tdwrites24 & @tdcreates97

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.