His Simple Wish

Fred leaned against the wall of Herb’s Diner where he’d flipped burgers and pancakes for over thirty years. His head drooped and his aching knees trembled. The despairing man didn’t know why he came back. The diner closed its doors weeks ago – another casualty of Black Tuesday. He once thought losing Clara to be the worst thing in his small world, but almost felt relief she hadn’t lived to see him so low. His empty stomach tightened. Fred had sworn to never eat another, but now he sighed and wished for one more chance to fry up a greasy hamburger.