What She's Having

The alarm rang at 7am. Danny tried to ignore it, holding tightly to a dream that quickly faded from memory. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to return to where he left off, but he had forgotten far too much already. Monday, 7:02 AM, time for coffee.

Danny showered and dressed, selecting from a myriad of grey-blue shirt and tie combinations. He opened the pantry and grabbed some blueberry pop-tarts from the box and slid them into the toaster before walking over to the fishbowl to feed Julius Seasar, his housemate and esteemed cohort. He leisurely sipped his black coffee and enjoyed his fruit pastries while watching Julius polish off his morning flakes. Danny wasn’t much of an early bird, and no longer burned with the eager passion of an ambitious college intern to “get the worm.”

Danny loved literature and theater and hoped someday he would become a famous playwright or an actor. Nearly 40 and working for $9.50 an hour, narrating audio user-manuals was hardly what he had in mind. Yet, after hundreds of failed theater auditions, and the ever-constant “face for radio” response, he eventually landed a job at the audio publishing company, Libradio. It is here that he worked for the last 7 years, recording product user-manuals as audiobooks for the visually impaired.

After hours of immensely exhilarating recitation of product specs and safety warnings for the newest GE Model Number XB7HY982453N Series 7 Convection Oven, Danny stopped by Susie Q’s, a 50’s themed diner that he frequented. Susie Q’s was not exactly reminiscent of the lively, soda-pop and jukebox joints of the ‘Happy Days’ era. Most of the waitresses looked like school cafeteria lunch ladies, with hairnets and orthopedic shoes, but they were renowned for their lengthy and delicious dessert menu, with every flavor of cake, pie, and ice cream imaginable. Danny had been a smoker but gave it up it in his mid-twenties to preserve his voice. The day he put them down, he picked up one heck of a sweet tooth, so Susie Q’s was the perfect pitstop for him to get his daily sugar fix.

Danny sat and opened a book. A waitress named Mildred walked over, set down a coffee mug and began filling it. “What’ll it be today, cake or pie?” she asked. “I think I’ll try your chocolate cake,” he said, as if he hadn’t had it over a dozen times before. Danny was reading The Great Gatsby for about the hundredth time. He was just getting to the tea party scene when he heard a familiar sounding female voice in the distance. He lifted his head and looked across the diner. Mildred was talking to a cute brunette girl with curly hair and freckles. She had a soft, yet high-pitched voice that reminded him of his first crush.

Danny hadn’t had the easiest life growing up. He was extremely introverted and had no real friends besides his mother, Madeline. Danny was often bullied in school and had never even spoken to another girl besides his mother. When he was a sophomore in high school, she became ill, causing Danny to become even more socially distant. He spent most of his free time taking care of his mother and reading her books. They shared many of the same passions and both loved literature and music. Madeline enjoyed her time with Danny but wished that he would make some friends of his own, or perhaps even meet a girl. She often mentioned it, but he would never leave her side, fearing what little time they might have left. Besides, he had no clue how to talk to girls.

One day after school, Danny was rushing home when Tyler, a school jock, tripped him in the hallway. Tyler and his buddies were laughing as Danny attempted to run off. Tyler scoffed, “That’s right cry baby, run home to mommy before it’s too late. Does she still change your diapers, or do you change hers?” Danny snapped and ran at Tyler, attempting to tackle him. Tyler saw him coming, moved to the side and Danny slammed head-first into the lockers. Tyler snickered. “Loser,” he said, and walked away. As Danny got up, fighting off the tears now running down his cheek, he punched the locker as hard as he could. That’s when he heard her voice. “You are so much more than those guys will ever be,” she said. Danny looked up and saw a pretty girl with a short, boyish haircut. Her name was Autumn. She had been in school with Danny since the 1st grade, but they had never spoken. Autumn had the softest little high-pitched voice, but she was quite athletic and tomboyish. She was a cheerleader, ran track and played softball. “They only pick on you because they’re jealous. You’re way smarter than them, and don’t mind what they said about your mom. Everyone in school thinks its sweet that you help take care of her.” Danny didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. Autumn helped him up. “Mind if I walk with you for a bit?” Danny nodded, holding his head which was already starting to swell.

From then on, the two were inseparable. Autumn and Danny became close, and she often came over to help Danny make dinner and read to his mom. Turns out the two had a lot in common, besides all the sports stuff. Danny became more outgoing around Autumn. One day, the two were at a town fair. She encouraged him to try some of the carnival games, but he refused. He was embarrassed because he couldn’t throw a ball to save his life, but she kept encouraging him, even when he nearly killed a carnie with a dart at the balloon pop, or when he dropped the sledgehammer at the high striker and almost broke his toe. Finally, with her cheering him on, he managed to toss a ping pong ball into the center cup and won a goldfish. Autumn suggested naming him Orange Julius because he was orange instead of gold. So, he did.

Everything changed Danny’s senior year when his mother died. He completely shut off from the world, and even Autumn couldn’t get him to talk much. They say, when it rains, it pours, and it certainly did! About a month after Madeline died, Autumn’s cousin had just gotten her driver’s license and the girls were out joyriding, when a truck blew a tire and swerved into their lane. The two were killed on contact. In that very year, Danny lost the only two people he had ever loved. He was never the same.

Now 39, single and living alone in his mother’s house, it was as if time stopped for him. He lacked the courage to leave the only home he’d ever known, and he never again attempted to make friends or speak to another girl. The weight that fell on him at such a young age was just too heavy for him to lift on his own, so he just followed the same simple routines he had always known. He had been through several goldfish over the years after Orange Julius died. There was Orange Finnius, Orange Maximus, Lemon Julian, and now Julius Seasar. He lived vicariously through books, music, dreams, and memories; those were the places he could always go to remain close with those he loved.

“You going to eat that?” Mildred asked. “Want me to pack it to go?”

Danny had totally spaced out. He looked out the window and noticed that the sky had grown dark, and everyone had left the restaurant. “Yes, sorry. Thanks,” he said. “Hey, any chance you know that girls name that was sitting over there? I felt like maybe I recognized her,” he asked.

“Oh, her name is Danielle. She comes in all the time. Mostly for breakfast though. Sweet girl. Usually in here reading like you,” replied Mildred. “Same time tomorrow?”

The alarm rang at 7am. Danny propped up, far more spritely than usual. He rushed through his morning routine, skipping the coffee and pastries this time. He fed Julius and headed out the door. En route to work, he stopped by Susie Q’s. As he entered, he saw Danielle sitting, reading a book. He sat in his usual booth and pulled out The Great Gatsby. Mildred walked over and said, “You’re here early! Want some more chocolate cake, or you going to order some real breakfast?” she asked. Danny looked towards Danielle and saw she had a big stack of pancakes. “I’ll have breakfast. How about pancakes?” he asked.

Danny ate his pancakes, daydreaming and gazing at Danielle. He could see the cover of the book she was reading, The Notebook. He hadn’t read it but had heard of it. He liked how she only opened the book narrowly, to not damage the spine, utilizing her napkin frequently to not stain the pages. After she finished eating and left, he realized the time and sped all the way to work to not be late. He had never driven so fast in his life!

On Wednesday, the alarm rang at 6:30am. He spent a little extra time choosing his outfit, fed Julius, and headed out. This time, when Mildred approached, Danny looked up before she could speak and said, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Mildred glanced over towards Danielle, then looked down at the table and noticed Danny was holding the same book, The Notebook. Mildred smiled and walked off. She came back and served Danny eggs, bacon, and hash browns with a glass of orange juice. “You should say hello,” she said. “Huh, wha…no. No, I…I,” Danny stumbled through his words. “Just go introduce yourself,” said Mildred. Danny stared at Mildred, then at Danielle, then down at his eggs and began stuffing his face so that he wouldn’t have to respond. Mildred chuckled.

Thursday morning Danny drove to the diner, trying to work up the courage to talk to Danielle. He sat in his car for a while outside, going back and forth over whether he would approach her and what he would say. Finally, he walked in and looked around, but she wasn’t there. He asked Mildred if she had come in, but she said no. He ordered a piece of pie, sat, and waited a few minutes before leaving.

The next several days, he returned to the diner at breakfast, but he never saw her again. He kicked himself for not taking the chance when he had it. As time progressed, Danny eventually stopped getting up early for breakfast at Susie’s and fell back into his old routine. He returned to his evening visits for cake, pie, and other sugary retreats from his rather dull existence.

The alarm rang at 7am on Monday. Danny hit the snooze button and rolled over in bed. As his dream faded, he stood at the cash counter and smiled at Mildred as he reached for his wallet to pay, while Danielle wrapped her arms around him and thanked him for breakfast. He opened his eyes and realized he had overslept. He rushed to get ready and left without breakfast. After work, he stopped by the diner. He sat in his regular booth and pulled out The Notebook, which he had continued to read despite everything. He had taken a liking to the book and was nearly to the end. Danny heard Mildred approach the table but was finishing the last lines of the book, so he didn’t acknowledge her right away. He closed the book and was about to order, when he heard her voice say, “Great book, right?” It was her! She was there standing next to his booth, wearing an apron and a nametag that said “Danielle.” “I’ve read it about a hundred times. It’s one of my favorites. I’m Danielle. I’m new here. What can I get for you? The chocolate cake here is the best. You should try it.”

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