How Tables Can Turn

I held the door for the finely dressed couple that was heading out into the streets and shook my umbrella loose of much of the rain it had accrued on my long walk to the all-night diner.

I didn’t know this area of the city well; but well enough to know it’s best not to wander. The diner was where I had met up with Ron when I first moved from my uncle’s farm in Nebraska.

Ron was the only friend I knew in the city back in them early days and we hadn’t kept up much since our shared days of youth; when we hadn’t the slightest of cares in the world, it seemed comparatively in hindsight.

Now, there on that rainy night, I knew no better number to drop my dime for than Ron’s.

I strolled towards the bathrooms where the payphone was stationed and leaned my umbrella against the wall underneath it. I wasn’t looking forward to explaining my situation at all or having to ask for his help and as I punched in the first few digits of his number, I paused; looked at the keypad as if to recall if there was anyone else I knew in this part of town.

The bell above the diner door rang as it had when the nicely dressed couple were leaving, my eyes darted over to see Sheila’s smiling face looking back over her shoulder followed closely by her beautiful friend who’s face I was sure I’d never seen before.

I held the receiver to my ear for a moment to let the excitement in me settle a little before hanging it up, straightening my jacket collar, and picking up my umbrella.

Her and her friend had taken a seat at the counter and were laughing it up as if the bar had been their previous stop. I looked down at my watch for a quick glance and realized the place was about to fill up with that exact kind of buzzing energy -the bar rush was coming. I wasted not another moment before sauntering over to the open seat next to Sheila.

“Hey stranger,” I said to her. She looked to her right where I was seated; straight into my eyes. She lit up like a Ferris wheel on opening night of the county fair and let out a light squeal of excitement as she threw her arms around my neck and pressed her cheek against mine.

Over Sheila’s shoulder I saw her friend smile in our direction as we were sharing our quick embrace and then look down a little timidly.

Sheila would introduce her as her dear friend from college and immediately ask me how I’ve been and several follow-up questions, keeping me talking for a few minutes before I could even ask her what kind of night they were having that they happen to stroll through that exact door to this exact diner on the night I was stranded downtown.

“We went dancing at the club on 21st and Lewis,” her seemingly shy friend blurted out, revealing her light accent in the process. “But all the guys were handsy jerks with no rhythm.”

I laughed out loud and said how I was sorry to hear it, but glad that the timing had worked out so well.

I only ordered a coffee and Sheila and her friend shared a strawberry milkshake.

I offered to buy them each their own, to which they smiled at each other and then back at me and said in unison with a seductive chuckle each, “We like to share.”

Sheila later suggested that I drive them home in her car as she thought neither one of them were sober enough to drive.

The real reason, I would come to suspect had something to do with getting an early start on all the fun we would end up having that night.

Some men are easily distracted when driving, some of us just know how to relax at the helm no matter what kind of sultry shenanigans the others may be up to.

I drove at a very slow pace to Sheila’s apartment building...

Fate can turn tables quicker than you can even get seated sometimes.

Getting caught in the pouring rain had never before been so good to me.