Joystick Demon

I have always been a sucker for a wink and a smile... add to them THE three magic words, and I quite quickly become a hopeless cause. Her name was Lily, and I was 19. “If I knew then what I know now” is what every coffee sipping old timer that sits at my counter says, daily. After tonight though, I doubt I’ll ever reach a stage of grey that gives me the right to quote it. You see, Lily dared me. Those three damned magical words... “I dare you,” winking and smiling. So potently powerful, they make me, for all of the un-apologies of the word, incorrigible!

“Hey Tony, what say you versus old Miller’s bridge today, I dare you!” 10 minutes later and you’ll find me joining the loons free diving off the top of that iron eyesore! I was as sure footed as anyone ever born in this little town is what my grandpa used to say. So when Lily walked in, a stranger to me, I knew She had no clue of the kind of man She was talking to. But, She did. Those innocent eyes knew exactly who She was talking to. Thinking back just a little and I’d have to say She came in looking just for me.

I have worked every shift, done every job, and served every type you can think of here at Dellah’s Diner. It’s my great aunt's place and me, being her favorite nephew, gets the honor of also being her great jack of all! We’re open 24/7, 365, and people come from every county around to dine with us. So when I say, no one compares to Lily... I mean it.

My attention, from small talking the Lee’s, always splitting a tomato bisque and grilled cheese on their late Friday nights out, was swept by a fevered feeling upon me. Joan’s grandchild story, no match for this enlivened wave my body was syncing with. Searching for ground zero, useless as everything was ordinary and in place. Then the diner door, one I’d kicked my way through thousands of times, hit me as foreign; an exotic bridge to this Anonymous Her.

Great Aunt Dellah’s old dinner bell clanged me back to service, however my senses returned too late because I have no memory of Her entrance. She just arrived and like diving off a bridge, my heart froze and sprinted to Her eyes. They were horizon blue, like where the sky, sun, and sea meet, fair skin and long midnight hair to frame them. Her height made me think She’d fit just right below my chin, Her fingers painted a few shades deeper red than Her perfectly balanced lips. She saw me struck and smiled the most genuine, “I found you” smile I’ve ever seen. She was all things, an instant and infinity.

“Pick anywhere you’d like to sit,,, I’ll be right over to get you started” I said by shaky muscle memory alone. It was pure instinct at that point for my thoughts were microbursts of every conversation I could ever possibly have with her. I tried to step to Her when I felt a snag. It was Stan, Joan’s husband, holding my shirt tail. “Boy, grabbing a tiger by its tail is easy, holding onto it, that’s hard. Be ready cause she looks ferocious,” he laughed as Joan smacked his hand off me.

She sat at the empty counter, just beside my prepping station. After tagging the Lee’s order to the kitchen and taking a deep breath, it began. She leant forward on the counter, Her chin angled down so to look those eyes up at me,

“Hi handsome, I’m Lily,” coyly, “And just passing through. I’m not hungry but had to get off the road, my eyes just wouldn’t stay open!. Can I get a cup of coffee and hang out here until I wake a bit? I won’t be trouble, promise!”

“Well I usually don’t allow riff-raff to just freeload my counter, but since I have loved ones out there, I can’t let you go running any of ‘em off the road. Soooooo, in the spirit of not wanting to hunt you down for taking out grandma, best you stay as long as you need to.”

“No sir, I would hate to send you on some tragic hero’s revenge quest, I couldn’t live with myself knowing you were out there not catching me.”

I laughed out loud, shook my head, and poured her coffee.

“I’m sure you’d be real broken up about it.”

The ready bell dinged, quickly I hopped the hot order to the Lee’s, Stan giving me his arthritic thumbs up and told me now I just had to hold on tight. He had no idea how true that was about to be. They ate more quickly than usual, tipped well for 30yrs ago, as usual, and shuffled out with Stan giving a two handed, hold on tight squeezing motion for last remindings.

“They seem happy, sweet... but why does he want to choke her!?” She asked.

“Because all she wanted tonight was coffee.!” I joked.

She laughed, bit her lip and raised an eyebrow.

As casual as I could, I cracked the register, scooped a hand full of quarters and made my move. “I know you're probably far too worldly and mature for games, but I happen to be going on break and have a great way of waking you up.”

Her eyebrows poutedly pressed, “I am not the kinda girl that plays games sir, not without proper stakes?!”

“Follow me Miss, I’ll see if I can make it interesting for you.”

She hopped off the red vinyl bench and as if She’d been doing it for a lifetime and skipped right up to me. That close, She felt like home. Growing up, grandpa would often ask if I believed in magic, I’d always say no. He’d say that was because I hadn’t met Her yet.

It might be the dark kind, but I believe in magic now.

I led Her down the hall to the back lounge of the diner. A place full in the after school hours with kids playing arcade and board games and gossiping on the oversized sofas. This time of night though... we’d have it all to ourselves.

“Pick your passion?” I challenged.

She was genuinely pleased as the air hockey hummed, the cowboy pistols beckoned in their shoot ‘em up holsters, and the PAC Man high scores towered.

“So you probably play these all the time, not sure how it can possibly be fair.?! Maybe I need to set the terms,” she debated. She winked and smiled before casting it, “c’mon handsome, let me, I dare you.”

I agreed without a thought to it.

She replied,

“Game one, PAC Man, one play each, high score, winner gets...” tapping Her chin as if She didn’t know what She was gonna wager, “winner gets to choose where we end the night.”

“Interesting and agreed,” I said.

No sooner than I agreed, She grabbed my shirt with force and kissed me.! Hold on tight was right.!

She pushed me away, “now it’s official and can’t be undone.” Outstretched hand and receiving her quarter, She took full control over the joystick. She was so screen focused I couldn’t tell if it was Her not wanting my imagination deciding where we’d go next or because She had somewhere in mind to take me! She quickly made short work of the high score, my high score! I attempted the game but was no match for Her precision.

“Well played” I praised, “I see I found a hustler. I’m sure you’ll tell me when we’re done that you are some world ranked gamer.”

She moved on without a slowdown,

“Game two, Air Hockey, play til I win by two; I mean! til someone wins by two.” She locked her fingers behind her and swayed side to side this time, so innocent, “Winner gets to decide how long this evening will last.”

Honestly, win or lose, for the moment, I was just happy to be with Her.

So, “Agreed.”

This time She flung Herself around my neck, near knocking me over for Her sealing kiss. Before my arms could hold her fully She released me with another shove and ordered me to fire it up!

The air ports blasted and all buzzed to life. The puck glided between us, slamming and beaten, thrown and thrusted, points were made, scores were tied, rounds were laughed over and over. Until She’d done it. She’d beaten my best.

“You got me... but in all fairness, focusing on that puck with you over there making those messed up growly faces is hard!”

She gasped and hid Her face from me, a cover that stung far more than the loss. Gently taking Her wrists, I pulled Her hands down, looked into Her eyes, focused, “what’s the final game and stakes?”

“Well since you can’t handle looking at me and I don’t care for guns, let me think... I’ve won the where of it; we’ll go back up to the diner. And the how long of it; you can have me for the rest of your break. Now it’s time for the what? of the evening. The what tonight I think deserves to be a wish. If you win, you can have anything you can think to wish for.”

I interrupted, “so you’re my genie in the lamp now?”

Her eyes shifted from sunset to moonless night. “Not a genie, no. I prefer Fantasy Facilitator. If you win, I will grant you what you desire most.”

“And if I lose?”

“Considering I’m staking a limitless wish, I need you to call with something of equal value. To me, that would be your soul.”

Her bluff, although a convincing one, would not stagger me. I replied,

“So you probably play this game all the time, not sure how it can possibly be fair.?! Maybe I need to set the game.”

Her posture straightened.

“Interesting, and agreed.”

This time the advance was mine.

I stepped fast and slammed the wall behind Her. Pinned and under me, I could see Her breath was taken and at that moment I seized the back of Her neck and kissed Her. It was an ageless kiss, the one you’d send someone off to war with, the kind you’d give when it was years in the making, or the kind when you’re gambling souls.

I stood up on my terms, took Her hand, and walked Her right up to the front of my diner.

“Game three, single player, right or wrong, I will guess who and when the next person walking through that door will be.”

She agreed and the course was set.

“In 2-1/2 minutes, it’ll be Stan.”

The clock started the second I finished my prediction.

2 min 15 seconds of heart beats passed.

She smiled. 15 seconds later, I smiled wider as Dellah’s bell clanged and in waltzed Stan.

Her eyes huged and lips dropped.

“Hey there Stan, here you go, sir.”

I turned around and grabbed the already wrapped to go piece of pie behind me, and slid it over to him.

He grabbed it with a nod and skipped away, punching his old excited hand up with a twist.

She looked at me shocked.

“Every Friday, late in summer, early in winter, Joan and Stan split a bisque and grilled cheese. He wants desert, she says he doesn’t need it, but on the walk home, he stops at the bridge of their first kiss, holds her cheeks and kisses her softly. She caves in and tells him to go get his damned pie.”

She replied, “I see I found a hustler… well what wish can I grant you?”

Tapping my chin, as if I didn’t know what I was gonna wish for.

“I wish for you to pass through tomorrow and play me again, double or nothing.”