The Man in the Diner

My eyes looked up at the clock, 12:47 a.m., as I rounded the corner of the diner counter. The raggedy edge caught on my apron and I heard a small rip in the fabric.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I sighed to myself as a pen on that side of the apron attempted to fall out.

I secured it in the pocket on the opposite side as I strolled towards my only table: a group of 4 who were slowing down after what appeared to have been a fun night.

Halfway to them, the bell above the diner door chimed and a fresh face walked in. I glanced that way and saw that my newest customer was a man not that much older than me, late thirties, maybe, carrying what looked like a messenger bag.

“Sit anywhere you like and I’ll be with you in a moment.” I smiled at him as I finished the way over to the group.

“You folks doing okay? Anything you need? Your food shouldn’t be much longer.” As I finished saying that, the kitchen bell rang.

I headed back towards the kitchen window to grab their plates.

They were warm, and to anyone who had never waited tables before, they might have been too hot for bare hands. I grabbed the biggest plate with my left, stacked two on that arm, and picked up the last with my right.

I carried them over, placed them around the table, and asked if they needed anything else before walking over to the man who came in right before. He had chosen a small booth on the far side of the restaurant near the hallway that led to the restrooms. It was clear he didn’t feel like mingling. It was almost 1 in the morning; I didn’t blame him.

“Hey there, so sorry for the wait,” I said, as I laid a menu down. “What can I get you to drink? I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee if you’re looking to stay awake.”

He looked up at me and smiled. “I am. I have some plans later this morning and I could use all the energy I can get.”

“You got it,” I said.

He looked down at the menu as I turned away to get the coffee for him.

With my back to the booths, I could hear an uproar of laughter behind me and I silently laughed along. It was nice to have some awake customers hanging about. My usual crowd consisted of truck drivers or the occasional family just passing through. Most of them were always drowsy, so I welcomed laughter. Even a friendly, but quiet guy was a pleasant change compared to the snoring.

I placed the pot back on the burner and still soaking in the sounds of laughter; I spun around to bring the gentleman his hot drink. As I looked his way, he was already staring at me. The smile I had on my face wavered a bit.

“Be careful. It’s hot.” I warned, placing it down in front of him. “Did you need any cream or sugar?”

He shook his head and continued staring up at me.

“Okay,” I nervously grinned.

I pulled out my notepad and clicked my pen. I could easily memorize orders after all these years, but it seemed to make customers feel better if they thought I was writing exactly what they wanted.

“What can I get you to eat?” I asked.

He handed me the menu, “I’ll just sip on the coffee if you don’t mind.”

“Oh,” I took the menu from him, “Yeah, sure. Just give me a holler if you need a refill.”

I walked to the part of the counter that had my book, asking my other table how they were doing on the way.

As I sat down to read, I noticed the man across the room staring at me, still, as he drank his coffee; this time with his laptop open.

I brought my attention to my book and tried to keep it there. He definitely wasn’t the weirdest customer I experienced, but I couldn’t shake how uncomfortable I was feeling. One lady in the group got up and headed back towards the restrooms. The man didn’t even glance at her as she passed him.

When she came back, he still didn’t pay her any mind. Instead, he packed up his laptop and slid out from the booth.

I put my book down and met him at the register.

“Want a coffee to go?” I pointed behind me at the coffee pot, still half full.

“That would be wonderful.”

Handing him the styrofoam cup, he handed me some cash, and his thumb lingered on mine.

“Keep the change.”

“Thank you,” I said, pulling my hand back.

“See you around,” He grinned.

The door chimed once again as he left.

No sooner than he was gone, my first table got up.

The woman who had walked to the bathroom approached me at the register.

“I’ll meet you all at the car,” She said to her friends. They said goodbye to me and walked out.

She handed me a credit card and appeared nervous. I swiped the card and handed it back. As the receipt printed out, she cleared her throat.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s just...” She paused.

I placed the receipt in front of her on the counter and waited for her to finish.

She lowered her voice a bit. “You know that man who came in after us? Well, when I was coming back from the bathroom, I kind of looked at what was on his computer screen. I wasn’t snooping or anything!” She quickly reassured me, “But there were... pictures.”

She hesitated, “Lots of pictures.”

I gave a confused smile and laughed a bit, “Pictures? Pictures of what?”

She took in a deep breath.

“You.”

Short Story by: Asia Brito, The Colorful Writer