My Waitress.

As I sat and watched Lindsey walking around the small café, filling peoples coffee cups. Bringing people food and such. I found myself inspired. So I discarded the random doodle I had been doing and opened a fresh page of my sketch pad.

The picture at first was just a whorl of shapes, that slowly came together to look a lot like the interior of the café. Leaning against the counter of my drawing was another shape, a shape that had arms and legs, that held a coffee jug in one hand and a plate in the other. A shape that had hair, lips, eyes, and so much more. The picture came on and on until it was almost done. I was having a problem finishing my second shape. The shape that was Lindsey. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get her to look just how I wanted.

As I redrew something for the seventh or eight time Lindsey came over and said she would be another five minutes. So I gathered up my pencils which were by now laying strewn across the tabletop. I stuffed them all back into their case and then picked up my case and pad. I brought my empty cup to the counter and handed it to Lindsey who then put it into a dish washer. She was finished her shift, but this place was open 24/7 so there was still people and other waitresses there. Serving and being served the assortment of things one could purchase in the café.

“How much did all that coffee cost me?” I ask Lindsey as she ushers me outside towards the car park at the rear of the café.

“Less than you would imagine. I only charged you for every second one, so that makes ten cups divided by two, so less than ten bucks.” she says brightly.

I follow her and we come to her car, its not what I’d been expecting really. It was a battered old Ford something. I wasnt sure of the exact model. It wasn’t really old, it just looked as if it had been to war and back, there was dents and scratches all over the body of the car. It was painted a simple white color, but it needed washing badly. Though for all I knew she could have washed it yesterday. Nevada is a dusty place.

“Hop in.” she says and unlocks the car.

I jump into the front passenger seat and stick my things on my lap. Lindsey takes her seat moments later and turns on the engine. Then she backs out of the car park and drives in the opposite direction to the one Mikey and I had come. The ride was silent. Not uncomfortably so, we just didn’t have much to say. Infact I would go as far as to say it was a comfortable silence. The radio of the car was on, playing some local radio station. Some songs I knew, and some I hadnt heard of. Lindsey hummed along to some of them.

Ten or fifteen minutes later we arrived in a medium sized town, where Lindsey lived I guess. It wasn’t as glamour and glitz as Vegas, I hadnt expected it to be. But it had that feeling about it, that made you know you were here in Nevada, the feeling of electricity in the air, you could almost head the slot machines. But maybe that was just me. She pulled into a small parking lot at the front of an apartment complex in the centre of the town. We got out of the car and I waited as she locked the car door before saying anything.

“Do you know the way to the motel Mikey was talking about?” I ask.

“It’s about a two minute walk.” she murmurs. “Would you like to come up, for a while? We could have coffee.” she blushes and I swear its one of the most amazing sights I’d ever seen.

“So long as you don’t mind Ms. Lindsey.” I say and flash her a smile.

“Okay then, c’mon up. It’s stairs all the way though. No elevator.” she says and proceeds towards the front door of the building. I follow her quickly and climb up the three flights of stairs with her to her apartment. She fumbles with the keys for a second and quickly opens the door and steps inside.

“Home sweet home.” she says as I come inside and shut the door.

Her place isnt the largest. A kitchen/living room combo with a door leading off to the bedroom I assume. It’s homey though. Theres pieces of clutter strewn about the place, odd socks or a shoe missing its other half. In one corner is a few pieces of canvas with random splatters of paint strewn across them. I look around the room and notice more hung on the walls. The colors are warm and bright, which gives the place a nice comfy feeling. She dumps her small bag onto a coffee table and goes to put on the kettle.

“Coffee is okay with you?” she asks.

“It sounds great thankyou Lindsey.” I say and smile, even though she cant see me.

“It’ll be a few minutes, take a seat if you want.” she calls.

I sit down on the seat. Slightly nervous to be in the house of someone I had known for less than two hours. She comes out of the kitchen in less than five minutes. Carrying two big mugs of coffee, she sits down and hands one to me. We talk for a while, drinking our coffee. About where’re were from. Our families, our ambitions, things that you wouldn’t normally talk about with an almost stranger. But with her I just felt I could talk to her. For a while we go silent, unable to think of anything else to say. I drain the last of my coffee from the cup and set it down on the table.

“I guess that’s another cup I owe you for.” I say with a small chuckle.

“Yeah.” she says and smiles. We go back to being silent.

For more agonizing minutes we sit silently, still unable to think of what to say. I find myself looking at the pictures on the wall. One inn particular catches my eye. It seems familiar, almost like a person, with a mop of black hair and pale skin, but not quite right, as if it were missing something.

I turn to ask Lindsey about it when I feel her lips on mine. Her soft lipstick coated lips. I instantly kiss back, not pausing to wonder whether this is right or not. Whether or not I should be kissing this girl that I hardly knew. I just went with it. Because it felt right. After a minute she pulls away.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have-.” she starts.

I stop her by putting my finger to her lips.

“Don’t be sorry.” I murmur and place my lips back against hers…