Quiet Cigarettes

Ricky sat outside Leon’s Diner. The curb he was on was cold and hard and the streetlight above him had gone out fifteen minutes ago. It was now completely dark around him expect for the faint lights of the diners interior and the flare of his cigarette.
He didn’t remember how he had gotten there. The last important thing he remembered was sitting on his buddy Tyrone’s couch, having a couple beers. He could even still feel the slight buzz.
“I’ll see ya tomorrow, Anna.” A girl spoke in the distance. He wasn’t bothered to even glance up. He was focused on watching the foggy smoke in front of him dissipate.
“You gotta leave, sir.” It was the same voice he had heard earlier. “You ain’t allowed to loiter here.”
She was short and had long black hair. She was pretty, but nothing special.
“I can be anywhere I want.” His reply was bored, monotone even. He knew chicks hated that.
He didn’t appear to be pissed like he’d assumed she would be. She seemed exhausted.
“Please, leave.” Her shoulders slumped and she exhaled loudly. If he could feel enough to care right now, he would have felt sorry for her. She was exasperated and it was easy for anyone to tell.
“Look, lady, am I causin’ any trouble?” She shook her head. “Then why can’t I stay?”
“It’s against business policy.” She said quickly. He could see right through her; her stance was wavering.
“I’ll call the cops.” She told him, as if that somehow was going to bother him. He was not thirteen anymore. He had seen the inside of the police station too many times; he wasn’t scared anymore.
“Call ‘em.” He stepped up and blew the last of his smoke into the girls face before stomping it out. The grey cloud surrounded her and she frantically swatted it away with a cough.
“Alright.” She gave up. He was disappointed almost. He thought she had more fight.
She stepped into the glow of the restaurants lights. Her dress was dark blue, his least favourite colour. He figured it was her uniform from the small “Leon’s Diner” stitched onto the breast.
“You think ya can get me some food?” Ricky asked with a grin. Her face was pure disbelief.
“Anna-Mae’s still in there. Ask her, tell her Ellie sent you.” Ellie continued to walk away, clearly pleased to be rid of him. Ricky didn’t call her back this time.
Inside Leon’s was another girl with the same ugly dress on. This one had blonde hair piled on top of her head. She was probably two heads taller than Ellie and had that much more potential, too.
The blondes head popped up from cleaning the tables. “Ya gotta leave, sir. We’re closed.” She had a thick New York accent.
“Ellie said you’d make me somethin’ to eat, sweetheart.”
He heard her huff. “Ellie said that, did she?”
He smirked. “Yup.”
He didn’t forget to pop his ‘p’ obnoxiously.
“Okay,” She sighed, “Sit yourself down, I’ll get ya something.”
She disappeared into the kitchen. He didn’t think waitresses were supposed to use anything in there. Ricky didn’t comment on it. He wasn’t even supposed to be in the diner at all.
What must have been fifteen minutes later, the girl came back out. She had a tray of food and placed it in front of him.
Two burgers, two fries and two shakes. His lips curled.
“You gonna keep me comp’ny, doll?”
“Might as well.”
He decided right then he liked this one more, well except for the hair. He had no fucking clue why girls made their hair so tall lately. It was quite a piss off in the bedroom when you couldn’t even run your fingers through a broad’s hair because it was rock solid. He guessed they really didn’t give a shit about that stuff.
“Whats your name?” He knew Ellie had told him outside but it had slipped his mind.
“Anna-Mae, how about yours?”
“Ricky.”
She nodded but said nothing else. He was scared that hive on top of her head might fall off with such a movement. Anna raised her burger up to eat and he didn’t miss the shiny rock on her ring finger. She couldn’t be married; she looked younger than him and he was only nineteen. Anna-Mae caught his gaze.
“It was arranged,” She smiled small. “I doubt it even counts, he’s never here.”
Anna talked about her husband some more. Ricky was surprised he wasn’t bored yet. Usually when girls got on with bullshit, he would tune out and think up more exciting things. He didn’t this time.
He found out she had lived in a rough neighbourhood in New York, her parents had some rich friends here in Houston and they hooked up their kids. He had laughed when he heard the terms. Anna would only get to marry their wealthy son if she grew up pretty. She had done a damn fine job. Her husband’s name was Elliot. He was a CEO of some big ass company. He wasn’t around much.
“I gotta lock up now,” Anna said after a while. “I gotta work in six hours.”
When he had come in it had only been ten thirty. This place surely didn’t open till seven at least, that made it one or later. It was then he noticed how tired Anna looked. Her eyes were droopy and glazed. If he had a mirror, he was sure he would look the same way.
Outside was chillier than he remembered. Anna-Mae climbed into a bright cherry red ‘vette. It was the kind of red that glowed even in the dark. It was a tuff car; all he drove was his old man’s hand-me-down thunderbird from the fifties. He was jealous at just the sight of it.
“You need a ride somewhere?”
He’d love a ride in something like that but he wouldn’t get in. “Nah, I’ll just walk.”
She drove off and he began his walk home. It had to be at least five miles back to Tyrone’s place.
He remember then why he was here. Tye sent him out to get more beer. That was dumb itself, everyone knew Ricky wandered when he got loaded. He was always getting lost after a couple beers.
All the corner stores were closed after midnight so he was shit outta luck now.
It took him a fair amount of time to get back to Tye’s, he had no idea how he even made it to that diner in his drunken state of mind.
Inside the apartment the crowd was a lot smaller than when he had left hours ago. Now it was strictly close friends; he always liked it better that way.
“You’re back, Ricky,” Lottie, Tye’s girlfriend smiled. “You got the beer?”
Ricky lifted up his empty hands and brought them back down in a shrug. Lottie didn’t seem to mind all too much, she just nodded her head and went back to sit on the couch. She was probably expecting it, Lottie was the only one that wasn’t slow around here and she had objected for him to be the beer-getter in the first place. The others never seemed to catch on that Ricky happened to get easily distracted when he was drunk and he also liked to roam freely. Lottie noticed the pattern. Ricky liked her for that. She was bright and observant, not like Tye’s previous girls.
“Man, Rick, how’d ya forget the beer if you were just sent out to get beer?” Wes shook his head, displeased. Tye just laughed as if he didn’t care, Ricky guessed he really didn’t. Tye wasn’t one of those boys that needed booze to have a little fun because if he wanted to do something that bad, he was going to do it sober. There was a part of Ricky that wished he was like that but he liked the warm feeling liquor gave his insides a bit too much.
“Look, if we ain’t drinkin’ I ain’t stayin’.” Wes crossed his arms. Minnie chuckled loudly from the other side of the room. Minnie was not like Lottie all that much, though they were cousins. Minnie was loud and was not the best a noticing things, she was blunt and sarcastic. But Ricky appreciated them both in different ways.
“Wes, no one here gives a rat’s ass if you stay or go, ya understand?” Minnie said, a wicked smile on her face.
Wes pinched up his face and left and despite what Minnie had just said, she followed him out, apologies flowing from her mouth.
“We’re gonna head to bed, alright?” Tye said, his arm instinctively wrapped around Lottie. “You can crash on the couch if ya want?”
“Yeah, thanks, man. I’m gonna take you up on that offer.”
Tye nodded his head knowingly and Lottie said goodnight. Ricky was used to sleeping on Tye’s couch. It was lumpy and hard in most places, but it was better than nothing.
He fell asleep quickly, but not without anticipating the mornings dreadful hangover.