Fallen

The Jukebox on the other side of the diner starts up with the Merle Haggard tune "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" as a stunning looking sixteen-year-old girl with dyed-black hair and a piercing or three, is leaning seductively over the jukebox, swaying gently to the music. I smile and shake my head. Kids these days doing everything in their power to go against what society deems appropriate. She may be dressing up in all black and act like she doesn’t care but even I can sense she still had a good heart. The headband doubling as her mini-skirt reveals her knock-out figure in a way that really doesn't leave much up to the imagination. She's a billboard of rebellion. I just smiled again and finished wiping down the tables in the diner. The couple already had their orders taken and were now just waiting on Jeep to finish fixing their new BMW. They were obviously a well off couple and by the looks of the mother I could tell that being in a place like this was killing her slowly but surely.

“It's disgusting.” The woman named Sandy exclaimed as she looked at the girl at the Jukebox. The strand of pearls around her neck seemed to glisten in the dim lighting. I shook my head.

“You're right. It is disgusting.” The man looked up to watch the scintillating action from a booth across the diner. This was a conservatively dressed suburban couple if I ever seen one. Fish out of water here.

“Really, how can she go out in public wearing that?”

“I don't know. Why don't we just ask her?” The man, Howard, replied looking back to his wife with a smile. He waited a beep before opening his mouth and turning around.

“Howard, don't. You'll embarrass me.”

He ignored her and shouted across the diner. “Audrey, honey? Your mother was wondering if you got dressed this morning with the specific intention of showing your ass off to the entire world?”

The girl turned to Howard with a caustic smile. “Yeah, that's cuz I woke up hoping to get double teamed by a couple of meth head truckers in the bathroom of some desert shithole.” A beat passed. “Good thing we stopped here.”

And with that she turns back to the jukebox. Percy watching the exchange discreetly from behind the counter. Loving it. Howard turns back to his wife with a rigid smile.

“I feel satisfied with that answer. I really do.” Sandra buries her face in her hands.

“I'm being punished for something, I know it.” I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes as I walked away. It was time for my break and since the place wasn’t exactly a tourist destination I knew I could take my time relaxing. As I was walking out the door Audrey went back to swaying dreamily to the music, which is suddenly overtaken by bass bumpin' Hip-Hop.

I let the front door swing shut behind me as I quickly made for the only shady spot around here. As I turned the corner I came to a stop because someone was already out here. Leaning next to the broken phone, however, was Charlie wearing a shabby, faded waitress uniform stretched tight around her very pregnant belly. Adding to her perfect mother-to-be look is that cigarette dangling from her lips.

“Hey...” I jumped in fright at the voice that popped up behind me. I turned around to see a young black man in his mid-20’s in a somewhat thuggish style standing behind me. I glanced at Charlie. She was eyeing him, mildly intrigued, and taking a drag. “You know that shit right there ain't good for the baby.”

She lets out a long slow exhale. “Guess I should think `bout quittin' then.”

I sat down on the step stool we left on there and took a long drink of water. I was eyeing his suspiciously, mostly because I caught a glimpse of a gun that was tucked tightly against his right hip. I only just barely caught the flash of it otherwise you would never know it was there. He saw me eyeing his piece before he turned back to Charlie. “Now hold on, girl, let me bum one before you do.”

“You can buy a whole pack inside.” Charlie said exhaling once more. I’ve told her time and time again she shouldn’t smoke but it was like yelling at a tree with how much I accomplished.

“Tell ya what. You let me have one of yours, and I'll give you two from the new pack you're gonna sell me.” She considers him for a moment, then pulls out a cigarette. Lights it off the end of hers then hands it to him. The man takes a drag and pulls out his crumpled map.

“Might I ask what your name is stranger?” I smiled at him kindly. We didn’t get many people out here so the fact that we had 4 people here in one day was a big surprising. I felt like something was happening but I didn’t know what.

“Kyle. Am I in the right place?” He said with a soft almost shy like smile back. He held his map out for me to peer at before I chuckled. “What?”

“Only if nowhere's right where you wanna be, `cause that's where you are.” I pointed to Paradise Falls on the map which was at least a good 60 miles from where he wanted to be.

“Sonuvabitch. There another phone around here? You know, one that works?” He indicated to the broken payphone that Bob refuses to fix. One of these days we’re gonna need it and it won’t be available.

“Bob'll probably let you use the diner phone if you ask him real nice...And pay `im somethin'.” Charlie said taking another drag. I glared at her but she purposely ignored me.

“I can handle that. You got pancakes here?”

“Yeah, we got a buttermilk stack for three seventy-five. We also got french toast for four dollars if you're into that. I personally like the pancakes though.” I quickly switched off into work mode when he asked that. He nodded as he listened to me ramble off the cheap prices of our food.

“You okay, Charlie?” All three of us turn to see Jeep behind the diner, wearing mechanic's coveralls and holding a dusty old crib. Charlie quickly hides her cigarette behind her back. Busted.

“Yeah, I'm okay. This guy's just lost.” Jeep nods, uncertain, and eyes Kyle another moment, then he shuffles along out of sight. Charlie brings the cigarette back up to her lips. An awkward beat.

“Three seventy-five, huh?” Kyle asks looking at me and I chuckle. I motion for him to follow me inside, which he quickly obliges to.

I open the door and listen for the constant jingle. Charlie and Kyle enter after myself and I watch as Audrey's eyes light up when she sees Kyle. He notices her as well. How couldn't he? She's directing every ounce of sex appeal she has in his direction. Her parents, on the other hand, shoot a look of utter fear in Kyle's direction, as if he personified their worst suburban nightmare. He ignores them and follows me to the counter where I hand him a menu with a smile. I never understood humans and there need to judge others based on skin color. In Heaven all angels are different colors, shapes, and sizes. But we were all good at something different and that was with there being countless amount’s of them.

Charlie heads to the register. Digs out a fresh pack of smokes from underneath the counter. “I hope Salem Lights are okay, `cause that's all we got left.”

“If I can smoke `em, I'll take `em.”

“Where ya been, Charlie? This ain't a resort you know. I got orders stacking up here.” Bob steps off the chair by the TV again. In truth there aren't any orders stacking up, but it certainly makes Bob feel better to say it. He sees the two cigarettes Kyle's handing her. “You best not be smokin' again. Not in your condition. Lailah why haven’t you said anything?”

“Because I would have better luck with getting a mountain to get up and move over getting Charlie to listen to me, Bob.”

Charlie gestures to the diner. “Bob, do you see where am I right now? Can my condition really get any worse? `Sides, you ain't one to talk.”

“What? I quit two years ago.” He said with a satisfied smile.

“Only because I bugged you so much till you quit.” I said laughing. Bob put his arm around my shoulder and nodded his head not even denying it.

“Yeah, so why you still carryin' that fancy lighter `round for?” Charlie asked raising her eyebrow in question.

“It was a gift from my ex-wife, alright? I'm sentimental. I don't wanna forget how much I hate her guts.” I gave him a look and he shut his mouth. I’ve told him to stop talking bad about her before because when he gets all riled up there’s no coming down from it, not for a few hours at least.

“Hey man?” Bob turns to Kyle. Doesn't like what he sees. I rolled my eyes. Human’s I swear. “Can I use your phone? My cell doesn't get a signal out here and the pay phone outside is busted.”

Bob is about to respond when Howard approaches, oblivious to the conversation he's interrupting. “Excuse me. Any news about when our truck might be fixed? You said your boy would have us on the road two hours ago. The rate we're going, we'll be lucky to make it to Scottsdale by Christmas.”

Bob's expression darkens at this news. “Goddamn it. Where the hell is Jeep, Lailah?”

I pointed towards the mechanic’s service shop we had on the side of the building. I smiled at Bob as he went to go storm past me.

“Hey Bob, go easy on him. Please?” I asked him nicely because in all honesty Bob could be pretty tough on the kid and all Jeep does is try to please his dad while also help out 7 billion other people in the world. The kid was an angel, just in human form. He gave me hope on some days that humanity still stood a chance of being great one day.

Bob barely glanced at my hand on his arm before he stalked off in a huff. I sighed and turned back to Kyle.

“So Kyle, what will it be today?”