Diner Stories

Hey Folkes!

Here is a little exercise we did for class that I had a lot of fun with. We had to write five mini-stories with two characters in the same location.

Hope you like them!


For Better or Worse..but not this worse!

Jessica couldn’t stand the way Martin ate. She never could, which is one of the many reasons why she was going to ask him for a divorce. She figured it would soften the blow if she treated him to his breakfast at his favorite diner in town. But it just sickened her to watch him shovel in the eggs over easy, home fried and toast. Little pieces of the meal stuck to his shirt and the outside of his mouth. This maybe easier than she thought, she could feel the rage building up inside. It has been twelve years of this sort of crude and his pig-like behavior. The stains on his shirts, junk left all over the house, oil puddles in the garage from his precious motorcycle and the snoring that was loud enough to guide ships in from sea. It all had been building up to the one moment. Martin lifted his fork to put the last bit of egg in his mouth. Somehow it missed that huge trap of his and fell to his shirt with a ‘splat’! Martin picked it up off his chest and popped it in his mouth. Witnessing this in what seemed like slow motion, Jessica leaped out of her seat and screamed, “I WANT A DIVORCE!”

Grandma & Me

Grandma doesn’t get out that often anymore. Ever since her fall about a year, which broke her hip, she hasn’t been the same woman I grew up with. She use to be fearless and willing to try anything once. I can still remember the day she introduced me to roller-blading and the day she taught me how to cook octopus properly. She’s been around the world twice and flown across the country once in her own plane. But for some reason the fall turned her into a different person. As she grabs the spoon for her oatmeal her hands shake. They never use to tremble like that and she never needed help to get out of the booth to go to the restroom. As I sit across from her I look into her eyes, I still see the woman she once was in there. But it seems like she’s afraid to let her. She’s afraid she’s too old now, too fragile. I don’t think she is. I hoping these little day trips will bring her out of her she more. I hope they will help realize she is still the person she always was and always will be to me.

My Girl

For the four years we have been together we have come to this diner every Sunday morning for breakfast. I always get the banana pancakes with bacon and coffee. Taylor gets the egg white omelet with a fruit cup on the side and orange juice. Then we both share a Danish. But this morning was different; this morning was a reason to celebrate! My lovely Taylor whom I have adored for the past four years is about to become a woman! Yes, the checks have been written, the papers have been signed. He has waited so long for this day to come. Since the first day I’ve met him Taylor has always given of himself. He volunteers at the AIDS Hospice, delivers meals on wheels, organized a neighborhood clean up and helped out in the local soup kitchen. This is the only thing he has ever wanted for himself and I was happy to help give it to him. Taylor has had most of the money saved up but he was still short a bit. So I wanted to help him. Of course he refused to take any of it but I reminded him of all the good he has done for others and that he deserves a little of it back.

Stick 'Em Up!

This was our first ever time robbing a diner and we very nervous. Eddie and I usually stick to knocking over drug stores or gas stations. But we wanted to branch out, Eddie says to me, “Valerie, what’s life with out new experiences?” I have to tend to agree. All those other jobs were getting kind of boring. The same thing, same routine, all of those places are chains now so they all have the same security system, place where they keep the money and sometimes the same combination on the lock. Where is the thrill? Where is the challenge? Where’s the fun? It was about time we stretched our legs. We were getting into a rut. But we don’t want to be too cocky at first, that’s why we picked a diner that wasn’t that busy. We ordered breakfast with coffee and waited for the right time to make our move. I noticed the sweat beading up on Eddie’s forehead and I have to admit my knees have been knocking non-stop sine we walked in. But this is what we’ve been missing. We look at each from across the table, we nod and we know it’s time to go.

Love with a Side of Bacon

I’ve always sat alone in the corner booth with a cup of coffee and the morning paper. I don’t like to talk to anyone, be social or make eye contact in anyway. I just wanted to be let alone but then she came to take my order. She was a vision in pink polyester and white support shoes. Her body had more curves than the New Jersey Turnpike and her hair was as red as a beefsteak tomato. ‘Ashley’ was on her nametag and she was more woman than I had seen in quite sometime. She waddled up to my table in a sultry manner snapping her gum and flipping her pad to find a blank page. “Are you ready to order?” Her voice was like two seagulls singing in the mist. Never had I heard a sweeter sound in my life. I was speechless in her presents, so I raised the menu and pointed to the Sunday special. She squinted at the menu, scribbled down my order and smirked at me with those ruby lips. As she walked away, I thought to myself “Who knew such a goddess existed?” I melted right there in the booth. Ashley was to be my destiny.