Lost In Time

Chapter 7 - Be My Baby

Juliet's P.O.V

Walking to our gym locker, Patricia mumbled, “Let’s hurry, we’ve got to meet the boys at Jerry’s dinner to arrange the plans for tomorrow,”

We both started taking off our gym clothes when we heard some girls talk, “Did you hear that Preston is planning to ask someone out?”

“Really? Do you know who it is?” asked somebody.

“No,” replied the person.

I marched to the end of the locker row and looked around while I saw the girls shake their heads, frowning. Shrugging, I went back to where Patricia was watching.

“Well… I heard he was going to ask Jessica out? "

“Now that I think about it, they’ve been friends since they’ve been babies, so it’s only normal. And I know she’s got a crush on him,” someone whispered.

“And what about that new girl?” said another voice. “Do you mean Juliet?” someone answered.

I watched Patricia with a raised eyebrow, to which she just shrugged and gestured to the door. So we walked out quietly, letting the girls’ chatter. But one thing keeps bothering me, and I can’t help but let the frown take over my face.

***

“Look, it’s a gumball machine,” said Patricia, pointing at the colorful gadget at the diner’s side. We crossed the road and headed straight for it. On top of a post stood a large ball loaded with brightly colored candies.

Insert a cent here and push the magic button, it says.

She grinned, “They’ve finally put it in,”

“One cent for a candy, got any on you?” she asked as she checked her pockets. I shrugged and also searched my pockets and found two cents. I took it and gave it to her. She thanked me, took them, and quickly put them into the slot. And two-gum candy pops out.

As I pushed the door open, a jingle was heard announcing a new customer; Patricia and I went to the booth where everyone was seated. Patricia slid into the seat next to Josh while I was taking the empty seat near Preston. Smiling, I mumbled at him, “Hi,” as he turned to look at me.

“Hey,” he replied with a husky voice and smiled.

Jerry’s diner. Ever since I arrived, we have been coming here 3 times a week. It is also where my grandma works as well and where she met my grandpa. I love it here. The walls and the floors are painted in checkers. The countertop is white while the stood is black and red, which matches with the jukebox. And when leaving at the side of the door, have a poster that says, “Once you eat here, you will always return.”

“Oh, I also want gum,” said Josh, watching his girlfriend blowing bubbles.

She popped the gum, put it back in her mouth, and said, “You want it?” and she showed him the gum; nodding, he ducked and kissed her, taking the gum away, while we all laughed at her surprised face.

“Way a go, man,” said Blake, high-fiving him. Patricia turned and glared at him and also struck him in the back of his head.

“Here’s your order,” said my grandma, beaming at lots of us. How a month has gone by is amazing; they’re all so great. I smile, looking at them all slightly. I have picked up a couple of slang that they’re using, and I got to admit I like them.

There was a milkshake set in front of me, and I looked up and said to my grandma, “I didn’t order anything,”

Preston grins. “That’s because I did,” I looked at my grandma slightly, and she winked at me, holding her tray on her chest as she left beaming.

I mumbled and whirled the straw in the middle. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to do that,”

He shook his head and leaned back in his seat, smiling, and said, “I wanted to,”

“We’re going with Jess’ pickup truck,” David said, pointing at him, “It’s got a big back that we can all ride in,”

“While we’re going, I know this place where we can buy a great snack for when we are traveling,” David and Michael said in sync.

“We will meet at our place,” she gestured to herself and her brother, “and from here we will go,”

“Everyone got a quarter,” David said and stood.

“What do you need a quarter for?” Josh asks.

“I can get three songs from the jukebox for a quarter,” he said, and Preston took out a quarter and tossed it to him.

David, being David, misses the quarter. We all watched it roll and come to a halt at the foot of a beautiful girl. She bends down and picks it up. David slowly approaches her and clears his throat.

All of our attention was on David and the girl. But we couldn’t hear what they were saying. A few moments passed, and he said goodbye and went to the jukebox. We all stare still as he places the quarter in and selects his song.

The words, “The night we met I knew I needed you so

And if I had the chance

I’d never let you go

So won’t you say you love me,” Play softly through the diner as David walks toward the g**g, grinning to himself.

As the next couple of lines play, it brings back memories of when I was younger. I remember whenever the sun was almost setting, my grandpa would play the record as he and grandma swayed slowly on their front porch while nature watched them.

So won’t you, please, be my, be my baby?

Be my little baby, my one and only baby

Say you’ll be my darlin’, be my, be my baby