11 Days

IT STRIKES AT MIDNIGHT

The night shift was straightforward. Normally when people came here for dinner, most would order beer and fries. Sometimes Maven and I were invited to the tables when there was nothing else to do and we chatted with the customers. At ten o'clock at night people started to leave so that Joey, Tony, Maven and I could clean tables and the kitchen. Carla didn't work there but she always helped by counting the money from the cash register. Just at half past ten, like every night Tony made us all chocolate shakes to keep us happy after we finished cleaning. At eleven o'clock, Maven and I sat at a table while we drank our milkshakes to count the tip money and divided it into three equal parts, one portion for Tony. "It feels good to be a waitress at Quiet Gate." Maven said completely uncensored.

“You have no shame.” I muttered while playing with the paper straw, I swirled my tongue around it. “But yeah it is quite nice in here.”

“No way around it.” She said happily.

“No way around it.” I agreed.

"I thought maybe the man from table six would come for dinner but maybe he was very satisfied with everything he ate a while ago." Maven snickered. "From what I see he stays in shape."

I decided to keep quiet and just smile at Maven. She didn't need to know that I was chased by him earlier today after I paid him back and then we walked back to the store together. Maven had a particular ability to meddle too much in other people's affairs and I hated that she did it with mine.

“You have any plans for the weekend?” she inquired, I stared at her almost empty glass. “Out to party or something?”

“Party? Sure, with my elderly neighbors.” She laughed out loud and got up taking her glass to the kitchen. I followed her right away while I was finishing mine up. “Hey, Tony, would you mind making me another to go?”

“Sure thing, baby.” He winked at me and started working on my drink. When he finished, he handed me the styrofoam cup wrapped in a paper bag along with a plastic container with freshly made fries. "Here you go, sweetie."

“Ugh, Tony, you’re an angel. Thank you so much.” The fries Tony made tasted like glory. He had a knack for junk food. "Maybe I'll go to your house for more, I don't think they'll last me all weekend."

I said goodbye to Maven and Tony, and I left first, they were roommates and shared a huge house together near here. I mounted the bicycle, arranging the container and my milkshake in the basket and left there back to my apartment. Again, I found myself humming a song I couldn't remember the name of. Soon it would be midnight and I didn't want to be out at that time. A panic seized me at that moment, but as soon as it was born it was gone when I saw a flash of gold ahead under the streetlights. Six was jogging on the sidewalk. A pair of loose gray sweatpants hung from his hips; a dark t-shirt soaked in sweat clung to his upper body. The muscles from his back were easy to spot as I got closer, he craned his neck when he heard the bike coming. When he saw me, he immediately smiled and slowed down until he hit a full stop- and so did I.

“Isn’t it quite late to be out running?” I asked him. He shrugged nonchalantly.

This time there was no notebook to help us communicate better. Then he pointed a finger at me and nodded in my direction. "I just got off work and now I'm going home." He understood immediately. Six's attention was stolen by the fries, he made an expression of absolute bliss and an ok sign with his fingers. I laughed because I knew immediately what he meant. "I know, Tony cooks deliciously and these babies are his specialty; just like the chocolate shake I have with me right now."

Six took the paper bag from the basket and shook it to inspect its contents. I found him a bit adorable at the time. He was new to town and to my knowledge there was no one who spoke sign language. It would be difficult for him to communicate, or maybe not because he carried a notebook with him.

“Would you like to try it?” he frowned at me and put the bag back in the basket. “I already had one, please, take it. I promise it’s awesome.” He eyed me suspiciously for a beat. “I promise.” I assured him. To my delight he agreed and dug into the bag for the paper straw, then punched it into the lid immediately and took the cup out from the bag. After a sip he gasped in surprise at how good the shake was.

Six walked two fingers in the air, pointed at me and then at him. Walk? I blinked rapidly and blushed like a silly schoolgirl.

“You want company?”

A nod.

“I don’t know… it’s getting quite late.” I found myself wanting to accompany him during his jog, I did not know or understand why but at that moment I did not care that midnight caught up with me being with him. “Do you live nearby? I live in one of the small complexes on Magnolia Street.” His face lit up immediately and I almost melted seeing those dimples again. He pointed to his chest and nodded animatedly. No way. Six also lived on that street. Which meant that he lived in the apartments across from mine. Those were more expensive and much more spacious. “Oh, so we are neighbors. Alright, I guess we can go home together.” I felt relaxed being with Six, he had stopped jogging and now just walked while he placidly sipped his milkshake. When I heard the clock tower strike twelve I instantly tensed, but one glance at Six was enough to chase the bad memories away. Maybe Matt was right. What I needed was a real phone and a wig.