Pen pals (MacxBloo): a request by MaoMao_Gumball

Chapter 7

When they got to the diner in town, they entered inside and took a seat at a booth table near the front as they wait for a waitress to come over and get their order.

The place was a mix of a classic diner joint and a lavish restaurant all in one sitting. 

"Uh....isn't it a little too fancy for it to be a diner?" Mac asked confused. 

It wasn't that he was worried about the prices, he just simply thought that they would go to an actual 50's themed eatery and was a little disappointed. 

"Nonsense. It may look elegant but it still has its recognition for having divine authentic food. Trust me, you're going to love it." Jay said with a captivating grin. 

"Hi, welcome to Max Tavern. My name is Hailey and I'll be your server for the night. What can I get for you two?" The waitress asked as she grabs ahold of a pen to write on her work notepad. 

"Two cokes and some your finest burgers please." Jay said smoothly with a charming smile. 

"You got it." The waitress said with a smile and wink as she walks off to put in the orders. 

"Wait till you try the burgers. They are to die for." Jay said excitedly. 

"Ha. Sure, I'm willing to give it a try." Mac chuckled as the waitress comes by a minute later and brings out their drinks. 

"Alrighty, here are your two cokes and your burgers should be ready in just a few minutes" The waitress said as she heads to the kitchen to wait on the orders. 

"Thanks" Mac said as he sipped on some of his soda to keep his stomach filled until food arrives. 

"So, Mac where are you from?" Jay asked while drinking some of his soda as well. 

"Well, right now I live in New York, but a long time ago, I used to live around here on the other side of town in an apartment with my mom and my brother." Mac explained. 

"Then, what brought you back to town? Besides, the event I mean. It certainly wasn't for the eye of the big apple that's for sure." Jay joked as Mac spits out some of his drink from laughing too hard. 

"Pfft. No, not really. I was actually offered multiple opportunities for work, but decided to help fundraise the orphanage instead in Springfield so I that could go home for a change. It somehow brought back a lot of old memories" Mac said a small smile. 

"Really how come?" Jay asked, curiously. 

"When I was a kid. I didn't have much friends growing up. But, now that you mention it, I did used to have a pen pal once and we were real close for a while." Mac said while he was in a  thinking state.

Pen Pal? Why.... does that sound so familiar? Jay thought as he continued to listen to him.

"What happened?" Jay asked in a concerned manner.

"I don't know really. It was all a blur. He just.... stopped writing to me." Mac said sadly. 

"How old were you when he left you?" Jay added on. 

"I was turning 9 and on my birthday, he gave me a letter explaining that he was leaving. He never really explained why or anything but I figured that it was probably because he got adopted and might have been too busy. That letter and a paddleball that he got me for a gift was the only things I left of him. Ha, can you believe that?" Mac said in a small pained voice. 

Paddleball?! Oh no....

It was you. 

You're him..... after all this time.

Why didn't I see that sooner? 

Jay thought anxiously as he tries to stay calm his heart, which was beating severely fast. 

"I'm.... sorry to hear that." Jay said softly so that his nervousness wouldn't get the best of him. 

"Its okay it was a while back ago anyways." Mac said with a grin, hoping to keep the mood as the conversation between them slowly went silent. 

Thankfully after several minutes has passed, the waitress kept their silence to a short brim as she goes over lays their food out on the table.  

"Here you go boys. Two Tavern classic burgers with a side of fries. Enjoy." The waitress said as she once again leaves them be to take care of the other orders. 

"Do you miss him?" Jay asked as the two locked eyes for a moment until Mac's eyes broke contact to get some fries from his plate. 

"Yeah, I do. Honestly, I wish I could meet him and at least get to know who he is in person before I head back to New York." Mac said as he dipped the thick steak fries in ketchup and ate a couple. 

"How long are you going to be staying in town?" Jay asked as he grabbed some fries as well and chomped on a few. 

"I don't know. Probably for a while, I guess. At least maybe until I finish putting together the event for the kids, that is. Why?" Mac asked confused. 

"Nothing. Just curious and also....I want to help you find him" Jay said with a half smile. 

"Really?" Mac asked with a wide eyed surprise expression. 

"Yeah, it'll be fun and you won't be so sad anymore about it either. You can finally tell him that you've missed him all this time and find a way to stay connected to him too so you won't be apart again." Jay said with a beaming smile. 

"Wow. That's very nice of you, but why are you helping me? We hardly even know each other to begin with." Mac asked, puzzled. 

"Well, lets just say that I happen to be in your shoes once." Jay half lied while looking down. 

Although it was true that he had planned on looking for him as well, it had never really occurred to him until now that he was the real reason why the two never meet. 

"You had a pen pal too?" Mac asked, surprised. 

"Yeah, you could say that" Jay said while rubbing his neck nervously. 

"So, what went wrong?" Mac asked, curiously. 

"Well, long story short, Miscommunication seemed to be a big problem for me and I didn't know how to talk to him. Especially, since he was the only friend that I've ever had growing up and after I got adopted, I got to be so busy with my new life that I didn't have much time to write to him anymore. So, I ended up giving him one more letter and just left it as is." Jay said in a skewered explanation. 

He couldn't really tell him the whole truth and tried to keep it as simple as possible so that Mac wouldn't ask any alarming questions. 

"Geez. That's gotta be harsh. Did you get talk to him afterwards?" Mac asked in concern. 

"No. I was afraid that he would hate me for ruining our friendship." Jay said as he rubbed his arm in guilt. 

"I don't think he hates you. I think maybe he misses you and might be searching for you too. You should try to find him and tell him how you feel. He'll understand. That way, you'll know for sure that your friendship is still there." Mac advised as he touched his shoulder to comfort him. 

"Thanks." Jay said as the two locked eyes and smiled for a while before they dived into their burgers. 

When Mac bit into his, he immediately smiled beamily and looked at Jay in awe. 

"Oh man! These are really good burgers. They taste just like home." Mac said excitedly as he continues to chow down on his sandwich.

Jay laughed as his response. 

"See, I told ya." Jay said with a doting grin as the two continue to enjoy their lunch in the cool joint.