Chapter 1
"Can I get you anything?" the waitress asked Lisa moments after she settled herself down the wooden chair. She was expectantly holding a pen on her one hand and a pocket notebook on her other hand, preparing herself to jot down whatever Lisa would wish to order.
But Lisa smiled politely and shook her head.
"No, thank you," Lisa said. "I mean, not yet, anyway. I'm waiting for a friend," she added.
The waitress, who was unable to hide her disappointment and irritation towards Lisa, slacked her shoulders and wheeled her soles around to leave. But Lisa, who had keen eyes for details, noticed the sudden change of attitude from the waitress. And she wasn't up to anything dramatic today, including making an old grumpy waitress feel bad about her job. She wouldn't allow anything to dampen her mood today.
"Oh, hey! Ajumna! Wait up!" she called the attention of the waitress.
The waitress turned around lazily and looked at her, the disappointment and irritation was still all over her age lines.
"Wae?" asked the waitress irritably. Gone was the pleasantries on her voice, which made Lisa cringed internally.
"Can I have a glass of chocolate milk then? While I'm waiting for my friend to arrive, that is," Lisa said.
The waitress looked at Lisa with disbelief in her eyes. She even eyed Lisa from head to foot, as if telling her that she was old and big enough for a glass of chocolate milk.
But Lisa smiled brightly, unapologetic. It was her favorite. So what?
"Right. A glass of chocolate milk!" said the grumpy waitress and turned her back again on Lisa.
Lisa smiled despite to herself. It was no wonder why she loved her job, despite the inconvenience it would caused her. Being a photographer meant that she would get to meet a lot of different kinds of people and had to deal with different kinds of characters wherever she would go and she thought she was okay with it. After all, there would always be something worth-telling behind every person that she would get to meet along her way. And the waitress and her crankiness was one of those stories that she would actually want to capture through her lens. But she didn't want to intrude and irate further the grumpy waitress. So, she fought the urge to fish her camera from her bag and just let the fleeting moment passed by, but totally not unnoticed.
Probably an old maid, Lisa thought to herself about the waitress, as she looked around and entertained herself by observing the interior details of the diner she was in.
It was on old diner, built around the 70's, according to the old certificate of compliance framed on the wall she saw when she entered the premise. The walls were covered aesthetically with wallpapers printed with retro stuffs, like an old cameras (which fascinated Lisa so much), gramophones, and some old newspaper cut-outs of The New York Times, which made the walls look like a giant paper collage—a work of art.
The ceiling was somewhat low and designed with murals about freedom and liberation of one's self. Old wooden panels were positioned strategically away from one another. The chairs and tables were mismatched but looked delightfully comfortable. And on each table were placed with cool-looking old Victorian table lamps, one which you can find on thrift stores or garage sales. Whose lights provided just a right amount of dimness that gave off a vintage glow for the whole interiors of the cafè.
The place looked like an old American diner in some classic Hollywood movies. And if it weren't with the help of the handful of people, who were dressed in modern style, Lisa would totally feel like she was transported back in time. Especially since a classic Elvis was playing over an old jukebox in the corner.
