Never Been Ready

Bob's Diner and Strange Encounters, Oh My!

Bob's Diner was exactly as I imagined it to be– small, cozy and all the makings of home. It was a mom and pop establishment so that meant good food and all the comforts of home.

My first glimpse of it was the mural on the far left hand wall and the pure artistry had me blown away. I stared at it a little longer than I should have and noticed the big 'G' on the bottom that seemed like the artist insignia. It fit nicely with the array of picture frames hung up on one side of the diner. A lot of the pictures were old, American cars or hot rods but there were some that were portraits of people.

There were only a few people eating at this time; mostly older couples and a few young people. As I took a closer look at the mural again, a robust man came out to greet me. There was that odd twinkle in his eye as he looked at me with rosy cheeks and food stains on his shirt. It was obvious he was the type who got his hands dirty and didn't mind it.

In many ways, he reminded me of my grandpa - or the one I should've had, anyway.

I took a deep breath as he approached. "Hi, I'm-"

Uncle waved off my introduction, taking my hand in his. "You must be the little bird, Sang. Brandon told me about ya." he patted my hand, much like a parent would, and gave me a warm smile before I could reply.

I opened my mouth to get a word in but realized the nickname he called me. Only one person ever did that and he was dead. I must've heard him wrong, right?

"Sorry, what did you call me?" I finally replied, confused. My heart was beating rapidly and I could hear it pounding in my ears as I awaited his answer.

What was I looking for, anyway? A lot of people got called little bird. But dad always taught me to be vigilant and observant. Look underneath the underneath because people weren't always transparent, there were clues everywhere.

It was hard to ignore the ingrained training.

Uncle's smile didn't falter. "Sang, right? That's your name, isn't it?"

I frowned, but Uncle swept me away again before I could really ponder on that thought. Maybe I'd heard him wrong?

"I was told you got into some car troubles. One of my sons, North, will be around to set you right. I know Brandon mentioned your rust bucket kicking the curb but I'm sure my son can fix it. He's currently away on business but he's one of the cooks in the back so you'll meet him. And my other boy, Luke, runs the floor sometimes so you'll have plenty of help here. We also have some others that take shifts here. By the way, are you hungry? We can have a nice chat in the back about the job and get your uniform."

I stammered to keep up, already feeling myself overwhelmed with Uncle's forthcoming attitude. "Excuse me? I'm sorry, sir. Did I get the job?" I asked him after a breath.

We were walking through the back of the kitchen and there was an older gentleman cooking in the back and a girl younger than me that passed by with a smile. She had bright blue hair and seemed friendly as she walked by. I gave a tentative wave back as Uncle kept rambling.

"Of course you got the job. Do you know how hard it is to find permanent help around here?" he chuckled, looking back at me with a twinkle in his eye. "And please, call me Uncle. Everyone does. Now when can you start?"

After the whirlwind that was Uncle, we worked out a schedule and got through the paperwork. He gave me my uniform, which was a two piece in blue. The top was a normal, collared shirt with the logo emblazoned on the front and workers all had the option of shorts, pants, or a skirt. I picked the skirt because it had shorts underneath and a cute plaid design on the front. The aprons were kept in the diner and washed daily after every shift (Uncle mentioned he did the laundry). And all employees got free meals, paid sick leave and the ability to request off for mental or physical health.