Remy sat down at his usual table at the café. He pulled an old tattered black journal embroidered with a red phoenix out of his bag and began to write.
"You know you have come here routinely for the past month,and I have yet to ask you what it is that you write in that?"
He peered up from his table to see who the angelic voice belonged to. It was Shelly the waitress who was always there around the same time he was. Her caramel colored skin glistened under the lights in the cafe.
He laughed a bit "In life you come across a lot of good people, but most times those people eventually just become memories. So whenever I come across those people I write it down."
"So it's a book about the memories you've had with people?"
"Yeah that's the simplest way to put it. This gives me something to remember them by."
"That sounds nice maybe I can make it into your little book someday."
He smiled at her as she brought his usual lemon ginger tea.
"I think you will. I'd like that."
"You know I've never asked what it is that you do for a living?" she asked as she took a seat across from him.
"I'm a freelance writer. It's just a matter of time before I'm moving on to another city somewhere."
"You've been writing a story on the killer running around in the Oni mask correct?"
For as long as he could remember Remy would travel from city to city looking for local stories that could become national news. The one that he recently came across was dubbed "The Oni of Ridgeland." A killer wearing a blue Japanese Oni mask who had claimed the lives of two victims since he'd been there.
Remy took a sip of the hot tea from the mug.
"How'd you know?"
"It wasn't too hard of a guess. Nothing interesting really happens here in little old Ridgeland. Plus you're always reading the newspaper."
"That's quite the intuitive mind you've got there Shelly. In fact a little too intuitive for someone to just be a waitress."
She looked out of the windows next to the table.
"I'm just working this to put myself through school. One last semester and I'll be getting ready to open up a small couple's therapy clinic."
Remy stared down at the journal before placing it back in his bag. He took several more sips of the tea. He looked over at Shelly who seemed as though she was lost deeper within her thoughts.
"Well that's interesting. I'm sure you'll be great at it. Helping people in this diseased world is quite a valiant thing."
She blushed a bit before standing to leave "I just wish my dumbass boyfriend would understand the same. All he can think about is the amount of money it'll cost us, but thirty-five thousand is an easy loan that I could pay back."
"That is a lot, but with an optimistic attitude like that you'll definitely get it. I hope he realizes how good he has it to have you. Most people never realize they have something good until it becomes too late."
He stared out the window for a moment "You know you kind of remind me of my mother. She had that same kind and vibrant energy that you have. Always wanting to help people."
"Thank you. You said had as in past tense....what happened to her?"
".....She was killed when I was younger father did it."
"I-I'm so sorry that I asked." she said as she looked away feeling bad about even mentioning it.
"No. It's fine. It's nice to know that there are still people like her in this world." he said with a smile.
She nodded in agreement as she left for the kitchen. The door opened to the cafe and a tall guy walked in. He made eye contact with Remy as he made his way to the bar. Remy threw up two fingers from his folded fists that were propping his chin up as a way of speaking.
