Stitches

2: Stranger On The Roadside

—Kendra—

Kendra sat in her jeep, staring into the visor mirror as she completed the last step of her morning routine like she did day after day. With each gentle brush of lipstick, she moved in sync with the somber music playing over the radio.

"You know we've got to find a way."

The line made her hand pause. "Yeah, find a way out of here." Tired russet eyes stared into themselves. This had been her life from week to week until it became month to month—She'd lose her mind if it became year to year.

A sigh escaped her peachy lips as the song picked up and she resumed her task. With a last stroke, her image of being the 'Diner Gal' was complete.

Kendra's work uniform was something she never quite liked. All those years in college, internships, and graduating with honors... All to wear a work uniform from a bygone era.

At least she had a choice between hot pink and robin egg blue. Kendra opted for the latter. On her first day, she had gotten her uniform with her name stitched in red next to the right lapel of the top. Through some trial and error, she eventually found the perfect makeup to complement her morena skin and the tacky uniform.

"You know we've got to find-" The radio went silent as Kendra turned her key in the ignition. The roar of the engine gave way to the song. "...Some lovin' here today."

The early morning drive was always the same for Kendra: a time to prepare for another day of taking orders, running food, and having the same conversation about seven times throughout the day—of course, she always spaced it out so customers wouldn't overhear the same thing twice. She wouldn't want to ruin the image her regulars had painted of her.

They might cut back on their tips if they saw through the act.

Six days of the week would send Kendra down the same dark stretch of road. The cloudy weather concealed the summer's early twilight from the stretch of sky above the trees along the route. 

At first, the drive would make her nervous. The many trees and complete darkness besides her headlights and the lack of other cars made her think of the setups to the many true crime podcasts she'd listen to at home.

After the twentieth drive, she had memorized all the usual markers and landmarks she'd pass by on each trip. The first of the road signs came into view.

SPEED

LIMIT

50

The song ended. A calm, sluggish voice spoke. "Wow... it's not even 5 AM yet... Weird how one hour can just fly by and the next just dragggggs." 

Kendra's lips perked up. Tif got baked. She'd always wrap up her morning call segment 'Morning Mingling' with a Dutchie. The station would play some ads while the hostess got to a happy place. The ramblings that would follow as she played requests would make the drive a little easier.

"Okay, okay, we played Old Man Jim's request, now that we got my first ever regular set. Whose request should I play next? Oh, I know- no, wait..." A pause dragged on until her brain returned from its happy place. "Jazzy didn't call in this morning, so I can't play one of her favorites. Cause... Rules are-" The sky opened up, the sudden battering obscured the windshield and drowned out the radio.

With a flick of her hand, the wipers came on, restoring the view to the empty, familiar road. Turning up the volume, Tif's voice returned. 

"So anyway, I think next up we're gonna play what my Diner Gal wanted." A slow laugh came through the radio. "Now I know you're running around rage applying to anything and everything out there, but..." Another pause left Kendra with only the rain lashing the windshield to break the silence.