Ronald's diner

chapter 2

I.

Bonnie awoke to the smell of something good, the smell of food that was cooked instead of being either raw or burnt. She also realized that she was lying on a couch with a wool blanket draped over her. She didn't remember falling sleep yet alone lying down on a couch the night before. That thought scared her, and she quickly checked to see that she was still wearing the robe and towel she had put on last night. Sighing a little in relief that she appeared to be unmolested, Bonnie began to sit up in an attempt to find out where she was and how she had gotten there.

"Good morning."

Looking at the source of the voice, Bonnie suddenly began to recall the events of last night, about her begging for a meal and meeting Ron, err Ronald. How he had given her a meal and had continuously insisted that she refer to him as Ronald, and had offered her a shower and to help her find a place to stay. But after that, it got a bit fuzzy. The only thing that she could recall for sure was that she had made up her mind that she would not stay at his place for the night, and yet here she was.

"How did I end up on the couch?" Bonnie asked.

"I know you didn't want to stay here," Ronald said as he sat down a plate of breakfast in front of Bonnie, "But you were so tired that you fell asleep on the couch the minute you sat down on it. I figured that if you were that tired, then you really needed your rest."

Bonnie was only half listening to the explanation as she, with fork in hand, began to dig into her three cheese omelet, bacon, toast, and juice. Finishing the last of her meal, Bonnie closed her eyes as she sedately leaned back against the couch.

"Thank you, Ron, err, I mean Ronald." She said with none of the usual sarcasm or I'm better than your attitude that everyone associated with voice. The result was, at least as far as Ronald was concerned, a rather pleasing sound.

"Hey, it was no big deal. I'm just glad that you look better than you did yesterday, even with your bed head."

Bonnie's eyes flew open as she bolted upright and gasped in horror as in her mind's eye she imagined a picture of her hair being all tangled, wild, and unkept looking on a picture of her in her most stylish out fit that she would wear to the mall. But as the rational side of her mind caught up with her thoughts, the picture of her in the stylish out fit was replaced by what she looked like not twenty-four hours ago. And now here she was, in a warm place, with a roof over her head, cleaner than she had been in weeks, and with a full belly, and she was still worried about how she looked. As the giggles that began to escape from her lips soon became a full felt laughter, Ronald began to wonder about her mental stability. Finally getting over her bout of giggles, probably the first one Bonnie had had in months, she looked at Ronald and asked him a question.

"Thank you for giving me a place to stay last night, and I know that you don't really expect any kind of repayment, but I would like to try to repay you somehow."

"Well, if you really want to repay me, there is one thing you can do, help me at the diner." Ronald answered with a grin.

"Fair enough, but that's a lot easier to do if I'm dressed, and speaking of which where are my clothes?" Bonnie asked sternly.

"Their sitting in a basket in my room. You can go get dressed if you want. And not to worry, you can repay me with your clothes on."

II.

After getting dressed and taming her "bed head" hair, Bonnie finally exited Ronald's bed room and announced with a touch of her old Queen Bee flare, "Now that I'm presentable to the world again lets get this day started."

"I didn't think you were that unpresentable to start with." Ronald grinned.

"And don't you forget it," Bonnie said, "now let's talk about payment."