Then There's Wilbur

Chapter 6

Wilbur

"I'm still hungry," Tory whined from the back, probably trying to build a fort using the throw pillows. It never failed to amuse her on why the back of a limo was so spacious. She then developed the theory that the richer a person was, the longer his legs got.

We were currently passing a street filled with cafes and diners, a new rising trend with the youngsters nowadays.

It's starting to be a thing now. All these people with their laptops hanging out by the windows with their lattes and hipster glasses. It's a cycle I guess. Adults now wouldn't understand how kids are today, just like how adults then wouldn't understand the adults of today.

I risked a sideway glance at the woman beside me. She's strangely quiet now – well she's been quiet the whole time. Tory and I might have taken it too far when we assumed that she just got dumped. Besides, I attended her bachelorette party, didn't I? Maybe she found out that her groom got frisky with one of the muses.

I felt someone pull at my shirt's collar.

Tory was already pointing at one of the diners with a plump statue of a chef holding the place' menu. "Let's try there!" she exclaimed, using her usual stubbornness hiding behind her eager expression, just in case I say no.

I was tempted to run down the statue. The chef looked like he got force-fed, was asked to go outside, and couldn't wait to get to the restroom.

When I parked the car near the diner, I felt Diana stir in her seat.

"Why did we stop?" Diana looked at us while Tory and I got out of the car.

When she gave no sign of getting off her seat, I walked to her side of the car and leaned on her window. She wasn't even making any effort to make eye contact with me. She was too busy looking at the diner Tory picked.

"You heard her," I started, "Saturday is Tory's day, so if she wants to eat at a diner, we'll damn well eat at a diner," I said as I took a quick look at Tory reading the menu outside.

"Now I know you don't have any money with you, so let's make a bargain. You bear half an hour with us then I'll present you to my boss, maybe get some incentive for bringing you in one piece. He'll give you enough money to get you home. Everybody's happy."

When I was done talking, she gulped, considering my proposition. After a moment, she turned towards me and I smiled at her before opening her door.

"We'll only be here for half an hour, right?" she asked, her eyes looking at the tables as we went inside. I swear she looked like she was being chased by a serial killer instead of ordering honey-drizzled waffles. "Half an hour," she whispered to herself as she smoothed her pencil skirt, "I can manage thirty minutes."

The sound of a small bell rang when we entered. She was gripping my arm and I winced every time she held onto me tighter when people entered and left the place.

When we finally sat down, Tory was already grinning at one of the waitresses and Diana decided to be immensely interested in the menu. Something was definitely off with her.

I squinted my eyes and pulled the menu from her hands. "Who are you hiding from?" I whispered. I turned to my right and saw Tory sitting by the counter, talking to the woman by the register. I'm guessing we'll be regulars soon enough.

"I'm not hiding from anyone," she replied, suddenly sounding defensive.

I frowned when she stiffened after someone left, signalled by the small bell. "Let me rephrase," I leaned towards her, my elbows resting on the fruit mantel cover of the table. "Who are you avoiding Miss Coal? Your boyfriend runnin' in with the law or something? You don't look like you have a knack for chasing bad boys." I looked at the tables near us. Nobody was paying us any attention. From nearby, I could hear Tory asking the woman how she could flip the perfect pancake.