King of Nothing

Now

An aura of warmth radiates from the diner. People sit happily at their tables making small talk with the others sitting across from them. I'm not sure quite what to do. No one is there waiting for someone to come in and seat me. I stand there awkwardly and stare at my surroundings. 

Then she walks over to me and says, "Take a seat wherever hun, I'll be with you in a second."  I nod showing my rotted teeth, and stumble to a spot down in the corner of the diner. The entire essence of this place makes me feel...happy and all warm inside. 

I look at the menu which was already waiting there for me, until the lovely waitress comes over to me. I was hoping it would be her that came to serve me, and I lucked out. "Hello my name is Casey, what can I get you?" She winks at me with a warm smile. She is maybe twenty...three? Early twenties for sure. She reminds me so much of someone else I used to love. 

"Whatever this five dollars can get me." I blush in embarrassment. I am a middle-aged man, dressed like a homeless person, and to add on to it all, I am a homeless person. Society expects me to have a job, being able to support the one's a man loves whether it's his family, partner, or pet. But I can't even support myself let alone something else. And there is nothing I can do nothing about it. 

"That'll buy you a tea and a muffin. Is that good?" She asks. I frown, nodding my head up and down. "Hey, you seem down. Would you like to talk about it?" My face flushes an even bright shade of red. 

"Well, it's just, this is so embarrassing. I'm so...homeless." I stutter.

"Well no crap, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure that out." She snorts and laughs, it's kind cute how she snorts like a pig in between laughs. 

"Whos Sherlock..."  I trail off. She gives me a look of astonishment. 

"Only one of my favore characters in literature, not only to mention one of my favorite British television shows of all time."  She brags about this, like it's some accomplishment. "We'll have to watch it sometime!" She actually sounded one hundred percent legitimate and excited about her offer. 

"Ha ha, sure." It felt good to have a companion - someome to talk to. 

"So was that all that was troubling you? Because that is nothing to be worried about. If it makes you feel any better, I'm in no better place than you. This pays minimum wage and I'm barely surviving, not to mention my boss is a prick." She slants her mouth to show she is not happy with her financial situation. 

"Oh," I say.

"Yes! I like you Mr. Homeless Man." She smiles and the tips of her cheeks are a fading shade of red.

"You remind me of my daughter, you know that? You guys could be twins." I explain to her, she seems a little taken aback. 

"Really? That's gnarly dude! I must meet her." She sounds very happy that she is not completely alone in this world.

"I'm afraid that isn't a possibility right now...sorry. I would have loved for you two to meet, but it can't happen now." I say, avoiding the painful truth.

"Okay...Mister! Well, it was nice talking to you. I'll go get you your food! Come back another time, yeah?" She asked, she was eager to have a friend. 

"You can call me Noah, and sure! I doubt it will be for eating though, considering I have no money after all." I say, using my arms to to dramatically gesture my state of emarrassment. 

"That's fine! I like talking to you. See ya later, Watson!" She winks at me again.

"Watson... What?" I ask, confused once again. 

"It's a Sherlock thing, you'll understand soon enough." She smiles and walks off into the kitchen where my food is being prepared. 

I eagerly await for her to come back with my food, but when my food arrives, it's not with her. I don't complain or anything, but I was kind of disappointed. 

I eat it eagerly, and it seems that I had gotten more food than what I ordered, but I wasn't about to complain. Once I finished every single crumb and drop of my food, I sat there people-watching, until my hopefully-under-five-dollar-bill arrives. 

I scan the cheap peice of pearly white paper, and then read my total at the bottom. It comes to a total whopping zero. 

"Excuse me? I think you gave me the wrong bill." I get the attention of the other waitress working in the diner. 

"Oh no, that's yours," she says, "Casey told me to tell you that your meal is on her, you don't have to pay anything." 

Well isn't that extremely kind of her.