vanilla // lrh

twenty one

"How are you dear? Haven't seen ya in a hot minute."

I raised the coffee pot to spill into the man's mug.

"I'm great, Dave! How are you? How's the grandkids?"

I love keeping up with customers that I saw regularly, it warmed my heart that the same select people would come to the diner every morning for a coffee.

"They're lovely! Jimmy just learned how to ride a bike," He grinned, the wrinkles turning upward with his smile.

I felt my phone buzz from my apron pocket as the elderly man spoke, and my rememberance of two nights ago dawned on me.

I knew it was Luke who texted me, he wouldn't stop texting me.

"How old is he now?" I asked, swallowing the rock in my throat, scanning the restaurant, and noticing Megan was working.

Her dark flat hair fell on her hips, the hips Michael always fantasized about.

I thought about texting Michael to make sure he hadn't smoked since his party, but I decided against it, not wanting to see the messages from Luke.

"He's 6! Smartest in his class."

"I know where he got it from!" I grinned, patting Dave on the shoulder and walking over to Megan.

"Well, well!" She laughed, and I felt another buzz from my apron. "If it isn't the new "business partner"."

"Nothing's really certain yet," I shrugged, assuming the events that unfolded between Luke and I would end the relationship completely. I'd do anything to avoid the awkwardness.

"I've only been brought a couple times." I told her, and she raised her thick penciled eyebrow.

"A couple times? Honey, you're hooked!" She grinned with a Colgate smile.

Buzz.

"How'd you get involved in that whole mess?" I asked, and she grabbed my arms with her frail hand.

"Els!" She whispered, leading me behind the counter and through the door, into the kitchen.

"You can't talk about the illegal activities we're involved in in front of the customers," She chuckled, reaching the pencil that was tucked behind her ear, and shoving it into her apron.

Illegal. We're involved in.

"My younger brothers always wanted in," She said. "I told them I wasn't going to let them waste our money, so I'd handle the business part of things."

"Do they still fight?" I asked, remembering the few times Megan had brought up her brothers before.

"Nah," She said, with several open mouthed bites of her gum. "I just love the thrill, the gamble."

Buzz.

"I'm not really comfortable with it." I admitted, and it felt relieving to admit. Megan was the first person I could be genuine with about the whole situation, considering it was illegal.

"You'll learn, babydoll." She smiled, glancing down at my lap.

"Your phone has been lighting up all day."

"I don't really want to look," I confessed. "Sort of an awkward situation I'd rather ignore."

"If it's who I think it is, you better answer it," She advised.

"If not, he'll come find you."

And with that, she jumped on the ball of her feet and exited the kitchen.