2 broke girls and the reality check

13 Days Earlier

Max

"Hey Earl, do you remember when they made the Princess and the Ponzi?...And I was with Randy. Remember that?" Max asks jiggling the key in the lock. It is a little pass three in the morning, and she and Earl are just now walking out the door of the diner.

Earl contemplates a second before responding, "Do I? I smoked so much reefer the week of the premier that I can't remember anything else!"

Max allows herself a brief chuckle before placing the keys in her coat pocket. She turns around slowly and sighs. Her breath a large white cloud in the freezing January air. She pauses for a second, remembering how she used to pretend the air was cigarette smoke when she was younger. Then she focuses her attention on Earl. Standing face to face with her friend, Max can really see how this mess with Han has started to affect his appearance. He looks shorter to Max, more haggardly and tired. Even in this though, Max appreciates the effort that Earl puts into making sure that he looks presentable for work each day; and then refusing to leave the diner until she has made it out as well. In truth, Max is more concerned about Earl making it back home each morning than she is about herself. But Earl wouldn't leave her. It made Max sad sometimes, but at the same time she was always appreciative of his company.

"Earl," Max said, taking his two large hands into her own, "Thank you... This thing with Han has been really hard on all of us, but I just wanted to say that I appreciate the way you have stepped up and tried your best to help me out here at the diner. With the cleaning, and training and just everything. I never thought that I would care about this but Han would be proud".

Earl smiles and moves in to embrace Max. There is nothing that he wouldn't do for her and they both know it. In a way, Max is more like family to Earl than his own children are- although he would never admit this out loud.

"Listen," Earl said after releasing Max, "There are somedays I come into work and I can barely remember my own name let alone how much change to give back to a customer. But there is something that I will always know, and that is that you, Max Black, are like family to me. And I would do anything to make you happy".

Earl's eyes light up a bit when he sees the smile that spreads across Max's face. It is like a warm blanket that spreads across his heart and it takes everything in him not to shed a tear. It's been so long since he has seen her genuinely smile. A couple of years ago there wasn't a thing in the world that could stop that girl from laughing. He had always admired the way that she could find the positive in any situation. It kind of reminded him a little bit of himself back in the day. Before age started to wear on him.

Max starts to say something back but is cut off by the sound of tires screeching to a halt. A few feet away from them, a black Nissan Altima, the Uber that Max had ordered for them prior to closing up the shop, honks its horn and turns on its emergency lights. Earl walks over and opens the rear door. He holds his hand out in an attempt to help Max to step inside.

"You know what Earl, I think I'm just going to catch the train home. You go ahead," Max says, a faint smile touching the corner of her lips.

"No," Earl says tiredly, "It's past three in the morning. You don't need to be walking by yourself Max. It isn't safe. Think about what happened to Han. I would kill myself if something happened to you too".

"It's fine Earl, I'll be okay. I want to walk and just clear my mind I guess. Plus I forgot that I have to make a stop before I get home anyways. Just go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You have to make a stop at three in the morning?" Earl eyes her suspiciously. He is privy to the troubles that she is having with Deke, but doesn't say anything. A million times he has wanted to question why in the hell she left Randy, a lawyer, to be with someone who (at the time was literally living in a garbage can) but he too keeps this to himself.