The waitress didn't leave Allison alone.
"You have been so nice to me," Allison says. "I really don't want to bother you."
"No, don't be silly!" the waitress, who has introduced herself as Amelia, responds. "Was that phone call important?"
The phone call. From the hospital.
"We've noticed a slight change. Nothing to worry about. With the very little progress that has been made over the past five years, this is huge! We'll keep you updated."
That was a doctor from the hospital. That was all Allison could remember from the phone call. The rest of the conversation went in a blur. The usual formalities, things she could care less about.
"Everything is fine," Allison finally says. "Just an update on personal affairs."
Allison has been in the same spot for about two hours now. In that two hours she had a coffee, a bite of a cake, a panic attack, a chat with the paramedics and a call from the hospital.
All of this happened in the one spot, a spot so lovely and filled with charming paraphernalia. Allison is completely embarrassed as to how dramatic everything was. But now she can just sit and relax and enjoy a chat with Amelia.
"Did you need to be anywhere today?" Amelia asks.
Allison shakes her head. "I just needed the fresh air and to be around people."
Amelia places a hand on Allison's shoulder. It was light, barely even a touch, but it was electric for Allison. A charge between the two, a bond in the making.
Allison can't even remember the last time that she has had a chat with someone. She could sometimes go months without uttering a word to anyone. Maybe a tiny "excuse me" as she tries to squeeze past someone, but never beyond that.
She often times would go down to a nearby supermarket and hang around the deli department. All the workers wandering about, grabbing turkey breasts and chicken legs for the other people. She sometimes wouldn't ask for anything. She just wanted to hear them say, "Hey, how are you today?" just so she could say something. Anything.
Allison can sometimes walk through a busy street and wonder what would happen if she screamed for no reason. Would anyone turn their heads? Would people act immediately to try and help her?
Well, she did scream, didn't she? Right here in this cosy little café. And now she has Amelia, touching her shoulder and asking how she's doing. Things that any normal person would do.
"I should be heading home," Allison says. "I've had enough for today." She lets out a chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Would you like me to stop by later?" Amelia asks. "Just to make sure you're doing OK."
"That would be absolutely wonderful!" Allison's heart is thumping like the footsteps of a raging elephant.
She gives Amelia her address and phone number, then bids her goodbye.
The rain is still pouring. Not as heavy as it was about an hour ago, though. Not that it bothers Allison even in the slightest.
YOU ARE READING
Night Shift
Fiksi Umum"It's the same routine every night. I've done it so many times I can basically lock everything down to the very millisecond. Hell, maybe even the very nanosecond. "
