Escaping Reality

Chapter 17: Hangover Helper

The conversation was flowing nicely and I think we both realized it. Lola looked genuinely happy and it made me feel good to have gotten out of my comfort zone. It had been a while since I had been on an actual date and I don't remember any of them feeling this easy. I always remembered feeling discomfort and borderline paranoia on first dates. Maybe it was something about Lola or maybe I was just maturing I thought.

"Here you guys go," Harley said as she brought out our food. "Is there anything else I can get you guys?"

"No, I think we're good," I responded. "Thank you."

The company and the flavored milk were enough to make this experience enjoyable so I hadn't placed many expectations on the food. However, my breakfast spread looked incredible. The hash browns were a perfect golden brown topped with bacon bits and melted cheese that hung over the top like a gooey spider web. The three pancakes were gigantic and marbled with pineapple bits that had caramelized and created a sort of natural syrup. To top it off was two slices of thick-cut bacon that held a crispiness reminding me of my grandpa's skillet bacon we have while camping in the summers.

It all looked good but I had to start with the pancakes, and the one bite along sent me into food heaven. The batter was the perfect balance of fluffy and moist and it seemed to almost effortlessly melt in my mouth. I had never paired pineapple with pancakes but it was a surprisingly good combo, the additional cinnamon seasoning sprinkling on top was a nice touch. For a moment I had forgotten where I was and had a slight foodgasm. I opened my eyes to see Lola shooting me confused looks.

It wasn't long before I had cleaned my plate and washed it all down with the last of my cinnamon toast crunch milk. Lola seemed to enjoy hers as she finished just after me. Apparently, we were both hungry because barely a word was spoken as soon as the food had come out. It was like one of those awkward family dinner scenes you see in the movies where all you can hear is the clink of the silverware on the plate.

"Are you two ready for the check yet?" Harley asked when she noticed we had each cleaned our plates.

Yeah, that would be great. Wait, do you guys sell your milk, like, to-go?" I asked

"We do, yes!"

"Can I get a gallon of banana milk, one of peach milk, and one of applejack milk?" I asked.

"Coming right up"

"You're going to drink three gallons of milk all before they expired" Lola asked, one eyebrow raised and a skeptical look spread across her face.

All I could offer in return was a shrug before Harley returned with my three gallons of milk all in giant glass jugs. I paid the bill, thanked her for being such a great waitress but we remained seated. Our corner booth was comfortable, I felt fat from eating, so much and we both agreed we'd prefer to relax and talk a little longer. As we picked up the conversation again, something suddenly struck me.

"Hey why aren't you in school right now?" I asked, a little abruptly.

"Oh, I got accepted into Yale and decided to graduate a semester early to work and save up some extra money. I have the day off though and you liked you would be a good time so here I am."

"Yale," I repeated to myself. Was there anything this girl couldn't do. She spoke with such ease and was so sure of herself, she could be talking about colonoscopies and it would have been attractive.

Suddenly we began talking about colleges, our futures, and our career and family goals. The past couple of months I had been aggressively trying to avoid questions like these from family and friend's parents but for once I was actually enjoying talking about it. Maybe it was because we were the same age and my lack of certainty was followed by judgment. Before too long we were asked to leave as there was a long waiting list and we were holding up the line. We were sad to leave but obliged, of course.

We got back in the car, both seemingly content with how our morning had unfolded. For a moment we just sat there looking at each other. It didn't feel awkward, it was a comfortable silence - the kind that's hard to come by.

"So what are we doing next?" Lola asked, breaking the silence.