Lies Don't Die

Chapter Six

        I lock my car as I walk up the small sidewalk that leads to the diner. The small trees are covered with yellow lights that make the street more comforting. People rush by trying to get to all the stores before they close in an hour. Suddenly, a hand is placed on my shoulder and I spin around. Luckily, it’s just Michael. Instead of his old band shirt, he is wearing a nice blue and green plaid shirt with a nice pair of jeans.“Hey! You scared me!” I say jokingly through some small laughs.

        Michael starts to laugh a little bit too. “Oh sorry!” He says during laughs. “Do you want to head in?” He has a sweet smile which spreads across his face and I nod.

        The person at the front desk is wearing a navy blue tie that stands out against the white dress shirt and pants. He gives a small, sweet smile that makes us feel welcome here. As we follow the man from the front to our seats, people start to look at Michael and I can tell he is feeling judged by the way he looks and it pains me to see him this sad.

        “This will be your seats, I hope you have a great time.” The man says in a thick British accent. Michael and I both sit down across from each other in a comfortable booth that has a window looking out into the street. Every now and then, Michael would dart his eyes around the room to see if anyone was looking at him.

        I reach my hand across the table and place it on his hand. “It’s okay. We can leave if you don’t feel comfortable.” I look at him with a concerning smile.

        He shakes his head and looks down at the menu. “I’ll be fine. I deal with it a lot.” This time, a young woman, around twenty, comes over to our booth. She is wearing an ankle length white skirt and a white dress shirt.

        “Welcome to The Anandale Diner. I’ll be your server today and my name is Molly. What can I get you for a drink?” She has a sweet smile and warm hazel eyes that match her fair brown hair that is pulled back into a sloppy bun.

        “Could I please get a water?” I say as she writes it down in her little waitress book. She looks over at Michael, waiting for a request.

        “I’ll have the same please.” Michael smiles meekly and then looks away out the window.

        “Okay, two waters, I’ll be right back with those.” Molly turns and walks back the way she came. I look over the menu real quickly and already find something to eat. I’m thinking of trying the Chicken Broccoli Rotini. I look up at Michael and notice that he is looking at something behind me. Slowly, I look around my shoulder and notice a young girl, maybe two or three, standing in the aisle way. A small smile spreads across his face and it causes me to smile.

        “Come on Charlotte, you ready to go?” I hear a woman say behind me. It must be the little girls mom. But soon, I hear the little girl whine a bit and say.

        “But Mommy, I don’t want to walk past the scary man. I don’t like him,. Can we go another way?” I didn’t need to see who she was pointing to, I knew it was Michael. There is this awful feeling in my stomach and I’m pretty sure Michael heard it as well. Slowly, I look into Michael’s eyes but he’s not looking back. Instead, he’s looking down at his clenched fist on the wooden table.

        “Michael?” I say with concern. Slowly, I look over my shoulder and notice that the young girl and her family had gone another way that didn’t involve walking past our table. As I look back at Michael he jumps up from his seat and bumps in to Molly who has our drinks, but instead of helping, he just storms out of the diner. There are murmured whispers when Michael is gone. I apologize to Molly who just kindly smiles back reassuring me that it was fine.