“DARRYL WAYNE ALLEN if you play that god-forsaken song on my jukebox ONE MORE TIME.”
“ifn you don’t want the song played whydoya keep it in there?”
“you know damn well why, don’t be an ignoramus” – Faun huffed from behind the diner counter and turned to Loquacious Jones, “huny do you need a refill?” she drawled.
Loqi looked up from her knitting, her ebony hands flying so fast they looked like that hot android from the star treks in the 90s “yes thankee ma’am, you know I do”
Every little thing she does is magic, everything she does just turns me on
Faun stopped herself from humming along. “goddamit, Darryl” she muttered under her breath as she plastered on her best customer service smile and bustled over to the only occupied booth on the east side of the room.
“What can I do you for?” she quipped, best to turn the southern charm up to 11 for the normies.
The sun glinted off The Stranger’s gunmetal glasses.
A butter smooth voice that belonged more on PBS than in a booth in Faun’s diner answered back “Tea, if you have it, and one of these BLTs I keep hearing so much about”
Faun tried not to let the brewing frown make it to her face, “Well son, we got regular tea and sweet, but are you sure you want a BLT? Things er bit different round these parts.”
The Stranger smiled, Faun’s heart and tummy battled it out for who would flutter the most, the smile was equal parts terrifying and underwear dissolving.
“Yes, of course, that’s why I’m here.”
Faun blinked and found herself back behind the counter putting the order in, what the – she must’ve skipped a groove. Faun was pretty hard to rattle, you had to be when you ran the diner at the inn at the end of the world, but the likes of the gentleman at table 6 she ain’t never seen. Not even here.
Tiny, the extremely very not in any way tiny cook, launched the sandwich into the window, “order up june bug!”
Faun grabbed the plate and the tea with the same arm as one of the critters tried to skitter off the sandwich to safety, “oh no you don’t” Faun grabbed a leg and stuffed it back under the rye, giving it an extra smoosh for good measure, and delivered the loveBug Lettuce and Tomato sandwich to The Stranger.
“Thank you for your kindness, Miss Faun, it won’t be soon forgotten.”
Faun felt a little light-headed and her ‘usual any time dear’, response was cut short by a certain wanna be redneck playing a certain Police song on the jukebox again. “DARRYL, I swear to all the unholy gods” she shouted over her shoulder.
But when she turned back to offer The Stranger her best apology smile, he was gone.
Leigh Fisher 