1.
Holly collapsed on the stool and rubbed the soles of her feet. They were red hot and tired. She had been working since eleven that morning and now as it approached 1:00 am, her whole body ached. Her shoes fell lightly to the floor, and Elle almost swept them up with the edge of her broom. The girls laughed, half with amusement and half with exhaustion.
“What a shift,” Holly sighed as she stretched and pulled a strawberry milkshake closer to her and took a long, much-needed sip.
“Tell me about it,” Elle said as she set down the broom and sat on the stool next to her.
“Pass me mine,” she smiled, motioning to the other tall glass next to Holly.
Holly slid it along the countertop, and Elle began to stir it with her straw.
“Happy Friday,” she grinned. The two girls clinked glasses.
“Yeah, who needs to go to a bar when you can serve truckers and indulge in these once a week?” Holly joked.
Elle laughed and slapped her playfully on the arm.
“We need to get lives, don’t we?” Elle scrunched up her mouth as she pouted and looked out across the parking lot. It was now deserted, but just an hour before it had been filled with trucks and cars, and the diner had been full of men and women either traveling somewhere or just looking for someone to talk to. Their small town could be a lonely one and they regularly got people in there who simply had nothing better to do.
“I’m just glad tonight is over.” Holly rubbed her eyes. “I’m so tired, I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“Are you off tomorrow?” Elle asked as she got back to her feet and continued to sweep up the remnants of French fries and pie crusts that had made their way onto the floor.
“Yep,” Holly grinned. “And I intend to sleep all day.”
“Don’t waste it,” Elle said seriously. “Go shopping, catch a movie, or even better…come in here and see me!”
“Haha,” Holly laughed. “No chance.”
“Spoil sport,” Elle pouted.
Elle knew that even though they had the milkshake ritual every Friday night, she couldn’t stomach the thought of finishing hers. She pushed it away and got to her feet. Without her shoes, she tiptoed behind the counter and began to clean the counters before heading over to the cash register and counting the money.
“Randy would kill you if he saw you without shoes,” Elle laughed. “Fired on the spot.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he isn’t here, then,” Holly winked before arranging all of the cash into neat piles and putting it in the safe. Randy would be in at 6:00 am to collect it and no doubt check that the girls had done everything exactly how he liked it. For a boss, he could be a pain in the ass, but at least he left them alone regularly to just get on with things. Holly didn’t exactly like working as a waitress, but she was grateful to have a job that allowed her to pay her way and put a roof over her head. Since she lost her parents, she also didn’t mind not having so much time on her hands… She didn’t like being left alone to think.
“Seriously, though,” Elle said as she turned off the neon lights that lit up the windows out front. “Don’t waste your day tomorrow… I’m stuck in here until six and then back in on Sunday. What I wouldn’t give to have the weekend free.”
Holly thought about it for a moment and realized her friend was right. She should do something worthwhile rather than just lying in bed and churning everything over.
“Okay,” she smiled. “You’re right. I’ll get out and seize the day.”
“Carpe diem,” Elle nodded with pride.
“Indeed,” Holly laughed.
As the girls left the diner and made their way to Holly’s car, she had an overwhelming rush of affection for Elle. She really had been a great friend to her when she needed someone the most, and she was grateful to have found her. When she had taken her job at the diner, the last thing she had expected was to find a friend for life. Now the two of them were the longest serving waitresses there and well-known fixtures in their local community, as well as with the hundreds of truckers who traveled down their stretch of highway day in and day out.
As Holly pulled up outside of Elle’s small ranch house, she kissed her on the cheek.
“Have a fun day off,” Elle bounced out of the car. “I’ll see you Monday?”
“Sure,” Holly smiled. “Have a good weekend.”
Elle smiled and waved over her shoulder as she made her way to her front door. Holly looked ahead and at the dark road in front of her. She had a whole weekend with only herself for company, and it seemed to stretch out ahead like a terrifying abyss.
“Come on,” she coached herself as she pulled away from the curb and started on her way home. “Time alone isn’t so bad.”
But she wasn’t fooling anyone.
Least of all herself.