Understanding Me

Understanding Me(8)

Chapter 8

We arrived at the small, Podunk diner just before the sun reached the tops of the scarce trees. The diner was slightly shoddy, but had a welcoming feeling. The first thing I noticed was the vacant quality that put my mind to rest.

"See, hardly anyone is here." I hear whispered into my ear. I pivoted quickly on my heel a little bit stunned by the closeness. I turned to see Payson's half asleep form clinging onto Seere's neck. We  sort of looked like a dysfunctions family.

The inside of the diner was much more attractive than I had expected. There were only two other people in the diner beside us, and one of them was the waitress. Being cautious, we took the window booth closest to the door. Seere gently layed Payson down on the seat next to me. She seemed to wake up a little more, her brain now registering that we were in a public place. Why is she so tired? I mean she's usually tired but this is excessive, even for her. Could she be getting worse?

The waitress took a good five minutes to get over to us, even thought there's only two customers in the place. I ordered a coke and a water for Payson. The waitress seemed taken aback by our appearances, especially Seere's. Seere's dark features looked out of place in the quaint Iowan diner. He was the type of guy you saw on the cover of a magazine, not in a small town food vendor. With messy brown hair, and deep chocolate eyes to match, he was not your usual customer. The waitress seemed to think so too. It was obvious she was trying to  get his attention, but all he did was sit there like an idiot, not absorbing any of the flirtatious vibes coming from the overly friendly server. He got a coke too.

"Umm... quick question Seere, how are we gonna pay for this?" I asked, probably a little too late. Payson and I left with 20 bucks, just enough to fill the tank of gas needed for the old clunker.

"Well, I guess we're screwed then!" He sarcastically remarked.

"I'm being serious." I managed to get out while laughing.

"Well, when your 19" He said loud enough for everyone to hear (smooth Seere, smooth) "You tend to acquire a fair amount of money."

"Riiiiight..." I said incredulously. Being with Seere has put me on need-to-know-basis. The waitress brought the drinks back and we ordered our food. This was beginning to feel routine, almost comfortable. That's when I know this is bad. What have I gotten us into? I can't do this! I can't play 'house' with Seere anymore. Social services and the authorities get closer and closer while we just sit here enjoying a nice breakfast. The time I've spent with Seere has flown by without me even noticing. Was it only 2 days ago that I was promising myself that I would get Payson to a hospital soon. Now here she sits not eating anything and sleeping her days away. I have been far too selfish for far too long. I need to end this. We'll need gas money and money for a cheap motel, I don't know how much more Payson can handle sleeping outdoors, even if the alcove is a protective shelter, it's still below 40 degrees into the night.

"Lena?" I barely heard Seere's voice over my own thoughts.

"Oh, Huh?" I said regaining the world of the living.

"You zoned out there for a minute, You ok?" He said sounding concerned. His chocolate Carmel eyes seemed to pierce right through me, as if they knew something was wrong.

"What? Oh no, I'm fine," I laughed it off, " just a little tierd that's all." It was getting easier and easier to lie. Every word spilled from my mouth as if I didn't have a filter for it all. One lie just came after another. Lying is the easy part though, being honest is the hard part, especially when someones emotions are involved.