Mafia's Missing Murderer.

39.

I chuckled," I suppose I do."

She blushed, "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

I smiled at her.

She thought about something, then spoke, "You can have anything on the house, since I insulted you first thing in the morning."

"Are you sure", I asked.

"I'm sure", She assured me.

She motioned for me to follow her inside. The smell of maple syrup, eggs, and bacon filled my nose. It was intoxicating, making me realize how incredibly starving I was.

"Have a seat anywhere, look at the menu, and I'll be right with you", She told me while forcing a menu into my hands.

I nodded and took a seat at a booth, farthest away from the door. I unfolded the menu and my hard swelled at it. Everything was handwritten.  I could feel my mouth watering as I read each item.

"Sorry, that took me so long", she apologized, her hair now in two French braids.

"That's alright, no need to apologize", I said

"Find anything interesting in the menu?"

"It all sounds delectable; however, I cannot decide. What would you recommend?"

Her eyes practically lit up with joy as the words left my mouth.

"My favorite is the strawberries and creme waffles with cream cheese in between the layers of waffles," She stated with a huge grin, showing the small gap between her front teeth.

"With that description, I'll definitely need to have an order of those please", I politely said.

"I'm glad I could help you decide, I'll give this to the chef, and I'll put a rush on the order as well."

"Thank you."

She nodded before scurrying off to the back, most likely to the kitchen. As I sat and waited for my breakfast, the small diner slowly began to fill up with hungry customers. A detail caught my eye, the red head was the only waitress in the diner.

I began to get agitated as I watched her wait on every famished customer. I could see the stress on her face every time she left a table, just to rush to another packed table.  I had to force myself to look away from the scene in front of me.

"I am so so so sorry for the wait", She apologized as she carefully placed the plate of waffles in front of me.

"Where are the other waitresses?", I asked.

"No one else gets here until 2ish so it's just me until then", She shrugged.

"Oh."

She was quickly waved over by a customer. I picked up my knife and fork and started to slice into the waffle. After a reasonable piece was cut off, I stabbed my fork into it. The smell was delightful, making my mouth water as I moved the bite towards my mouth.

"This is decaf", A man screamed while slamming a mug onto his table, which interrupted my moment with my food.

I sighed as I raised my head to see what the commotion was about. I'm glad I looked up when I did. The man was enraged his face a crimson color while yelling at the red head waitress. I stood up to my feet and rushed over.

"What the issue", I demanded, glaring into the man's eyes.

"And who are you supposed to be", He scoffed.

"Doesn't matter... why are you screaming at her", I asked again, a little more frustration behind my words.

He shook his head, "I ordered regular black coffee. This bitch can't even get that right, she brings me decaf."

"Let me see"

He seemed confused.

"Let me see the coffee", I repeated, this time less vague.

He rolled his eyes as he handed me the cup with visible steam above it. I glanced at the liquid for a few seconds.

"I see the problem here", I announced which caught his attention, "You're an asshole."

I tossed the coffee into his face, making him hiss in pain instantly. He moved his hands over his face, trying to stop the burning.

I grabbed him by his soaked shirt collar, pulling him to his feet.

"You do not get to come into this understaffed, packed diner and think you can be an asshole to the only server working", I yelled into his face.

People were giving us weird looks, I realized just how much of a scene I was making. I leaned close to his ear.

"You will pay for your meal. Leave this girl a wealthy tip, then leave. Am I clear", I whispered angerly.

All he could muster was a small nod.

I let go of his collar, letting him fall back onto his seat. I then went back to my table, determined to enjoy my breakfast.

As I sat back down, it dawned on me that my steaming plate of food was nowhere to be found. After a few minutes the waitress rushed over to my table.

"The owner told me to ask you to leave", She explained, looking down at the ground.

"I understand. Is there any chance I could make a phone call before I leave?" I asked.

"We don't have a public phone", She told me while rummaging her hands in her pockets.

She placed three coins into the palm of my hand. 

"There's a pay phone across the street. It's seventy-five cents per call."

"I can't accept this money, it's not right."

"It's the least I can do. That guy hasn't spoken a word since you two had it out," She gratefully smiled

I nervously sighed.

"Any chance I could get your phone number?"