Seaside

00:04

"Hello," I smiled at the waitress with slightly frizzed hair and keen brown eyes.

She continued to pop her gum excessively and pulled a chewed pen and a pad from the lapel tied around her waist.

"What would you like, love?" Her foot continuously kept pounding the floor in a meticulous beat.

I closed my dissatisfying menu and simply said, "The usual."

"Coming right up." She took the menu from my grasp and gracefully swerved around the lot of people.

I sighed and observed the people dining around me.

Henry, a guy with a balding head and a bad attitude, grumbled as a response to something the older man with boxed glasses had said to him in a low tone.

I smiled inwardly, relating to Henry more than what pleased me.

A guy with a wooden cane that was carved with intricate designs cladded past my padded booth, onwards on whatever quest he was on.

Amy, the waitress in which I hadn't named before, brought me a mug and a pot of steaming black heaven and poured the black liquid into my awaiting glass.

I tipped a package of sugar into the mug and idly stirred with my spoon.

I gently blew on the surface and waited for my energy of the day to cool off enough for me to down.

After a few minutes of doing that, I sipped the coffee carefully and came to the conclusion that it was not scalding my throat so I generously downed the beautiful substance.

Amy came back with a plate of steaming eggs, bacon, and a biscuit and set it down in front of me.

"Thank you." I smiled at her, dimples protruding from my cheeks I was sure of.

"No problem, enjoy your breakfast." She stabbed the pen into the bun that was her hair and stomped off to awaiting customers.

I downed my breakfast and took one last gulp of the putrid black liquid. I pulled out my worn leather wallet and opened it to rummage through the many receipts and cards sticking out of it to find a 20 dollar bill. I finally found the bill and tossed it onto the table, getting out of the booth slowly and grabbed my cane resting next to me on the seat. I grabbed the handle and proceeded down the carpeted floor to the exit.

I opened the door with my free hand and took one step only to be knocked off of my unbalanced pedestal.

"Are you kidding me?!" I shouted, grabbing the door frame in order to prevent me from clattering to the floor in an all out display of embarrassment.

"Sorry." A familiar catty woman replied, dressed in a oversized grey coat. Her red, brownish hair was piled on top of her head. She hurriedly glanced back and turned forward only to whip her head back towards my direction, which I was still breathing heavily from the close encounter of me having to struggle for 20 minutes of getting up with a knee that couldn't bend, now that put a bad picture into my head.

"Hey, I know you!" The woman said, pointing to me with her scantily ring clad fingers.

"The loon, if I remember correctly?" I arched an eyebrow.

She smiled a dizzying smile and said, "Exactly."

I laughed. "Right, well I'll be on my way now." I raised my hand as a farewell gesture and let the door slam behind me.

As I got outside I was met with white snowflakes falling in the early morning, coating my eyelashes with flakes of snow.

I shivered and wrapped my thick black coat around me, pulling it around me to keep the heat in.

I looked around for my red car and found it where I had last parked it.

Of course it had to be all the way across the parking lot.

Of course it was snowing really hard making the pavement more slippery than ever.

Of course I was going to fall.

I sighed heavily and lifted one foot and set it down cautiously from the curb.

1 down, 250 more to go.

I put my other foot in front of me, making sure it was firm.

At this rate, I was going to get to my car after the zombie apocalypse occurred and let's face it... Probably not even then.

I sighed, my life was a non stop roller coaster of excitement.

Just as I was about to give up and lie down on the cold ground and let hypothermia take me, A black boot came into my view of the ground and I instantly snapped my head up to meet the face of the loon.

"May I help you?" I snapped, not in the mood for conversation, but in the mood for killing somebody.

Her thick eyebrows shot up questionably and a smirk lined her lips. "Well someone isn't in a very good mood, huh?" She didn't wait for my reply as she went on. "I was just going to ask if you needed some help to your car... But never mind, looks like you have it all covered..." She backed away and turned around while adjusting the black cap on her head.

I considered my options, which were scarce unfortunately.
I could either
a) attempt to make it to my car alone and die of hypothermia
b)  ask for help

Not wanting to go with the ladder I had an internal argument with myself, insisting that I didn't need help to get to my god forsaken car. The other half of me told me to be rational.

I sighed, running my rough hands through my curly mop on my head and yelled, "Wait!"

The girl, who I hadn't gotten a name from yet, turned around with a knowing smile on her face.

She skipped (I have no idea how normal humans can actually skip in snow, but I am telling you, she literally skipped) to where I stood and crossed her arms.

"Knew it." She smiled brilliantly, while the snow managed to fall in bigger flakes and faster than ever.

"Can you just... I don't know, maybe help me to my car now?" I said, rolling my eyes and sarcasm dripping from each word I spoke.

"Can you just... I don't know, maybe be a little more optimistic or more nice?" She countered but took my arm and let me lean on her while we made our way to my car.

And like the child that becomes me on occasion, I stuck out my tongue.

Her eyebrows arose. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sawyer. What's your name?" Maybe I could finally put a name to the face that kept randomly showing up.

"My name is Juniper but people call me June for short." She shifted uncomfortably. We had finally made it to my car and we were leaning on my car while our noses casually turned blue and froze off.

"I really should go, I need to be at work in..." She trailed off as she checked the silver watch attached to her wrist. "Oh, shit!" She cursed, pulling out her cellphone.

She dialed somebody's number and started walking off while muttering to whoever was on the phone, "Patrick, I swear to God, don't let them start without me.."

I called out, "I guess I'll see you later?"

She turned around, phone still attached to her ear and her left eyebrow went up.

"Or maybe not?" I sighed, running my fingers through my hair once again in an attempt to calm me.

A smirk went full force on her lips and she momentarily removed the phone from her ear to mutter one word that would keep me up all night.

"Maybe." She shrugged and walked off, leaving me completely fuddled.

Women, I thought.