🅈🄴🄻🄻🄾🅆 🄲🄰🄽🄰🅁🅈 🄱🄸🅁🄳 •Stanley Barber•

Three Conversations

I know she's trying to be nice. Even without her actually there, I forced myself to smile.

"Are you doing anything right now?" Dina asked. "I know it's kinda sudden, but..."

When she didn't pick up where she left off, I said, "Yeah, I'm not doing anything right now. Why?"

"Would you wanna go to Fiddles for a bit? It would be my treat."

"Uh, yeah, sure," I said, shrugging. I knew she couldn't see the shrug, but my mental state benefitted from it. "What time?"

"I mean, I could pick you up in five minutes if you want to go now."

I grimaced at the thought of being in a car again. Dina then realized her mistake, and quickly said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I could meet you there. How long would it take you?"

"I don't know. Ten minutes, maybe?" I saw myself in the reflection of my phone, oily hair in clumps around my face. "Actually, can I have half an hour?"

Dina gave me a light chuckle. "Yeah, of course. Thank you."

"It's free food," I said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I'll see you at 2:30, then?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

Dina hung up, and I was left alone again. Thirty minutes to shower and change into something that didn't make me look at a hobo. Thirty minutes was plenty when you didn't care about yourself enough to look too nice.

°•°•°

My shower and trip to the diner was faster than I had expected, and yet Dina already beat me there. I saw her while I was walking towards the front door. She seemed nervous, tapping her fingers on the table. I stepped inside the diner, towards a little booth in the front.

"Party for one?" A waitress asked me.

"Uh, no, actually. I've got someone over there." I pointed Dina out, and the waitress let me through.

I made my way over to Dina's booth, sitting across from her. Then I noticed the bouquet of flowers sitting in front of her. She slid them over to me.

"I'm really sorry for your loss," she told me. "I hope these are okay."

The flowers were a mixture of pinks, blues, and whites. A little card stuck out from the group, apologizing for the same tragedy everyone else is so bothered by. I mean, I'm bothered too, but...

"Thank you." I put the flowers on my seat so we could have more room on the table. "And thanks. For the food, I mean."

"Yeah, well I just wanted to check up on you. See how you're doing."

"Yeah."

Dina began fiddling with a sugar packet with manicured hands, probably waiting for me to say something. But what could I say? Was I supposed to reassure her that I'd be fine?

Thankfully a waitress decided now would be a great time to come over. Dina spotted her, smiling.

"Hi, Mrs. Novak," Dina said sweetly.

Oh. My god. Was everyone in town related to Sydney? Even after being holding up for literally weeks, I still couldn't get away from her, or her friend, or her mother apparently.

"Hello, Dina. It's wonderful to see you," Mrs. Novak said.

When I finally met the waitress' eyes, I easily saw the resemblance. It was actually kinda scary, with the sharp jaw and auburn hair. She looked at me, and I could feel myself blushing.