Dinner Diner

I got back to my apartment. My phone's about to die. I forgot my charger back at the cabin and I don't even bother to go back and get it after what happened today. I am mentally and physically tired. I have a lot on my mind. After hearing everything from Aunt Jenny, I'm disappointed in my mom. She should've told me herself about it. At this point, I no longer have the energy to cry.

I placed my phone on the side table lay down on the bed, shutting my eyes. All I want right now is a peaceful sleep. But before I could even fall asleep, my phone rang. I snatched it from the side table and took a glimpse of the caller ID. "Why is he calling me, " I thought.

My phone rang again a few times. I'm just too exhausted to answer so I just let it ring. A few moments later I got a text from Daisy and Aunt Lucy. It seems that the news of my mother's illness has spread like wildfire.

"ARGH...can I just sleep in peace, " I screamed. As much as I want to shut down my phone, I'm still waiting for Aunt Jenny to update me about mom's condition. She hasn't called me yet. I sighed and switch my phone to silent mode. It kept on vibrating non-stop.

My eyelids started to feel heavy and I fell asleep not long after that.

Hours had passed and I finally wake up from my sleep. My surrounding is dark. I assume that it is nighttime already. I got up from the bed and switch on all the lights in my apartment.

I grabbed my phone to see what time is it but the screen is dark. The battery must've been drained by the endless phone calls.

I took a shower and get dressed. There's nothing in my refrigerator so I decided to eat out.

I drove my car to Jenn's Cafe but it's closed. Maybe because Aunt Jenn is at the hospital right now, the cafe was closed early. I sighed. A sudden gust of wind blew in my direction and force me to take cover in a nearby diner. I haven't been there and I never really noticed the diner before. The diner is called Retro Diner. The exterior is pretty much ordinary like any other restaurant but to my surprise the interior is amazing. The design is almost like a vintage diner in the 90s.

"Welcome to Retro Diner. Please be seated and I'll be there to take your order in a bit, " said a woman dressed in a cute vintage uniform. "She looks so pretty to be a waitress, " I whispered, taking the nearest seat to the counter.

I scanned through the menu list on the big blackboard hammered on the upper corner. "Can I get your order now?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Hmm...," I replied, not knowing what to order since there's a lot on the menus and it's my first time there. In the end, I just ordered a chocolate mistake and a burger with fries on the side. "Ah, the classics, " she said while jotting down my orders and left to give the order in the kitchen.

There are not many people in the diner. I can see a few old couples dining. The lighting of the diner was dim. It makes the atmosphere there a little romantic.  "I wish I can spend some time here with Luc, " I thought.

I realize that I've been thinking about him and quickly shooed the thoughts away. I continue to look around at the interior design of the diner and when my gaze reached the far end corner, I catch a glimpse of a rectangular-shaped box that looked like a jukebox.

Slowly, I approached the jukebox. It's a classic 1949 Seeburg Select-o-matic. I'm amazed at how well preserved the jukebox looked. It completely looks brand new.

"Would you like to hear a song from the jukebox?" an elderly woman's voice appeared behind me. I turned my head to look at her. "I would love to but I don't have a coin, " I replied awkwardly. She handed me a few pence with a smile on her face and went back to her seat. I inserted the coin into the machine. There's a lot of old song selection. I don't know what to choose. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which, when one of each group entered after each other, are used to select a specific record. I scanned through the songs and finally choose one. It's my mom's favorite. The Great Pretender by The Platters.

After making the selection, I head back to my seat and the waitress also came back with my orders. "Thank you, " I muttered. "You're welcome, " she replied and walked away.

"Excuse me, may I borrow a phone charger? I left mine and my phone's battery is dead. I'm waiting for an important call, " I added.

She nodded and I passed her my phone.

A few moments later my phone rang. I guess it turned on after being charged for a while. The waitress handed me back the phone.

It's Aunt Jenny. I quickly answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Where are you. I've been trying to call you since noon but you didn't pick up and later your phone has been turned off, "she said worriedly.

"I'm sorry. I fell asleep and my battery ran out. I forgot my phone's charger back at the cabin," I replied.

"You got me so worried. Where are you now?" she asked.

I took the last bite of my burger. "I'm eating at a diner right now. Did mom wake up?" I asked.

"She did. She just finished eating. You should come to the hospital now, " she replied with a steady voice.

"Be there soon. See you guys later, " I said and hung up. I took a sip of the last drop of my milkshake and called the waitress to pay for my food.

I left the diner, head towards my car, and drove off.