Part 5

That evening as the sun sank below the horizon I walked alone in the darkness which had become so sadly familiar in my life. I thought with each step of the brief glimpse of light that had graced my heart earlier in the day and I asked God why. Twenty minutes into my walk home I came upon the Waffle House that sat on the corner of a normally busy intersection. The smell of waffles and hash browns filled the night air at the corner and I quickly realized that I had failed to eat anything that day. My heart had been filled with joy and my soul felt satisfied, yet now in the darkness I knew that I was empty and hungry. Despite the light traffic that evening I waited on the corner patiently for the “Don’t Walk” / “Do Walk” sign to give me the OK to cross. Crossing over the street from the pale white halogen light I now entered the bright yellow glow of the Waffle House sign. Inside I could see the patrons dinning on their fair of waffles and eggs. The waitresses were busy going from table to table offering refills. I watched this parody for a minute or two and then decided to join this strange satire where mostly single and broken men came to dine. Upon opening the door and above the twang of a old country tune blasting away of the juke box I could hear the waitress barking out the next order “Two egg plate O/E; wheat toast”

The smell of bacon and fresh brewed coffee mingled with the cigarette smoke that hung in small blue clouds over the bar. I walked over and sat at one of the stools and waited for someone to come and take my order. I watched the waitresses as they flipped hurriedly behind the counter and in my mind I was comparing the crassness of their demeanor the elegance of the lovely Leah that I had just met almost 12 hours ago today. I was deep in thought about how she had found such beauty in so many things when suddenly a sharp nasal voice piped in and said…” What will ya be having tonight hon”?

I looked up from the sugar packets on the counter that I had subconsciously arranged into the pattern of a heart and saw the frowning, gum chewing face of the waitress. “What will it be she piped in again with this time not failing to add …you know I aint got all day.”

“ Two eggs over easy with a side of bacon with coffee I snorted” With that she barked out my order to the cook once again drowning out the juke box which by now was playing some crying in your beer love song. While I waited for my order to arrive, my thoughts drifted back once more to the events of this morning. I thought on the shear joy that my heart had felt and of course the fact that she was no there at our appointed time. My mind became consumed with reasons of why she might have not been there and inwardly I could feel in my heart an obsession building as to the reasons why…I must know I thought…I must.

J. Allen Wilson 9/22/08

The Bus Stop Part 1

The Bus Stop Part 2

The Bus Stop Part 3