The
Diner of Love
3503 Angel Square Court
Llanview, PA
"Nothin' Could Be Finer Than Some
Lovin' In the Diner"
"There ain't no lovin' like some diner lovin', hey ho"
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"Nothin' Could Be Finer Than Some
Lovin' In the Diner" |
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What can I get you?
Coffee's a dollar
I hope you like whip cream.
I just love the Voice of the Night. We have this special connection. |
The Next Act
CHAPTER FOUR
Rodi’s it seemed had been the destination spot for everyone once they left the diner. Working the late shift at the diner had been particularly crazy, now it seemed that after driving her crazy everyone and his paternal grandmother had come to Rodi’s to drink. The energy was almost hypnotic. She scanned the room and finally spotted Sarah and Brody sitting at a table in the back near the pool table and the jukebox. Sarah was practically lying on the table she was leaning so far over it as she seemingly explained something to Brody, who was apparently draining a bottle of beer as she talked. Layla and her stick were nowhere in sight. Gigi pushed her way through the crowd and walked to table. “Excuse me, Sarah,” she said, “but I need to speak to my husband alone.” Sarah looked up at her frowned and then glanced at Brody’s ring finger. Gigi’s heart lurched and rushed up to squeeze her throat shut, when she followed her gaze. His ring was gone. He’d taken his ring off. How could he do that? They hadn’t even filed the papers yet. “We’re talking business,” Sarah said. “Just ironing out a few details about the entertainment for the opening.” “Good then, you can do that during business hours.” Sarah shot a glance at Brody. “You want me to leave?” He shrugged. “The wife wants to talk so I guess we talk. I’ll catch up with you later.” Layla suddenly appeared. “Or not,” she said and grabbed Sarah’s arm. Sara wrenched her arm out of Layla’s grip. “Will you cut it out, Miss Busybody,” she hissed then locked her gaze on Brody. “I’ll wait for you at the bar. We can finish our business.” Layla exhaled and put her hand on the small of Sarah’s back and directed her toward the entrance instead of toward the bar. Sarah stopped and Layla said something to her and then Sarah bristled but almost immediately seemed to give up. Sarah walked with Layla to the door. Just as they stepped outside, Layla turned and waved at Gigi. Gigi watched Sarah and Layla disappear then focused her gaze on Brody. “What’s up with Sarah?” Brody narrowed his eyes and exhaled loudly. “Better question: What’s this about, Gigi?” Gigi sighed and then slipped into the chair vacated by Sarah, put her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “You don’t need to be doing this.” He scoffed. “Thanks, mom. But then you know what a loon my mother was so what’s your point?” Gigi stood up. “Come on. You’ve had too much to drink. We’re going home.” “Home? We don’t have a home. I got a home. You got a home. But we don’t have a home.” She put her hand on her hip. “Then I’ll take you to your home.” “The bartender’s got my keys and I ain’t embarrassing myself by asking for them and being refused and then having to kick his ass. Everyone will think I’m a drunk.” “I’ve got my car and I’ve got a key to your place.” “Thanks, but no-o-o-o. I’d rather sit here and drink. I’ve only got a good buzz going but I am no place near drunk yet.” She sat back down and shook her head. “You don’t have a right to do this.” His eyes flashed and then narrowed. He took a sip of his beer and then pointed it at her. “We’re not married anymore. Well, we are but it’s just about the paper now. Of course that was always true. Give it a little while and then you’ll be totally happy and fancy free again.” She snatched the bottle out of his hand. “You don’t have the right to do this to yourself because of Shane.” He dipped his head. “Shane has a father. And it’s not me.” “The hell it isn’t. You sat there this morning and promised you’d be in his life from now on—24/7. After that promise, you don’t get to take a damn day off from being his father.” “I was just having a few drinks.” A few drinks? That phrase made a chill race down her spine. She steeled her voice and said, “Suppose he needed you? Suppose he called and needed you? And don’t you dare say he could call Rex. This isn’t about Balsom. It’s about you and your promise to our son that you couldn’t even keep faith in for one day.” He tightened his lips and stared down at his hands.
Gigi glanced around the living room of the apartment. There was so little furniture even a Spartan might feel deprived. “I see you selected the minimalist décor package.” He glared at her but then shook his head and walked across the room. “Yeah, well thanks for the ride home.” He flopped on the couch. “I can take it from here.” She walked slowly to the couch and perched on the other end. “Brody, listen, I get why you were drinking and all but—“ “You don’t get anything. You don’t know one damn thing about it.” “I never slept with Rex.” He leaned back and closed his eyes for a second. He opened his eyes and locked his gaze on her face. “But you wanted to, right? You tried, right?” “That’s not the same.” “You went to him, right? In the still of some night. You tried.” “Brody.” “Why are you doing this, Gigi? I got it under control. I gave myself one night to get smashed. That was it. I had it under control. And we don’t need to talk about any of this anymore.” “You know as well as I do that one night can lead to a lifetime of regrets. You are not in this alone anymore. What you do affects… Shane.” “A lifetime of regrets, huh? I get it. Look, I tried to keep it level, you know. I knew what I was getting into when I married you. I can’t act surprised that it ended or why it ended.” “That’s not what I meant.” “The truth is that we got married because one night when you were hurting over something Balsom did we fell into bed together and made a baby.” Tears sprang in her eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I really wanted her. I really did.” He looked away. “I know. We all did. But it didn’t happen. Then everything came apart.” He shifted his gaze to her face and looked her in the eye. “You never really wanted to be with me. I get that.” “No. It’s just that—“ “Gigi, I’m tired. I’m going to go to bed. You can let yourself out or sleep on the couch or whatever you want to do. I don’t have anything else to say about anything else or whatever it is we are talking about.” “Brody” “No. I’m done.” He walked toward what she assumed was the bedroom and disappeared from sight. Damn. That had not gone well. But what was she supposed to do? He wanted her not to love Rex anymore and her heart just couldn’t seem to do that. He wanted her to love him and… She walked into the kitchen. It was small and neat with everything perfectly organized. There were two of everything—two glasses, two bowls, two plates, two cups…Two. Only two. She opened the fridge and saw that he had deli slices and bread and mayo. She’d fix him a sandwich. He’d probably not been eating. What was not in the fridge was a case of beer she expected to find. She’d been holding her breath thinking that it was going to be an ugly slide, but maybe he was telling the truth. She fixed the sandwich quickly, put it on one of the plates and walked into his bedroom. The room was even more sparsely furnished than the living room. It seemed that he had turned on the single lamp in the room, taken his shoes off but then just fallen back and sprawled on the bed. He was on his back, his arms were over his head and he was fast asleep. She tip-toed closer to the bed and called his name but he didn’t move. She gave up, took the sandwich back to the kitchen, wrapped it in some plastic wrap she found in the drawer next to the fridge and put it in the fridge. She glanced around. Everything seemed in order and in place. She could leave now and go back to the Carriage House. She walked toward the front door but decided to check on him one last time just in case. He was still fast asleep, so she turned off the lamp next to the bed. The room was darker but also suddenly bathed in moonlight seeping through the open blinds. She studied his face and tried to ignore his body. He was asleep. He was safe. She could go home now. But she couldn’t seem to move toward the door. Instead, she took off her shoes, eased onto the bed and slipped next to him. He did not move. His breathing was steady. She waited to see if he would wake up. He didn’t so she aligned her body next to his. Finally, she put her arm across his waist and rested her head on his chest. She counted his breaths and noted how strong and steady they were. She counted until she fell asleep.
When she woke up it was still dark but the clock radio indicated it was 4:30 in the morning. Some time during the night Brody had turned over so that they were face to face and their bodies were touching. He seemed to still have no sense that she was there. She kissed his lips lightly but he didn’t seem to register her presence and she exhaled in relief. She had a chance to get away clean. She moved away from him slowly and then got off of the bed, grabbed her shoes and tip-toed to the front door. She waited a few seconds to see if he did know she’d been there and realized she was gone but no sound came from the bedroom. She opened the door and slipped out of the apartment.
The alarm clock woke him up and it seemed to have been blasting for a while. He turned if off and then the throbbing pain in his head jumped to the forefront. He’d had too much to drink last night and unfortunately it had relaxed him and allowed him to finally get some sleep. That was not a good thing. He couldn’t afford to fool himself into thinking he could use alcohol to regain his equilibrium. I took a deep breath and rolled out of bed although it was the last thing he wanted to do. He couldn’t afford to miss his morning workout because that would mean he was on the slippery slope for real. He took care of his basic morning routine then put on his knit shorts. He turned on the radio because a little noise and music this morning would help him keep pace. The dial was set to WQRK—107 Quirky. He laughed and decided to leave it there. Gigi always teased him about listening to that station but it was the weirdest and most interesting radio station he’d ever found. The DJs, and there were actual live DJs, smashed together all sorts of music—different genres, styles, eras and beats. The slogan was “We play the best of the rest.” Which was their way of saying they didn’t just do Top 40 or alternative. They did everything. On any given morning he could hear Willie Nelson, Nine Inch Nails, Coldplay, Nina Simone, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Reba McEntire, Linkin Park, Sarah Brightman, Mary J. Blige, OneRepublic, Michael Buble, Nirvana, Nelly Furtado, Celine Dion, Jay_Z, Missy Higgins and Radiohead back to back. There was no rhyme or reason to the playlist and that’s what made it so interesting. He sat on the floor and started the stomach crunches. 107 Quirky was jamming Counting Crows’ “You Can’t Count On Me” and that was followed by Death Cab for Cuties “Transatlanticism.” He knew this because the DJs provided a running commentary on each artist and the source CD. Tristan Prettyman’s “You Got Me” was up next. He tuned out the music and DJ chatter and concentrated on getting through the crunches. His body was not at all happy this morning. It screamed for him to cut it out and go back to bed. He ignored the pain and worked harder. His mind was in charge of his body and that relationship needed to be confirmed this morning. He followed his routine and didn’t allow himself even a moment of weakness. Finally after forever and day he was near the end. He only had a few more pushups to do and then he could take quick shower and face the morning. The DJs were chattering about a dedication. All he heard was that it was from The Cisco Kid to “S.” Supposedly “S” would know who she was. The DJ then made a big fanfare of playing a song titled “The Love We Had” by a group he’d never heard of called The Dells. He paused for a second and listened. The title intrigued him, but what he heard was some song that must have been recorded fifty or sixty years ago. He went back to counting pushups. “Eighty-one. Eighty-two. Eighteen more to go.”
Lately baby I’ve been
thinking
He stopped counting for a second as the lyrics seemed to seep unimpeded into his consciousness and threw off the pushup count.
But early this morning
when I opened my eyes
He tried to remember where he was. How many did he have left to do? It was just a dumb song. Why had he stopped counting?
And pretty good girl
I’ve been remembering
There had been good times—good memories. Despite how it all started she would never be able to convince him there had not been good times. He would never forget when they told Shane about the baby and how happy he was, or the experience of making love to her the first time after they got married, or the day after they found out it was a girl, how they actually spent an afternoon planning her wedding. He still couldn’t believe he did that with her, but he did. They sat on the couch and dreamed big dreams for their children. And now he would allow himself to admit he almost cried the day Shane announced that neither one of them had to worry about Diana because he would always take care of her and be the best big brother ever. Then there was the day they all laughed so hard they actually cried when Gigi tried out recipes for homemade baby food and made them sample each disgusting batch. Then there was the day they went shopping for a crib and—
He went back to counting. “Ninety-five…Ninety-six…”
But why should tell you
He was finished. He got up and sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the clock radio. The Dells were still singing.
Girl, if you were nearer
It was stupid but he actually thought he felt her with him last night. Like she was next to him and with her arms wrapped around him. But he knew that was just his imagination or a dream. She didn’t touch him like that, not even when they were still together.
But I’m not complaining
because that’s how it goes
The song finally ended. He stood up and stretched, then walked to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. As the water poured over him he vowed to let it go—all of it. The last few lines of the Dells’ song hung in his mind though.
I will never forget you,
baby
He grimaced and then scrubbed even harder at his skin. It was over. It was done. And he was not going to act as if it wasn’t. He had life and a business to run. More important, he’d made promises to Shane. He had to be the best father he could be and that meant he couldn’t cling onto a lie. It wasn’t the love they had, it was the love he had. Gigi didn’t love him and never had. The song lied. He would forget her and let the memories go. The 107 Quirky was now blasting Trisha Yearwood’s “I’m Still Alive.” How was that for irony? “Guess I fooled everybody. Said I’d love you’ til the day that I died. Even if you didn’t love me. Sorry, baby, I guess I lied. You’re gone and I’m still alive.” He turned off the radio, dressed quickly and then called Rodi’s to make sure he could pick up his keys. Then he called a cab. He looked out of his bedroom window onto the back of the complex. The sun was bright and hot. The cab would be out front in another five minutes or so. He stood for a moment longer then said, “Goodbye, Gigi.” For the first time in a very long time he felt at peace. He let himself out of the apartment. He didn’t look back or broach one second of anxiety because he’d just locked the door and he didn’t have a key. That’s the way it goes. You win some, you lose some.
Gigi felt as if her head was a big balloon filled with water that was sloshing in all directions at once. She’d been driving around aimlessly for hours and now the brightness of Viki’s kitchen seemed like she had stepped into the middle of psychedelic painting. “More coffee?” Viki asked. She nodded her head. “I sure hope Shane wasn’t any trouble or at least not too much trouble.” Viki refilled her coffee cup. “Oh, Gigi, of course he wasn’t but I do have to tell you that he is clearly upset about your split with Brody.” “Yeah, he worships that man.” Viki slipped back into the chair across from her in the kitchen at Llanfair. “Well, that’s not really a bad thing is it? I mean I am so impressed with him. I had no idea he had a business degree and from such a fine university. Several of the people on the loan committee at the bank mentioned how impressed they were with him and his proposal. He wears his experience so lightly.” “Yeah, he’s a prince.” “What?” Viki studied her face for a moment. “Did he hurt you in some way that you haven’t shared with me? I don’t mean to pry but you know how much I love you and Shane.” “He left me. And after promising Shane he would always be around.” “I see. Well, I will admit that Shane has some real concerns about whether you are going to be okay. I assured him that you are a big girl and can take care of yourself. But he seems perfectly confident that Brody isn’t going anywhere…I mean out of his life.” “I guess that means he’s worried about Rex.” “Rex? Why would he be concerned about Rex?” “Oops. Open mouth. Stick in foot.” “What? I do not understand.” “I guess Shane didn’t tell you that Rex is his real father.” “What!” Viki stared at her and then shifted her gaze to her coffee cup. After a few seconds she looked up. “Does Brody know? Is that what happened between you two?” “Brody has always known, but we just told Shane the truth yesterday.” “Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense actually. There were signs from the beginning that the connection between you and Rex was deep. I assume that Rex knows?” “We told him yesterday.” “Oh. Yesterday? We?” “Well, I told him but at Brody’s insistence.” “Good for him. I am sure that lie was long past its shelf life.” “Yup.” “So how do you feel about Rex now? Are you still in love with him? I certainly thought you were until you married Brody then…” “Then what?” “Then you seemed so happy…well, until you lost the baby but I assumed you were having a hard time adjusting, most women do, but you would come out of it. You just needed time and Brody seemed so determined to take care of you and Shane. I just hoped…well, you know what I hoped.” “I only married Brody because I was pregnant. I was never in love with him. And I never let him forget that.” “Oh, I see. It is still Rex then. Well maybe things have worked out for the best.” “No, that’s not what…“ “What then?” Her cell phone rang and she grabbed at it to keep from having to answer that question. It was Brody. Her heart started racing. She answered it. “About last night,” he said. “I didn’t do anything.” “Yes, you did. Thank you for getting me out of what was probably going to be a bad scene. I won’t happen again.” ‘Okay.” “Talk to you later.” “Okay,” she said. He disconnected. She listened to the silence for a few more seconds then closed the phone and slammed it on the table. “My goodness, Gigi! Who was that? You look as white as a sheet.” “It was Brody.” “What? Was there bad news or was he upset about something?” “No. He just called about last night.” Viki raised her eyebrow. “Last night?” “Oh, no, nothing like that, although that would have been okay.” Viki’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh” “He was getting plastered at Rodi’s and I made him stop and go home.” “And he’s upset about that?” “No. He was just thanking me.” “Then why…?” Viki stared at her and nodded her head. “He left me, Viki. He didn’t even tell me that he’d rented an apartment across town. He just left… I mean he announced day before yesterday that he was leaving and had his own place. He didn’t even talk to me about it. Then he demanded that I tell Rex the truth like I was in his military unit and had to take his orders or something and then he just walked out and… He left me.” “I guess he thought that was what you wanted.” “Why would he think that? I mean I never lied to him about how I felt, but that doesn’t mean he had to leave me.” “I think I see.” “What do you see?” “I see that you have suddenly realized you are in love with your husband right when he has decided that he is not in love with you.” “No-o-o-o” “Yes” Gigi sighed as tear popped into her eyes. “I think I’ve lost him, Viki, and I don’t know what to do.” “You very well may have, but he held on for you for ten…eleven years. I think you owe him more than two days. Do not give up so easily now that you know what you really want.”
CHAPTER 5
The Back Deck Fan Fiction
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