Indisputable

I release her hand and decide on something simple and cheap for my di

“And to drink?” She asks while taking out a notepad from her apron and pulling the pen from her hair.

“Water,” I reply, trying to go as cheap as I could. Most restaurants don't charge for water and I’m hoping Maggie's Diner is one of those places.

A

A little dazed from my encounter with the exuberant waitress, I glance around at my surroundings. I notice that the young couple seated in a booth a couple of places over from me to the left is staring at each other with stars in their eyes. They can’t be more than 16 or 17 years old, but you can tell they are completely infatuated with each other. When I was just a few years their senior, I too thought that I had found something special and lasting. After college graduation it didn't take long for me to realize my hopes and dreams were all an illusion.

Looking to my right, I find one of the older men has turned around to look at me. He looks to be in his 70's. His hair is as white as salt with just barely there hints of pepper. His skin is wrinkled and sagging and his cheeks have that sunken in look. The arm that he has draped across the back of the booth is skin and bones. He’s wearing a green and gray plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbow.

“Why do you wear your hair in your face like that, little girl?” He asked in a well-used and scratchy voice.

I sit there stu

“Jack, don't ask the girl that, it's none your business,” he scolds his friend. He can't have been more opposite in looks than the first old man named Jack. Where Jack is a bag of bones, his friend has maybe 50 pounds too many. He has thi

Jack turns and looks at his friend. “What? I just don't understand why a pretty girl like her would want to cover up that face. She should pull her hair back so we can all enjoy her beauty.” He turns back towards me with his eyebrows puckered in concentration.

“Jack! Don't talk to her like that! Can't you see you’re scaring the poor thing?” Says the unknown friend.  Bringing his eyes back to me he continues, “Don't mind him, he's very simple minded and if he comes across something he doesn't understand he lets others know. He's never learned how to curb his tongue.”

“Hey, I take offense to that, you old goat. There's nothin’ wrong with tryin’ to bring the girl out of her shell. It's obvious she's a shy little thing and just needs a little push to get moving.”

Jack's friend looks to the ceiling and rolls his eyes. When he looks back at me he says, “I'm Jake and this here nosy body is Jack.”

I bite my lip, trying not to smile. I really have no inclination to get to know anybody here in this town. I won’t be here long enough to form any type of friendships before I have to move on to another no name place. But these two old men are hard to resist. It’s plain to see that they have been friends for a long time, probably more years than I'd been alive. They both compliment each other. Where Jack is gruff, grouchy, and way too outspoken, the other is kind, considerate, and keeps his ma

A little smile forms on my lips and I introduce myself. “Hello, I'm Bailey.”

“Very nice to meet you, little lady,” replies Jake.

“Yeah, good to meet ya.” This from Jack, which he follows up with, “What brings you to our little town?”

I’m saved from answering his, once again, nosy question when A

She places my water down on the table in front of me, props her hands on her hips, and turns towards Jack and Jake's table. “Alright Jack, I won't be having you harassing my customers again. Leave this nice lady alone and get back to your di

Jake winks at me while Jack turns back to his table while grumbling, “I was just trying to make conversation. Can't a body inquire about a new person in town?”

A

“That's okay.”

“I could tell by the look on your face that he was making you uncomfortable. Next time, just tell him to put a sock in it.”

Jack grunts.

My lips twitch.

A

I grab my purse and pull out the cheap disposable cell phone I bought at the begi

I shudder at the thought of the repercussions I would receive from Steven if I ever worked up the courage to stand up to him.

My text to Chris is short, just letting her know I was in Jaded Hollow, Ohio and that I would be staying here for a while. She knows my cash is ru

So, while Steven was at one of his “meetings” I checked myself out of the hospital early. Chris took me to get a cheap car and I loaded it up with as much of my stuff as I could. Just outside of town my first stop was a cell phone store in a strip mall to purchase a cheap non-traceable phone. My next stop was a gas station to fill the gas tank in my car and I vamoosed. I was gone, hoping and praying, into thin air. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Steven caught up with me two weeks after I left.

My thoughts are interrupted when my cell pings with an incoming text. I know it was from Chris, she was the only one that has my number.

Chris: Please be careful and keep a close look out. Keep me posted daily. Love you.

Me: I will, I promise. Love you too.

I slip my phone back into my purse just as A

I blush and peek up at A