Awaking The Sun

As the dinner crowd dwindled, the once-bustling street grew quiet, and the neon lights of the diner flickered and went out. The scent of rum wafted through the air as I poured Naty's third drink. I slid her drink in front of her and returned to the bar to clean up.

I hoped tonight would be one of the nights she had forgotten to eat something and would tap out early. There was no way I had the energy to hang out while she sobered up enough to drive herself home. I took in her disheveled appearance and flushed complexion and felt a wave of relief. It seemed like tonight would be an easy one.

"K-Kae. Kae?" Naty slurred her words as she struggled to keep the glass from slipping out of her hands. Her glass already empty. "W-would you cl-close my t-tab?" She hiccuped and pulled her wallet from her purse. She rifled through her cash and slapped down two twenties. I smiled and nodded, grabbing the cash from the sticky table.

"Can I call Jerry for you?" I asked. Because of Naty's drinking, I frequently called Jerry the taxi driver. He was the only person I trusted to get Naty home without taking advantage of her open purse. Naty was too headstrong to ask for help most of the time. More often than not, she needed some convincing. She scrunched her nose in distaste. But before I let her refuse, I quickly added, "Next time you come in I'll make you a drink on me."

Naty rolled her deep brown eyes, as an impish smile tugged about her thin lips. "Wh-whatever floats yer boat. I can drive, yah know." I laugh quietly at her drunken confidence.

"I can't have my favorite customer falling asleep at the wheel, can I?" Despite Naty's annoyance with a forced ride, she kept her mouth sealed and simply rolled her eyes again.

I take the cash to the register, count out her change, and place it in front of her; she sloppily grabs the quarters and dimes, tossing them without care into her purse.

I turn away, walking the short distance to the phone hanging crookedly on the faded yellow wall. I hit number two on the landline, and a couple of rings later, I'm rewarded with Jerry's familiar voice, "Is she ready to be picked up?"

"Sure, can you be here in ten?" I replied. Jerry didn't even have to ask if the ride was for someone else. I almost laughed, and then I realized this was becoming way too predictable.

"On my way." The phone line went dead, signaling that Jerry had hung up-- nothing out of the ordinary with that guy.

After placing the phone back on the charger, I grabbed the closest washcloth and washed down the tables nearby.

"He'll be here in ten. You wanna sit in a booth while we wait?" I ask, not looking up from the task at hand. I tried my best to sound cheerful, but I was beginning to grow tired, I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right then and there.

Naty grumbled sleepily, but still picked herself up from the sticky counter and sat down awkwardly in the nearest booth. While we waited, I cleaned up the bar counter and chairs.

Some time passed, and then the soft honk of a car horn outside signaled Jerry's arrival at the diner. "Finally," I murmur under my breath. Soon I could go home and sleep. I felt a burst of energy and turned toward Naty, determined to get her to the car.

Naty was laying across the booth bench fast asleep with her mouth open while drool pooled at the corner of her lips. I couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh as I set down the washcloth.

I walked to the front door, and set out for Jerry's car. His yellow taxi, worn and weathered, was as shabby a sight as usual. The car paint was chipped and yellowed with rust. I quickly closed the distance between the diner and the taxi and lightly tapped the driver's window.

"You mind giving me a hand, Jerry?" I asked as I pointed toward the main window of the diner.

Naty could easily be seen. She was slumped onto the floor now, her head dangling awkwardly.

Jerry grumbled and opened the car door.

I followed after Jerry as he stalked his way to the front door and into the diner. With practiced ease Jerry and I both lifted Naty from her uncomfortable position on the floor, set her on her feet, and then walked her out to the taxicab.

After settling her gently in the backseat, I handed Jerry a five-dollar bill. "I know this doesn't cover it all, but when you get there, she should be able to cover the rest." He rolls his eyes, but an unexpected smile appeared on his face, transforming it.

Despite his rough appearance, I couldn't help but notice Jerry's strikingly good looks, and wondered what could have happened to send him into this unlikely depression. Dark circles under his eyes reflected shadows in his caramel brown irises. Not six months ago, his now sullen cheeks used to be high and shaped, and the mess of black curly hair used to be smoothed neatly from his handsome face.

If only he could overcome this depression, maybe he wouldn't look like he was wasting away.

"You want me to drop you off?" Jerry asked, breaking me from my not-too subtle scan of his face. I think he could tell I was staring but he didn't seem to care enough to ask why. It wasn't my business to ask about the cause of his noticeable weight loss. We weren't close anyway. I was just the annoying waitress that called when I needed to get little ole Naty a ride home.

"I'm good. I still need to finish closing the diner." I glanced at his slouched figure one more time. "You should get some rest, you look tired." I caught a grimace of some emotion flash across his face before he turned away to open the taxi door. I immediately wished I hadn't said anything.

He paused, his hand lingering over the door handle as if he wanted to say something, but then he simply opened the door and got in. For a second, I thought he would just close the door and drive off, but as he started the engine and reached for the door, he looked at me one more time and managed to give a weak smile.

"I'll try my best Kaelynn, and you do the same. I couldn't help but notice how tired you look tonight too." Jerry's voice was softer than usual, and he gave me a quick wink. For a moment the darkness was gone, and I could see a younger and carefree Jerry. But just like a shooting star, his youthful glow vanished.

Jerry shut the car door, waving goodbye as he left the parking lot.

For nearly a year now Jerry and I had been an unlikely team, both doing our best to get Naty home safe and sound. Strangely, this was the first time he had smiled at me, and well, it was also the first time I had voiced a comment on his slowly fading figure.

Naty had a similar story. She had always been a regular at the diner, but in the past year or so she had sunk into a deep depression, choosing to live her life from the bottom of a liquor bottle.

She never said a single word about why or what things had changed in her life, and it wasn't my place to pry. Even though I didn't know what happened to her, there must be a terribly sad story behind it--sadness is as good a reason people fall into addictions, and in Haling Cove, it was becoming commonplace for folks' sadness to be the norm for our town's populace.

Was Haling cove just a place where spirits came to die, to lose hope? Or was there maybe something else I was missing. I had a gut feeling that it was too coincidental that so many people had fallen into their vices like a blanket. A safety net that provided nothing but false warmth.

The chill from the September air made me shiver. Suddenly aware that I had been standing in the cold with no jacket on, I quickly turned from the parking lot and rushed back into the warmth of the diner.

I finished the last of my closing chores. I turned the lights off and headed to the back to clock out.

Light glowed from under the office door. I could hear the soft typing of a keyboard and knew Mimsy, my boss, was still working. Earlier, she had told me she would head out early tonight; but I guess she had immersed herself in her work and forgot.

I walked past her office to clock out at the computer near the back door. Usually, I give Mimsy her privacy and head out without saying goodbye when she's here this late. Tonight, I decided to check on her. I softly knocked on the office door before opening it.

Mimsy was sat slumped in her office chair, her graying blonde hair in a messy bun. "Thought you were going home early?" I asked softly.

She startled, sitting up straight and looking at me with surprise. She looked exhausted, with pale cheeks and under-eye bags darkening her features. "Oh---hi, Kaelynn; I thought you would have gone home by now." She turned her attention to her laptop and started typing again.

"Same to you," I answer back, frowning. She doesn't reply, but instead shrugs her shoulders.

"Mimsy, you look so tired; you should go home," I muttered, walking over to stand beside her.

She glances up at me. Her eyes appear glazed, and I sense a profound melancholy and detachment. Such a change from her usual bubbly personality. "I am tired, but I need to get these bills done. They won't pay themselves." She sighs and looks back at the laptop screen. "Don't worry about me, Sweetheart. You go home and get some sleep."

Usually, I would have taken this response as my cue to leave, but intuition told me that I couldn't leave her like this.

I shook my head and kneeled next to her.

Mimsy was filling out a spreadsheet of income, expenses, and balances. Red numbers jump off the page at me. The diner wasn't bringing in enough income to cover all the bills. The largest expense column was our payroll.

Justin and I were the only employees at Mimsy's diner. Justin was our cook; he had a family and needed every cent of his paycheck. I was a college student who lived in a dorm, but I was on a scholarship. I knew I didn't need the money as much as Justin and Mimsy did.

Without a second thought, I lightly pushed Mimsy's hand from the mouse and clicked on my payroll hourly rate. I typed in a lower number. The red totals turned from red to black. The recalculated total was now showing a small profit. I still had some money saved from my last paycheck. I knew that as long as Mimsy was good, I'd also be fine in the long run.

Mimsy stared at me like she wanted to slap the daylights out of me. "What the hell are you doing?"

I shrugged with a smile. "Letting you go home, Mims. It's okay. I don't mind. There is no point in getting paid if your workplace goes under."

Relief washed over her, and her scowl softened into a smile. "This is too much," she whispered, her eyes tearing slightly.

I shook my head again, "Mimsy, it's the least I can do. You're like family, basically, the closest thing I've ever had to a mom."

Before I knew it, Mimsy had wrapped me in her arms. It was a bone-crushing hug. "You know, if I had met you when you were in high school, I would have adopted you."

I froze for a second, taking in her words. She knew from my past that I had been in way too many foster homes growing up. Not a single placement family cared enough to adopt me. I wanted so much for someone to think of me as one of their own. I felt sad at Mimsy's words, thinking if I had worked for her sooner, then maybe I wouldn't feel so alone now.

Despite the creeping sadness, I forced a smile and gently pulled away. "I know, Mims." I let out a deep breath and fully stepped away. I wanted to change the topic, and tiredness was only creeping on me more and more. "I walked here, and it's already two. Could I bother you for a ride home?"

Mimsy laughed and the smile showed in her eyes this time. She moved back to her computer. She saved the document with a click on her keyboard and closed the screen. I watched as she shoved a few papers off her messy desk and grabbed her keys. "Come on, my little angel, let's get you home."

I snorted and followed her out of the diner and to her car.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in bed with a biology book in my lap, forcing myself to finish the assigned chapter. I chastised myself for not reading it before my shift. The soft snores of my roommate in the bed across from mine filled up the silence, making it difficult for me to focus on the dang book. I wanted nothing more than to throw the book onto the floor and pass out then and there. My body agreed because as I read the last paragraph, my eyes closed, and no matter how hard I'd try to pry them open, they wouldn't budge. Soon enough, I fell into a deep sleep.

Dreaming the dream that changed everything.