Babbling Brooke

Previously
The next logical step then is to head off to “Sam’s Coffeehouse Diner”, after buying that fedora of course.
Continued

It took Kevin twenty minutes to get to the diner, but it took him five hours to find the fedora. He may have decided to buy it on impulse, but he still had to find the perfect hat. It had to be dark of course. It had to be tan, but a dark tan. Most importantly, it had to fit his head just right as to not mess up his hair. That is what really took him five hours, but he found one that seemed to float above his perfect mane.

He stopped outside the diner to get into character. He had decided on the train that he was going to do this right. He even bought a pack of “Lucky Strikes”, filterless for the full effect. Collar to coat was flipped up just right and his fedora was tilted to the left. He was ready.

He walked into “Sam’s Coffeehouse Diner” and just stood in the doorway for a moment. He wanted everyone to notice his entrance and possibly comment on just how cool he was, but the place was empty. “Sam’s Coffeehouse Diner” was a graveyard at 12 noon on a Thursday.

The only people Kevin saw were two waitresses and a cook. The nametags on the girls said “Tina” and “Alice” and the cook was a guy. No Dana it seemed so he turned around and decided to try back later. Better to leave with the “who was that stranger” vibe going instead of stating his business.

With Tina cleaning tables and “Alice” staring off into space worrying about Charlie, no one noticed Kevin coming in or leaving. The cook heard the bell on the door, but peaked around only to see a door closing.

“Who was that?” he asked the girls.

“Who was what?” Tina answered.

Dana never stopped staring out the window. Charlie was really late now and she was officially worried and beyond pissed. She could not decide which she was more, but felt certain that seeing him would bring the stronger feeling out. Either she would hug him to death or just kill him. Either way is good for her right now.

Her main concern was the fact that she was losing her nerve every minute she had to wait. She was going to be so preoccupied with his showing up that she knew she was going to forget to ask what he did on his walks.

She had not known Charlie for very long. She had met him in the diner a year ago. He walked in and ordered coffee. They talked for hours and he left. She never got his name, but he came back the next night at the same time. Again the talked for hours and again he left. This went on for two months before they exchanged names, but only one week before they found their way back to her place. It was three months ago that he moved in, but was away more than he was home. She often would think she was the “other woman”, but would write it off as paranoia. Now she was no longer sure.

“I’m gonna take a few minutes” she told Tina and walked outside for a smoke.

Charlie picked the cigarette up from his crotch. It had burned a hole in his pants, but he appeared uninjured. It was still burning too, but he could not bring himself to smoke it anymore. His thoughts focused on one thing: Michelle.

How could he have killed Michelle? Why would he have killed Michelle? She was his only stability left. She would take him back. Dana was a mistake and she had to know that. It was a moment of weakness. An impulse too strong to deny.

“Any other clichés Charlie? You know, something along the lines of ‘she wanted it’?”

That sounded so filthy. Charlie did not “cheat” on Michelle. He simply found someone else he had feelings for. He was never popular with women so how could he possibly turn one away? Michelle was his love, Dana was just nostalgia. When he was with Dana, he was not 39, he was in college again. He had a chance to start over almost. Everything he screwed up had not happened yet. Michelle represented his future and since he hated his present, he really did not want his future to come.

“You killed Michelle to kill your future? You are insane Charlie.”
“Of course he is insane, he has spent the entire night talking to himself.”
“Yea, and the funny part is we are telling him stuff he didn’t know!”