Old.\
Saturday. It isn't any ordinary Saturday, no. Today is special, for one special reason. Wake up early, around six. I have to be perfect for this date. Don't want her thinking any less of me. Shower, have to get clean. Have to smell nice for our date.
After the shower, I shave, and brush my teeth. It's kind of silly, brushing my teeth almost immediately before breakfast, but perfection in every aspect is necessary this morning. It's been a year since our first date, and I have been keeping count all this time.
I have grown old, you see. Every thing about me has to be good for her, because I can't rely on looks alone anymore. Need to smell good, and look as clean as possible. My quills have darkened over the ages into a navy blue. My face has wrinkled since the good old days, when I was the hero of Mobius.
None of this matters, though. Not now, at least. I'm too happy to delve into my history. I will get to see my dumpling today. My darling. My sweetie pie.
It's pretty far, and I have to run there, so it's necessary get an early start. She usually gets there around seven thirty, so I will most likely have to wait for her for a few minutes. I don't mind though, because she is worth it. Walk out the front door of my home, locking, and closing it behind me.
I'm definitely not as fast as I used to be, but I'm still faster than most Mobians. I do some warm up stretches before I start, to make things run more smoothly. Quite literally.
Start running, and everything turns into a blur around me. When running at my very fastest, it can be hard to see, but it isn't a major problem. I know where everything in Station Square is by heart, so I don't really need perfect sight.
Take the trail through the woods, trees zipping past me, or me past them, rather. Lose my self in my thoughts, thinking about how beautiful she really is. I think of her fair pink skin, he blouse always covered by that blue apron. I think of her smile, and her delicate voice.
Think of her, and before I even realize it, I arrive at the diner. Rodney's, and the food isn't that good, really. I go there for the company, not the food. The building is a tan-yellow color, with a bright red roof. It has a drive through, and I'm not sure why.
The plastic sign nestled behind the tinted glass door says open, and I pull the handle, opening the door. Don't see her yet, so I just sit in my usual seat. I take a left once I walk through the door, and sit at a booth near the cash register. The door is behind me, and the cash register is to my right, behind me.
A counter separates me from the work station. Someone walks around it, and comes up from behind me. This guy must be new, as I have never seen him before. He asks me if I would like anything, suggesting the usual, the standard, or pancakes, or coffee.
Smile back at him, and tell him no thanks. I'm waiting for someone, I say. Someone special.
He shrugs, and goes back to the work station behind the counter. He disappears back into the red double doors, that swing gently back and forth behind him. The doors are old western saloon style, and one of the doors has trouble closing itself, so it is left open most of the time. I can see him getting things ready from here, filling ketchup bottles, and so forth.
Look at my watch. Seven twenty seven. Sigh, and play with the creamer. Hit it just right on the edge, and it does a little flip. This amuses me slightly, so I continue this act for a couple of minutes. Suddenly I hear the door open behind me, and a smile creeps across my face, accompanied by a sigh of relief.
Look behind me to see, but it's just another asshole customer. My smile turns into a frown of disappointment, and I go back to flipping the creamer.
"Can I get you anything?"
Don't answer, at least not vocally. Shake my head, and he gets the picture. Get up, and slowly walk to the door. To the left are two newspaper machines. One red, one yellow. Put a quarter in the red one, and retrieve a paper with today's date on it. Might as well have something to do until she gets here, I think to my self as I walk back through the door, and have a seat at my usual table.
Scan the front page, looking for something interesting. Apparently the old library burned to the ground. Sad, but perhaps there will be a new one erected. I love the library. After further examination of the front page, I throw it on the table in disgust. Something I don't want to think about. It's always littered with tales of unhappiness, and death. For once, I'd like to read some good news.
I'm not an unpleasant person, if you were wondering about my solitude. All my friends either went their separate ways, or died,. sadly. Tails is off in college, his eighth year, I think. Something like that. He stops by every once in a while. Knuckles stays primarily on Angel Island, which is understandable. I never venture out that far, so we have not made contact in years.
Sally... Well, Sally got cancer, sadly. Something I don't want to think about. I have told my new beloved about this. Unlike most people she gives me the time of day. She genuinely cares, and that is what I like most about her. She can follow me on an intellectual level, and I relish in it at every possible chance.
"Sir? Have you decided what you wanted?"
This guy starts to get on my nerves. Like a fly. I wish he would go away. Shake my head, and start playing with the creamer again. I hear the door open, and I turn to see my goddess. She doesn't even notice me, as she walks past the register, and into the work station.
She disappears behind the swinging doors, and emerges again, with her blue apron on. She looks very tired, and extremely cute. She grabs a pen, and pad, stuffing them into her back pocket. She puts a handful of straws into her apron pocket, and walks over to me.
"Can I get you anything?"
Her gentle voice puts butterflies in my stomach. I smile at her, and ask for coffee. She pulls out her pen, and pad, and scrawls something onto the pad, before putting it back in her pocket, and walking around the register, and into the work station. She grabs a brown mug, and fills it with coffee from the pot with the blue lid. The yellow lid is decaf. I never drink decaf, and she knows by now not to ask me.
I admire that.
She brings my coffee to me, and starts to walk the other direction, when I stop her.
"Thank you"
"Oh.. Your welcome."
"Do you know what today is?"
"...Sunday?"
She's kidding with me. Playing hard to get, I'm sure of it. Giggle to myself, as I add sugar to my coffee. Don't think she noticed. Add sugar first, so it dissolves faster. The creamer cools the coffee slightly. I never use artificial sweetener. That stuff can give you brain cancer, or put holes in your brain or something. It's better to just use normal sugar.
Add a couple of creamers, and stir with a plastic spoon. The coffee is hot. Extremely hot, in fact, so I set it down, and watch the steam rise from it, for a little while. I look over to see my angel. There she is, taking someone else's order across the diner. I have to really crane my neck to see her.
Stare at her until she turns around. Look away quickly. Did she see me? This I wonder to my self, as I stir my coffee, watching the current swirl around a point near the center of the mug. Stop stirring, but the current is still strong, taking the white plastic for a ride around the mug.
Sip my coffee a few times, and look around for my beautiful waitress. Can't seem to find her, so I divert my attention back to the coffee for a little while. Can only sip a little at a time, because it burns my throat. Look up at the ceiling, counting the little dots on the tiles, making little connect the dots formations with my imagination. The place is very old, and There are stains on the ceiling, from where something leaked through.
See Amy coming my way, try to down the coffee in one sip, so I can ask her for a refill. It's too hot, and I cough hot coffee all over my lap, and table in front of me. I get her attention, but not in a good way.
"You need a napkin, or something?"
"Oh. I, Uh... Yes please. More coffee too, if you will."
She nods, and disappears behind me, going around the register, and into the work station. I stare ahead of me, at the ice cream bar, trying to read the flavors from here, but to no avail. I didn't bring my glasses with me today. She returns with the pot of coffee, and some napkins. Apologize, and thank her, as I wipe myself down.
She leaves, disappearing behind the saloon doors in the work station, and into the kitchen. One of the doors stays open this time, and I watch out of the corner of my eye as I add two creamers, and three sugars. In the opposite order, that is.
I can see her talking to the manager. Rodney. They stop conversing, and she disappears into the back, and Rodney goes back to cooking food. I can see Amy bending over, fetching ice for a drink. I am in heaven.
The rest of our date was pretty uneventful, but not disappointing. She never disappoints. I watch her for a while, sipping my coffee, until she finally emerges from the kitchen. Take one last sip, and drop a fifty on the table, for being such a good waitress. I approach the register to pay.
"A dollar nineteen" she says flatly, and I give it to her in four quarters, and two dimes. I tell her to keep the change.
"Ohh.. gee, thanks"
I sense sarcasm in her voice, but don't say anything. I almost want to stay here, and wait for her to find the tip. I'd like to see her face light up, but I decide against it. Best to go home, and get a nap.
I exit the diner, and think about our next date, just seven days from now.
Walk into Rodney's, realizing a little more that I hate this job every day. I should get my hours changed, that weird blue hedgehog has been coming here every Saturday for like a year.
Oh, god... He is already here, waiting on me. He never wants anyone else to serve him. Just me. Damn old pervert. He always lays his problems on me, as if I care what is going on in his life. It's really quite pathetic, but I just nod, and smile.
Walk around to the work station, and through the red doors into the kitchen. Grab a blue apron off the coat rack, and put it around my neck, and tie it around my waist. Let Rodney know I have arrived, then go back out to the work station. Pick up a pen, a pad, and some straws. Stuff the pad into my back pocket, and the pen in the apron pocket, next to the straws.
I am extremely tired, and tempted to make my self a cup of coffee, but the manager is here today. Ask this weird old hedgehog if he wants anything, already knowing the answer before the question is asked.
He wants coffee, same as ever. Grab one of the brown mugs from the work station, and fill it, bringing it around to the cash register. He tries to start up conversation as usual, but I am in no mood. He starts tearing into the creamers, and sugars, making his usual mess. I tend to the other customers for a while, then turn to see him quickly turning away from he.
He is so weird. I start to walk past him, and he spits coffee all over himself, and asks for a refill. I do so, and get him some napkins, then head into the kitchen to talk to my boss. Ask him if I can work in the back, clean for a while, but he tells me he needs me to waitress because none of the others have clocked in yet.
He hands me two cups, and I fill them with ice, from the large cooler. Fill the cups with tea, one sweet, one unsweetened. These details are meaningless. I hate dealing with people. I hate the fake smile plastered to my face at all times, while I bring these ungrateful people their food, only to have them complain.
Or hit on me.
The hedgehog is ready to leave, and he pays me in change. Thanks, pal. After he leaves, I walk over to his table, and start to clean up the mess he left behind. I pick up the brown napkins, the sugar packets, the empty creamers and a... Fifty dollar bill?
At least the old pervert tips well.