Sybil unpacked all of her belongings and then set aside her suitcase. Sun streamed in through the windows brightening up the dark room. Her closet was overflowing with clothes and she was having difficulty closing it. Just like her sister Mary, she decided to attend Boston College, a school in America a million miles from home. She was daring and was willing to try new things; in her eyes leaving home was exciting. She arrived early; he classes would not be starting for two days. Sybil wanted to get the chance to get to know the area and meet some new people along the way.
She wandered the streets of Boston admiring the different shops and the beautiful buildings. The city was far different than Sybil's home. Growing up she had lived on a big estate with nothing but grass for miles, in Boston there was traffic on every street.
In New England the weather is unpredictable. When Sybil had left the college it was bright and sunny but as she looked up at the sky the clouds were turning dark; a storm was approaching. As she turned a corner a few rain drops landed in her hair and seconds later it started to downpour. To avoid getting soaked she quickly ran into a nearby restaurant. She looked around and noticed that they place was empty except for a few people at the bar. The walls were maroon colored which made the place seem darker than what it really was. There were many pictures hung up on the walls; all of which were pictures of Ireland and bottles of Guinness. Each table was shaped like a clover and bright green. Sybil seated herself at a booth and looked over a menu.
"Can I get you something to drink Miss?" Someone asked with a thick Irish accent.
Sybil looked up to see her waiter. He was a handsome man, a little older than her with light brown hair and piercing blue eyes.
"I'll take a beer." Sybil said.
"I'm going to need to see your ID miss."
Sybil's pulls out her card and hands it to the man.
"It says here that you're eighteen, the legal drinking age here is twenty one."
Sybil was confused for a moment. The drinking age in England was sixteen and here she had to be twenty one in order to consume alcohol. Why do people in America have to be much older? She wondered.
"Are you from around here?" He asked.
"No, England."
"That explains it. Well since I know that the drinking age in England is sixteen and I'm sure you've had a couple of drinks before I'll get you a beer, but let's keep it on the down low, I wouldn't want to lose my job.". He said with a wink.
"Thank you." Sybil said.
He returned shortly placing the drink in front of her.
"Shall I take your order?"
"Hmm... What do you recommend?" Sybil asked.
"Everything here is good but for an English women like you I would recommend the fish and chips."
"Sounds perfect." Sybil said with a smile.
He left her to go place her order. When he came back and started wiping down the table across from Sybil she watched as his arms went in a circular motion wiping away all the crumbs and spilled drinks. She looked down at her feet; she was hoping that he hadn't noticed her staring.
The waiter looked over at Sybil who seemed very interested her feet. Her hair was damp from the rain outside, and her coat which she had attempted to use as an umbrella was soaked. He couldn't deny it, she was pretty. Her dark brown hair caused her blue eyes to stand out. It looked as if she wasn't wearing any makeup; she was a natural beauty. The waiter didn't know her name but was eager to find out what it was. When he had examined her ID he had only paid attention to her birthday.
He was staring at her and Sybil could feel his gaze. As soon as she looked up he went back to cleaning.
A little while later he brought Sybil out her food.
"Can I get you anything else miss?" He asked.
"Some company would be lovely." Sybil said with a smile.
He looked around the restaurant which was still empty for the exception of the few men at the bar.
"Well, alright, Jimmy's managing the bar and since it isn't busy, I can spare a couple of minutes.". He slid into the seat across from Sybil.
"Are you in college?" Sybil asked him.
"I graduated last year and majored in mechanical engineering, what about you?"
"I'm a freshman at Boston College."
She must be smart, the waiter thought.
"What are you majoring in?"
"Nursing!" Sybil said excitedly, "I love taking care of people."
And a kind heart too he thought to himself.
In her head she did the math. She was nineteen and he had finished college so he was about twenty three.
A large group of people entered the restaurant.
"I have to go and take their order." The waiter said.
"Wait! You haven't told me your name!" Sybil said
"My names Tom Branson" he said with a smile, "what's yours?"
"Sybil Crawley.". She said extending her arm to shake his.
"What about the check?"
"On the house." He said with a grin.