Chapter 13
The next morning Elaine, Jennifer, and Jason were up extra early packing up the truck that would be taking their belongings to their new home in Chicago. Elaine was very proud of how helpful the kids were being. They didn't whine or complain about all the work they had been doing. So as a reward, Elaine promised them that if they got everything done in time, she'd take them to their favorite diner in New York one last time before they left. This made the kids extremely happy seeing as they only really went there on their birthdays. This diner wasn't the typical eggs and toast type place. They would make faces out of the pancakes or the eggs and bacon. Even if you didn't order those particular things it would still be presented in a fun way. As for the looks of the place, the tiles on the floor were jellybeans with a clear glass glaze over them. Each tile was a different color. There was a wall dedicated to different drawings that kids who came in drew. At one point in time, each Jennifer and Jason had had a drawing up on that wall. To top the visit off you get a balloon and a silly hat. Definitely a great treat for kids. Aside for the fun (and tasty) food, the wall of drawings, the balloons, silly hats, and the jellybean tiles, perhaps Jason and Jennifer's favorite thing about the diner was the jukebox. Whenever they went Elaine would give them each a nickel to play the song of their choice. They would dance to them right there in the middle of the restaurant! It was always a lot of fun. So once the kids found out that they had a chance to go there they set their alarm to five a.m.; much to Elaine's surprise. Once they were up, they ran into Elaine's room and jumped on her bed until she got up. They swiftly got everything ready to place in the truck when it got there at eight, and then took one last look at their New York apartment. Once the truck came (along with Arnie) they loaded it up in record timing and went on their way. When they were on their way to the diner Elaine suddenly remembered, "Oh no, I forgot a bag in my locker at the garage! Arnie, could we please stop there so I can get it?"
"Absolutely!" he chirped.
Meanwhile, at the garage, Alex had just gotten back from his shift. He turned in his bookings and sat down on the bench. He sighed; he was still feeling down about the whole thing with Elaine. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't just get over her. True, things like that take time and she probably hasn't even left New York yet, but even before she was with Arnie he couldn't get over her. Suddenly it occurred to him, No wonder I have such rotten luck with women. Either I blow it by subconsciously doing something stupid or they can sense my feelings for Elaine. Maybe I need some sort of closure. Not necessarily with Elaine I guess, but with these… feelings. What could I do? I guess keeping them inside all of this time may be part of the problem. But who do I tell? I wouldn't want to tell anyone who knows Elaine because then I'd be living in constant fear of someone telling her. I mean, that's not as big of a problem now as it would have been had she not moved, but if we are going to keep in touch I'd always be wondering if she knew. He groaned, I have to tell someone... maybe I could tell Jim. He'd probably forget whatever I say in minutes. No, even that's too risky. What if some point he all of a sudden remembered and blurted it out? That's been known to happen. I guess there's only one person I should tell… and that's Elaine... No, no. I can't. She's on her way to Chicago to start a new life with Arnie. Well, in a way. I just need to get that factor through my mind once and for all. Besides, at this point I don't even think I could manage to tell her in person. Hey that's it; I'll write her a letter! Then I can mail it to her and- no, no, no! I will not screw up this for her. She made this very hard decision and I refuse to get in the way of that. Dammit, why can't I just get that woman out of my head! She's just one woman out of millions. Why do I have to only think about her? What if I can never get her out of my mind? I'll die alone and my headstone will read, 'Alex Reiger: Hooked on a woman he knew he would never have.' He angrily stood up and began pacing back and forth. Once most of the anger had subsided he thought again, Maybe a letter isn't an entirely bad idea… I'll write out everything that I've ever wanted to say to her, but then I won't send it and I'll throw it away. That way I can get it out and maybe there will be some hope of me eventually getting on with my life and getting over her. By now Louie had gone home and had left Alex to wait for the next dispatcher to come in, though without telling Alex. Or maybe he did mention it… Alex was too lost in his thoughts to notice anything else. He went into the cage and grabbed some paper and a pen which he then brought down to the table. He sat down and commenced writing the letter that would, with any luck, help him close this chapter of his life and begin anew.