"Did you get waited on?" she asked me.
I nodded. "Yeah, I did."
"Old lady?"
I nodded again.
"That'd be my mom."
"Family business?" I asked.
"Yeah. Not exactly the place I want to be working after I get married and have kids…but it does the job for now."
"You're getting married?" She seemed awfully young to be getting married, and I would've been rather amused if she was. Tramp.
Carly wound a piece of her hair around her finger. "No, not any time soon. I'm just waiting for that person…" she drawled. Instantly I froze. I couldn't even touch the muffin that was laid in front of me when the lady gave it to me. Carly was looking right at me. And I knew damn well what she was thinking to herself, "Well, will he do?" No, I won't do for something like you, I mentally snapped at her.
Coming out of her dreamy state, Carly pointed to my muffin. "You can eat that, y'know."
"I know that. That's what you're supposed to do with food." She laughed as if I had said something truly amusing and strolled away to wait on another customer.
I grabbed the muffin, wrapped it in a napkin and hurried out of the place as quickly as I could without attracting too much attention. As I nearly bolted out of there, not a single person looked up. There is a God.
Once out on the streets, I unwrapped my still warm breakfast and began to pick at it, shoving the pieces into my mouth. It was delicious. Absolutely and utterly delicious. Warm and fragrant with cinnamon.
If I had had a real life, my mom would've made food like this. Good food instead of the pig slop we were fed at Manticore. My dad would've-Stop! Don't start this, I told myself. It's the food talking. That's all it is. I don't have real parents and this is just food. Just food.
I continued to walk down the sidewalk, oblivious to the other people around me. I needed something to do or else the memories were going to start biting again. Couldn't risk that. Had to keep busy. Had to find something to do.
I reached what appeared to be a park like area. There were a couple people, mostly early morning joggers, in the park. A tiny bridge over looked a narrow stream.
Throwing one leg over, I sat on the rail of the bridge, hoping that it would support my weight. Fortunately, it did.
I opened my hand and stared at the muffin. With a sudden rage, I shoved the muffin in my mouth, violently almost. A couple people looked at me as I tried to chew the muffin that was bulging in my mouth. I must've looked like an absolute hog. Oink.