Annie reaches behind her back awkwardly and struggles to tie the strings of her obnoxious yellow apron. After she clips her name badge under her ruffled collar, she pulls her long chestnut hair into a ponytail. She crinkles her eyebrows and sticks out her tongue at her reflection in the dirty bathroom mirror. This job is far too unglamorous. Her dreams live in California, and in order to have the means to meet them there, she waits tables at the local Waffle House in Kendrick's Hope, Nevada. She smiles despite herself; it feels good to be nineteen—grown up, with an entire life of exciting twists and turns sweeping out ahead of her. She checks her watch and sighs when she realizes that her shift begins in just two minutes, and she reluctantly turns from the mirror, abandons her quiet reverie, and pushes the swinging door. After clocking in at the register, her best friend, Deb, who is carrying a large pot of coffee, nearly rushes right into her.
"Sorry Annie. Did you just get in?"
"Yep, unfortunately."
"Mr. Allen wanted me to tell you that you've got the row to the left by the windows today, cause Jeff can't come in till later. I've got the people over there now, but you get the new ones as they start comin in."
"K. Thanks Deb."
The bell on the door jingles as a tall, slender, dark-haired man enters carrying an adorable toddler on his hip. The man tickles the little boy's middle, and he giggles sweetly. A blonde woman steps through the door behind them holding a well-loved, one-eyed teddy bear and toting a blue diaper bag over one shoulder. Annie approaches them, flashing her friendly waitress grin and ushers them to a table.
"Good morning. My name's Annie and I'll be right with you. Do you need a high chair?"
"Yes please. Thank you Annie," the man replies, offering her a crooked smile.
The little boy turns his head away from his father's chest and glances at Annie curiously with inquisitive blue eyes and one eyebrow raised, almost as if he is deciding whether to trust her. He must believe her to be a friend, because he grins widely, proudly displaying a set of new teeth, and points at the bear his mother is holding.
"Teddy! Momma got Teddy!" he cries, introducing his best friend.
"I see your Teddy," she says, smiling. "Your little boy is beautiful. So adorable—those bright blue eyes and curly brown hair…How old is he?"
"18 months," the blonde woman answers softly, already seated at the booth. Annie examines her face for a moment and decides there is something strange about her features. Her milky skin is dotted with freckles and her brows don't quite match her hair color. She looks like a natural red head, Annie decides.
"What's his name?"
"William—Will," the man answers as he takes his seat at the booth, bouncing the squirming toddler playfully on his lap.
"Hello Will," Annie says, shaking his tiny fist. "The menus are against the wall. I'll be right back with that high chair and to take your drink orders."
As she makes her rounds to the other tables, she finds herself watching the couple out of the corner of her eye. The way they look at one another—there is a world of love and expression hidden in their eyes. Always the romantic, Annie sighs, wishing she could have their happily-ever-after. As she drags a highchair over from the opposite corner of the restaurant, she sees them pass Will over the table as he undoubtedly wants a different view of the room.
"Sorry that took a few minutes. Here's the chair. Now what can I get you to drink?" The woman orders while the man struggles to convince his energetic son to take a seat in the chair.
"We'll just have coffee and water, and he'll have a small cup of apple juice."
After Annie brusquely fills their drinks, she returns to their table with her note pad to take their order. Apparently, Teddy is no longer amusing Will, since he is sprawled face down on the floor. The woman rubs the boy's back soothingly to ease his crankiness, and the man opens a pack of sunflower seeds and pours a few on the table in front of the toddler. That seems to do the trick—he swirls the seeds about the table, then picks up a handful and drops them, testing Newton's theory of gravity in case it is up for debate. Annie takes their order—waffles all around, and as she turns away, the man lightly touches her arm.
"Have you lived here long, Annie?"
"My whole life—I'm dying to get out."
"Why?"
"Because it's boring, I guess. You know, small town. Everyone knows everybody else. It's too safe. Nothing ever changes. Why do you ask?"
"Well, we've been moving around a lot, and we're looking for a quiet place to call home. Safe and boring sounds nice, actually."
"Then you should stay in Kendrick's Hope. I say I hate it, but it has been a nice place to grow up. If you don't mind my asking, what do you and your wife do for a living? Have your jobs been making you travel?"
The man and woman exchange a quick glance over the table before he speaks. "Um, I'm a teacher—psychology, and my wife is a doctor."
"There's a community college and a hospital downtown. It may not be as fancy as wherever you came from, but you'd get work here easily."
"That sounds great, Annie. Thanks."
When she returns with their meal and extra maple syrup, the man is in the bathroom, and she tentatively speaks to the quiet woman.
"I know this probably sounds really stupid, but I just wanted to tell you…how perfect your family seems to fit together. I wish I'd had that much love in my home, growing up. What is it like to live a fairytale?"
The woman squints her blue eyes, pondering for a moment, and then smiles.
"I suppose it's a lot like moonlight…and waffles."
Annie nods seriously, pretending she understands what that means.
While she clears the table, she watches them through the window as they strap Will into his car seat and drive away in their Ford Taurus. I hope I find love.
My Thanks…
To Gillian, David, and Chris- the owners of these characters
To my best friend and beta who will forever be the Merry to my Pippin and the Broccoli to my Cauliflower
To my room mates who put up with my insanity
To everyone who read this story and everyone who left reviews—I really appreciate it!
To X Files authors Prufrock's Love, MD1016, and Leyla Harrison, who inspire me
Knight