For the next two days, I didn't hear nothin' from Laila Kumar. She was probably too busy studyin' Physics or wipin' counters at Kelly's to check in on lil' ol' me. I snorted. Get yourself together, Dallas, I thought to myself, Since when've you gotten so shaken' up by a girl? This ain' middle school! So I put the little lady outta my mind and got down to business counting last night's haul. I whistled under my breath. We'd made a pretty sum. I'd have plenty left for myself once I was done payin' the boys.
Around two in the afternoon I closed up and wondered where to have lunch. I'm a crap cook. Can't cook for shit. So I usually roam 'round town till I find a plays that catches my fancy. That was when the idea struck me. I stood up an' stretched, checkin' myself out in the dressing room mirror. I was dressed in old, ripped blue jeans and a red n' white checked button down shirt. Nothin' fancy, but it did sccentuate my six feet three inches quite nicely. I strolled outta the club, hailin' a cab as soon as I hit the street. "Where can I take you, sir?" smiled the middle aged driver. I shoved my hands into my pockets and leaned down. "Kelly's Diner." I said.
Ten minutes later, I was standin' in front of a black building in a middle class neighbourhood with a bright yellow sign on top fashin' the word "KELLY'S". "Bit of a narcissist, this Kelly," I muttered under my breath as I pushed the front door open. There was jus' a fair, skinny blonde at the counter, lookin' bored as she played with her eyebrow piercing. Her eyes widened when she saw me walk in. I ignored her. I was lookin' for someone else.
I settled myself into a table near the door so that I could leave quickly if Laila wasn't here. The diner didn' particularly appeal to me. It had this real stale smell that made me wanna barf. Why does she even work here, I wondered. Talk of the devil. As soon as I thought that, lil' Miss Kumar appeared from behind a yellow door that read "Staff Only". She was wearin' her Kelly's T-shirt and a pair of patchy blue jeans, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. Her eyes widened when she saw me. I winked at her. She looked at the blonde, who was clearely her boss. "Well, take his order. What're waiting for?" asked the blonde. Laila looked a little disoriented. She paused for a moment, then nodded and started walkin' towards me, pullin' a notepad outta her pocket. "Good afternoon, Sir, and welcome to Kelly's Diner. May I take your order?" she recited, as if from a textbook. I rolled my eyes. I slid further into the booth and patted the seat. "Cut the crap, Laila, and sit down. I wanna have lunch with you." I drawled. Her grip on her pencil loosened. "W-What?" she stammered. I sighed. I leaned forward, looked into her eyes an' said, "You didn' get back to me about our date. So I thought I'd get back to you." "But I work here!" she whispered, glancing at the blonde who was staring at us. "Don' care," I said, leanin' back, "Now sit down."