Somewhere Else

Chapter 12: The Diner

Working Christmas was far from fun. The only reason she agreed was because that monster had her little girl for the oliday. If she had the day off, she would have gone crazy in the silence. Brecker was seeing a man named lane and it would have been unfair to ask him to stay with her all day just to keep her company. Besides, she had to grow up sometime.

There was some sick satisfaction in knowing she wasn’t the only one who was all alone at this time of the year anyhow. Never before had she served pie with such a sweet smile on her face, trying to comfort those who had nowhere to go. She wondered if any of them were in her situation, simply wishing they could see someone they loved but knowing it was impossible.

Statistics showed more people killed themselves during these sorts of holidays than at any other time of the year. She was sure she knew why. So if any of these folk were going to go home and eat their gun, she was hoping that maybe a nice waitress in a little café might be able to make some sort of difference in their lives. Perhaps her smile would show them there was something to be happy about. She put forth the best impression she could for every customer. By the end of the day she was trying to figure out which ones might go home and contemplate their eternal end and which were just going to watch some holiday shows and fall asleep.

As evening closed in, she anxiously awaited Gina to relieve her. The girl showed up a few minutes early and told Jane she could go home. She finished wiping down the table she was working on and then hurried around to punch out. The phone rang but Gina said she’d answer it. Good thinking, since she didn’t really want to have to deal with any more customers today. Just as she was heading out the door, the bell above jingled and two uniformed officers stepped in the door.

“Is there a Jane Stickler here?”

Panic rose to her chest and she stared up at the two officers. “I’m Jane.”

The expressions they wore, or lack thereof, convinced her of the emotion that was already welling in her chest and stomach. Their words weren’t even entirely registered before she had crumbled to the ground in a hopeless mess of tears, both of them left to try to console her.