One Night At The Diner

One Night At The Diner

It was raining heavily that night. A man entered into a diner, he was short and thin, clothes completely soaked. He was looking frightened or that was the expression that he wore all the time. He wiped his spectacles clean, put them back on and marched towards the counter. Jack was not a man that one would notice while walking down the streets, it was clearly visible that he was losing his hair.

“Er….. I-I would take c-c-coffee please” he was stammering. He looked around; the diner was empty except a man sitting in a corner very slowly sipping his coffee and lost in his thoughts. “W-W-W-What’s your name?” He asked the women behind the counter. “Diane…..”She answered coldly and handed him his coffee. Diane was in her early twenties, she had soft blonde hair with nobody-is-anything-in-front-of-me expression. “My n-n-n……..” But before he could tell her his name she cut him and said “I have other things to do, if you need me ring this bell” with this she stormed out of the door to the bathroom.

He again looked around and his eyes rested on the man sitting in the corner still lost in his thoughts. He slowly proceeded towards him and said “C-Can I sit here, I mean there is n-n-n-nobody here and I can use a little c-c-c-company” He looked at him as though disgusted by him, waited few seconds and then replied “Sure, sit wherever you want”
“M-M-My name is J-J-Jack”
“That’s awfully long name, J-J-Jack” He mocked him but seeing as Jack’s face turned white “I am sorry, I am just feeling a bit you know, I am Vincent” Vincent was a handsome man in a rugged way, his long dark hair were covering half of his face. He was heavily built; his eyes were red as though he hadn’t slept for days. He looked much older than he actually was, his face holds the expression of a person who had suffered the pangs of life.
“It’s alright” Jack said.

They both sat there sipping there coffee for several minutes, Jack tried several times to start a conversation but hesitated. He was now regretting his decision to sit there.. At last Jack broke the silence “So w-w-what do you do?”
“I am a boxer” And he looked the other way as though there was nothing else to say.
“I am a manager a-a-at a bank, I was going for a……..meeting” Jack said, Vincent smiled at him and looked outside the window behind Jack.
“It’s still r-r-raining heavily, isn't it, so where are you g-g-going in the middle of the night”

Vincent looked around and with an i-can’t-ignore-him-any-longer look he answered “Just going for a ride, you see, a little alone time, all by myself” His eyes wondered and he noticed a ring on Jack’s finger “Are you married?”
“Y-y-y-yes I am, 6 years now, I-i-i have a beautiful wife Ilana and two kids, d-d-d-do you want to see their p-p-p-p-picture?” And as he reached out for his pocket, grinning, Vincent interrupted him “No, I don’t want to” Jack’s face turned white, he looked at the counter where Diane was giggling. He started sipping his coffee, more faster so that he could just run from here. Seeing the face of Jack, Vincent sighed and said “I am married too, but no kids”
“But y-you don’t have a r-r-ring on your finger”
“I told you, I am here to enjoy all by myself, so no affiliations, nothing”
“Oh, I see, y-y-you must be in a fight, these things h-happen all the time you see, d-d-doesn’t mean you t-t-take off your ring, it’s there to r-r-r-remind you that you both are together, and your love is for eternity”
“You really love your wife, don’t you” Vincent smiled “Guess, you can show me that picture”
“Oh surely” And he took his wallet out and held it in front of Vincent “Isn’t she b-b-beautiful?” Vincent looked at the women in the picture and two kids standing in some hotel, and then he glanced at Jack thinking how a man like him could get a woman so beautiful, it’s unfair “Yeah, she is”
“I took this picture at our 5th anniversary, it’s a very s-s-special place, I p-p-proposed to her here only” Vincent looked at him, as though jealous of him “You want more coffee” Jack nodded.

As Diane served them coffee, Vincent said “Wish, I was a happy man like you, I mean sometimes” he hesitated “Sometimes, don’t you wish a different life, I mean I always wanted kids but she...” Jack didn’t know what to say, he was still holding his wallet. “What do you say Jack, mind if I ask you something?”
“Sure, y-y-you can”
“If you want to kill someone, hypothetically, let’s say your wife whom you hate, how would you do it in the most painful way ever”
Jack’s mouth was half opened, his hand started trembling, he glanced at the picture in his wallet. It seemed he was paralyzed by this question. How can this man even think of such thing? but then men can do unspeakable things when tempted. He replied stammering more than ever “I-i-i-i-I w-w-w-would never d-d-d-d-dream o-o-o-o-of such a t-t-t-thing”

“Oh, don’t take it seriously, Jack, it was just a query, I mean what you would say about a baseball bat, bashing her head so there is blood everywhere and she is screaming at the top of her voice. I really don’t like killing someone and there is no blood, you see like hanging or drowning. No, if you are killing someone, they should suffer, their blood must flow, feeling the hatred that the person feels for them. Of course, there would be a mess, blood on the sheets, on the floor and you’ve to wash it, but it’s just more fun, don’t you think?”
Jack was still motionless; he took a sip of his coffee not even noticing that it was no longer hot. His wallet still lay open on his lap. “What are your views on electric shock or injection, I mean they don't suffer, they just lie there, and you can watch them die slowly as they take their last breath. But there is no blood, that’s why I don’t like them?” He put down his coffee, and looked outside, rain had stopped. He was smiling, as though satisfied by relieving himself. “I guess we better go, I am sorry if I said some things that hurt you, I am just, you know, out of my mind, don’t really know what I am saying. Maybe that's why it was a good idea for me to take a vacation, so don’t take it the wrong way, are we cool?” He stood up.

Jack looked at him, his face still pale. Then suddenly, out of nowhere words came pouring out of his mouth “Maybe, you can slit her throat a bit and watch her bleed” This time he didn’t stammer.

Vincent stood there, finding it difficult to comprehend what this man sitting in front of him had said. Then his face curled up into a smile as he said “There you go, there is nothing wrong in pretending, does not mean that we are actually doing the deed, are we? Guess what, your coffee is on me” And before Jack could say anything, Vincent walked up to the counter. Diane was busy listening to her Ipod, as Vincent waved money in front of her “Keep the change” Diane took off her earphones and took the money.
“Let’s go, pal” Vincent said.

As they came out of the diner, Jack was still shaking. Vincent said “That’s my ride, guess we are parting, nice talking to you” as he gestured at his car.
“Yeah, i-i-i-it sure was, nice car by the way” But another thing hit Jack in the face, he was frozen. His feet were glued to the ground, his eyes widened as though he had seen a ghost. Vincent looked back at where Jack was staring. A streak of blood was flowing from the trunk of Vincent’s car. He glanced back at Jack who found his feet and ran towards his car. But Vincent caught him before he could reach it, he grabbed him from behind. Vincent brandished a knife from his pocket and said “Going somewhere, you piece of shit, now you know my secret, I am so sorry I can’t let you go. Why don’t you say goodbye to your beloved wife and kids”

“Y-y-y-you killed your w-w-w-wife” Jack said gasping for breath. “So y-y-y-you were not pretending, h-h-h-how did you kill her”
“I bashed her head with a baseball bat, she was driving me mad, she never wanted no kids, married me for my money, you see. And just when I was on my way to bury her, becoming a happy man again, a free man, you had too come poking your nose in my business, don’t you? Guess it was your doom when you chose to sit with me, asshole”
“D-d-d-don’t kill me, just l-l-l-look inside my trunk”
“What, what did you say?”
Jack reached out in his pocket and took out his keys. “Take it and l-l-l-look inside my t-t-t-trunk, please, i-i-i-I beg you”

Vincent thought for a second, and then he threw jack aside to the ground. He took the keys from his hands “If you even think of running, I swear I would cut each of your legs” Vincent opened Jack’s trunk and this time it was Vincent’s turn to be shocked. He looked back at Jack who was smiling "Guess, w-we are not so different a-a-after all" Jack said. Vincent again looked at the contents of the trunk of Jack’s car. Five plastic bags were lying inside

Jack started laughing “I s-s-slit her throat and watch her b-b-bleed. Then I cut her into p-p-pieces; put them in the plastic b-b-bags, you see. She ain’t beautiful now, is she? And l-l-let me tell you, she suffered, she s-s-suffered like hell, and I sat beside her, w-w-watched her, relished in every moment when she was b-b-bleeding. She was a whore; she used to say I was too u-u-ugly for her. I loved her but she was u-u-unfaithful. What was I supposed to do; I can’t live m-my life like that, pretending to be h-h-happily married when I don’t know w-w-w-whether those kids are even mine. It wouldn't have been long before she w-w-would have left me, that bitch”

Vincent smiled “You are one piece of work, you psycho. Guess we can bid farewell to both of our wives together” But his attention drew to a third person standing amidst them. Diane was looking at both of them, petrified, she had heard everything.
“W-w-women……now we will be burying three i-i-instead of two” Jack sneered as Diane ran back inside the diner.
“Yeah, they can’t give us a moment of happiness, can they, so what will it be, baseball bat or slitting the throat”
“What about s-s-stabbing her till she dies”
“Touché” Vincent replied as both of them madetheir way back into the diner.