The following morning, Markie arrived a few minutes early. She immediately started setting up the tables for the breakfast rush. Her mind was spinning, scared of what this weekend was going to bring. She had not had the chance to talk to Mike, yet, at least, not in person. She did not look forward to it. She really had not wished to come clean the other day. It had to be done. She knew she was going to spend this weekend alone. It was a gut feeling that Pam had reinforced yesterday.
“Good mornin’, darlin’,” Pam said when she walked through the door from the kitchen.
“Good morning, Pam. September is a mite cold this year, don’t you think?”
“No doubt.”
“Probably helped the firefighters, though.”
“Maybe so. I see you have the tables well in hand. I’ll get the coffee.”
“That sounds great about now.”
Pam looked over at Markie. “Late night?”
“Not really. Pretty standard evening for a Thursday. Only got to talk to Mike for about ten minutes. He called around eight-thirty last night when he got home. I could tell he was pretty beat.”
“I heard the fire was still burning,” said Pam.
“Mike said they got it out around six. They waited two hours afterward, watching for a re-flash before packing up their equipment. He missed a couple of his classes. I hope the school will understand.”
“I’m sure they will. They’re pretty understanding when it comes to disasters.” She brought a cup of coffee to Markie, placing it on a back table. “I take it you still haven’t had a chance to talk.”
Markie finished setting down the paper place mats and was picking up the silverware when she said “I need to work up the nerve again. And it’s not something I can do over the phone. I have to see his reaction.”
“True. I wish I could tell you how he’s gonna take it.”
“My crystal ball broke a long time ago.” She looked over at Pam. “Is it too much for me to expect to find a straight man? Someone who isn’t gay?”
“Not at all, darlin’. And don’t go soundin’ like you’re writin’ Mike off.”
“I’m not. It’s... I don’t know... It’s just that I didn’t plan on Mike. I didn’t even want to find anyone here.”
“Are you disappointed you did?”
“Oh no, Pam. Mike is every woman’s dream. But had I known it was going to get this serious when we started seeing each other, I would have told him on the first date. But if I had, I wouldn’t be in this situation. I can’t shake this feeling that small town guys will never accept me.”
“Quite a stereotype.”
“I know. But I grew up in New York City, remember? They don’t give the rest of the state the time of day.”
“Wow. You’re surprising me, Markie.”
“It’s not how I wanted to make it sound, Pam. What I mean is, in the city everyone believes that everyone’s opinion counts, so long as they share the same view. That’s how I saw the world. And since I wasn’t the norm, well, I didn’t get treated the same, even there. When I came here, my eyes were opened to a whole different world. I realized that all those opinionated people I grew up with were just as ignorant as I was.”
“That’s the Markie I know!” Pam smiled wide.
“Well, the Markie you know happens to be scared to death. I don’t want to lose him.”
Pam walked over and took both of Markie’s hands in hers. “Can I be honest with you?”
“I need that.”
“Markie, you said you had no intention of getting close to anyone in Oxford. That wasn’t why you were here. And the part of the small town you fear is probably correct. It is definitely possible you wouldn’t be accepted. But this town has gotten to know you for who you are. I bet that it would accept you, if your secret got out—maybe not everyone, but most of them. Things have progressed between you and Mike that neither of you expected. Like you said, had you told him up front, we wouldn’t be here talking about it. That would have been a tragedy. I expect when you tell him, he will walk away. But I have faith that he will find his way back. You just need to give him some time to absorb it.”
“I wish you could bottle up and sell me some of your optimism.”
“I would give it to you for free. You have influenced me in ways you can’t imagine, just like you have influenced Mike. You’ll have to explain why you didn’t tell him up front, but the longer you put it off, the harder he will take it.”
“You’re right. I’ll tell him, tonight.” She knew what she had to do. The courage she needed was starting to build back up. Pam was wise, and Markie was glad fate had stepped into her life.
* * * *
Breakfast came and went. It was a light morning for a Friday. Public school had begun the week before, so everyone was back in their normal routine. That, and several of the regular customers were in on the fire. They had likely slept in.
“How’s my favorite bunch?” greeted Markie, as the Seniors Club shuffled in and took up their prepared table.
“Waitin’ fer ya to dump that grease monkey and come to a real man.” Ned snickered.
“We’re in rare form, today, I see,” Markie commented.
“Hi, Markie,” said Doris. “Can you set us up with our usual drinks and bring a bucket of ice water to pour over Ned’s head?” The seniors laughed in unison, including Ned.
“Sure thing, Doris. I’ll have to see if the pickle jar is empty, though. We don’t have a bucket.” She smiled and took off for the beverage station. In a flash, she was back at their table with the drinks.
“Quite some fire they had over to the plant,” said Bill, directed mainly at Markie.
“Oh, yes. The explosion shook my house. How about yours?”
“I live far enough away that I barely heard it, but Paul and Doris live over that way.”
“It busted our living room window,” said Paul. “All the glass companies are so busy, we won’t get ours replaced until Monday.”
“That’s a long time to wait. Mike was on the scene until after eight last night.”
“Speaking of which,” Ned nodded toward the door.
Markie turned around and saw Mike enter. Her face lit up. “You’re back among the living,” she said as she went over and kissed him on the cheek. She felt funny about showing affection while working. She did not think it was professional, but she decided to split hairs with the small kiss. After all, it was no secret. Even the seniors knew about them.
“I made it to work this morning. Helps that I crashed following our phone call last night.”
“So, what brings you here?” she asked.
“You, of course.” He winked at her.
Markie smiled brightly.
“I thought I’d pick up a salad for lunch and see if I could make you blush in the morning.” He smiled wryly. “I seem to have succeeded.”
“To go?” Markie asked, feeling her cheeks flush even more.
“Yes. I—”
“Be right back.” She did not wait long enough for him to get his next sentence out. Knowing what he liked, she quickly created a garden salad. Then she decided to spruce it up a little, adding bacon bits and shredded cheddar cheese.
* * * *
While she was in the back, a new customer walked in. He was about five-foot-eight, exceptionally clean shaven, and wore a blue Italian sport coat with matching slacks. His shirt was peach colored and meticulously pressed. The navy blue and white striped tie was carefully tied in a double Windsor knot—the tie clasp was a simple gold ball.
He sat down at the counter. Pam quickly came over and dropped off a menu in front of him. She introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Pam. Welcome to the Oxford Diner. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Yes. Coffee, thank you.”
She turned around to the coffee pot behind her and grabbed the freshest pot. Turning back around, she flipped his coffee cup over and filled it. After replacing the pot on the burner, she set a fresh creamer in front of him.
“Our special today is filet of sole on a toasted bun with curly fries and coleslaw.”
“Sounds good. I’ll take that, please.”
“Coming right up.” She finished writing the order and placed it in the window.
Markie came back out with the salad in a to go box.
Pam saw the man at the counter watch her come out. His eyes grew wide, and then he smiled.
Markie handed the salad to Mike.
“Thank you,” he said. He then proceeded to finish his sentence from earlier. “That sea thriller is on at the theater in Norwich, tonight. Wanna go?”
“How about stopping by my place for dinner first? We got interrupted the other night.”
“If you’re making something like your spaghetti, I’ll be there.” He smiled brightly.
“She has a real knack for cooking,” said the visitor, turning toward them.
* * * *
Markie was stunned. “Bob? What are you doing here? Who told you where I was?”
“I happened to see this interesting interview on the news the other night. Your employees are certainly tight-lipped. I stopped in here for lunch and to ask about a friend of mine. Lo and behold, who do I find working here?”
He stood and turned to Mike. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”
Markie provided the introduction. “Bob, this is Mike. Mike... Bob. He was a friend of mine in the city.”
Bob extended his hand which Mike accepted.
“Was?” Bob said. “I’d say we were more than just friends. It took a little getting used to, but I’m okay now. I’ve come to take you back.”
“Excuse me?” Markie said, a bit louder than she should have. Everyone in the diner was now watching the floor show. “What makes you think I want to go back?”
“Whoa. What’s going on here?” asked Mike.
“Nothing, Mike. Bob was the one who left me. I moved on.”
“It was a mistake I came here to correct,” said Bob.
“Let me get this straight,” Mike said. “This is your ex-boyfriend?”
Bob replied before Markie could answer. “Markie is still my boyfriend.”
“I hate to tell you, pal, but you need to get your eyes checked.” Mike smirked at the ludicrous statement.
Bob turned to Markie, his expression one of surprise. “He doesn’t know, does he?”
“Know what?” said Mike as turned to Markie, his face changing to confusion.
Markie’s eyes were pleading as she said to Mike, “I can explain.”
* * * *
It took Mike a moment to let it sink in, but he quickly realized that Markie had made no attempt to correct Bob’s statement. He suddenly looked like he had been stabbed in the back. His jaw dropped slightly, and his eyes widened. When Markie started to speak, he waved his hand in front of her. Now frowning, he set down the box containing the salad and practically ran out of the diner.
“How could you do that?” Markie screamed at Bob, her voice cracking and tears flowing freely.
“I didn’t know. I’m sorry, but it doesn’t matter. You belong with your people in the city. He was never going to fit in down there.”
“In case you forgot, you didn’t support me when I needed you most. You think you can just walk back into my life after abandoning me? Maybe this will get through that thick skull of yours. We’re over. Now get out!” Markie was now a wreck. Emotions of anger, embarrassment, and sorrow hit her all at once, hard. The diner was so quiet, a pin dropping on the floor would have sounded like a cannon going off. Pam bowed her head and sighed.
“This is not your place of business, and I already ordered.” He calmed his voice down. “Let’s just sit down and talk about it, Markie.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she screamed. “If you won’t leave, then I will!” She removed her apron, tossed it on the counter, and ran out the door in tears.
* * * *
Bob returned to his chair and sat back down.
Pam came over. Bob could feel her penetrating eyes.
“She’ll be back,” he said in a malevolent voice.
“No, she won’t. Coffee’s on the house. And you see that sign over there?” she said, pointing to the printed card on the wall. “It says I reserve the right to refuse service. I’m invoking my right. Have a nice day.”
Bob stood up, straightened his tie, and walked out to the round of applause from the seniors and other customers cheering Pam’s declaration.
* * * *
After arriving home, Markie got permission from Mrs. Brown to park her SUV inside the garage. The last thing she wanted was for Bob to search the streets looking for her vehicle.
For the next three days, she remained in her apartment. She called Mike three times each day. Every time, her call went straight to voicemail. During the first and second days, Pam’s calls got the same treatment from Markie.
When she didn’t show up for work on Monday, Pam tried again. This time, Markie answered her phone.
“Hi Markie.”
“Hi, Pam. I am so sorry.”
“Do you need a little more time?”
“If Mike doesn’t return my call today, I will be gone tomorrow.”
“Don’t let your past win. Come back to work.”
“I just can’t. By now, it’s all over town. I refuse to be the town freak.”
“Is that what you think is gonna happen?” Pam asked in her I can’t believe you just said that voice.
“Yes... No... I don’t know. What I do know is I hurt Mike, and I can’t fix it. He won’t let me.”
“You’re not thinking straight. Take a couple more days and—”
“I can’t. I wish I could. I’m going to miss you.”
With a tone clearly displaying defeat, Pam replied, “Me, too. You are always welcome here.”
“Thank you, Pam.”
Markie waited the remainder of the day as she had planned, hoping for Mike to return her calls. He never did. That evening, she packed her SUV. By the time the sun rose the next morning, she was well on her way back to New York.