James sat down at a booth in the corner of the diner. There was barely a soul in sight, besides the chef and the waitress. The diner resembled something from an 80’s movie with a little modern touch. The windows were covered with the dew of raindrops falling from the sky.
“Morning James.” The waitress said. She was a younger woman with red hair tied back. She wore an apron over her beautiful red dress like most waitresses who worked there did. Her skin was fair and her smile bright. Warmth radiated off her like the sun, people couldn't help but catch her upbeat attitude, but James couldn’t put a name to her face.
“I'm sorry but do I know you.” James asked with a confused look. The waitress took a seat across from him in the booth. She looked for her pen and paper to write stuff down for James. James sat and watched as she wrote Mimi down on her pad. She turned her pad towards James.
“Mimi, I've been your waitress for the past two years.” The waitress said pointing at her pad. James picked the pad up and looked at it. He couldn't quite grasp his head around her name or the fact that he's been here before.
“I'm sorry but you must have me confused with someone else. This is my first time coming to this diner.” James said handing the pad back to Mimi. It wouldn't be the first time someone confused James for someone else, but this was a little different. No one has approached him in such a way before.
“I think I got something here that will jog your memory.” Mimi said reaching into her pocket. She pulled from her pocket a picture. Torn at the side and coffee stained, yet the image itself was barely touched. In the picture was James and her sitting in the same booth. Mimi was leaning on James taking the picture. Judging by the photo itself the picture was taken with an old Polaroid.
“Does it ring a bell?” Mimi asked taking the picture from James.
“How long ago was that picture taken?” James asked looking at the table. He was beginning to question if he was all there himself.
“Mimi, you got customers waiting.” The chef yelled from behind the counter. He resumed his cooking.
Mimi stood up gathering her pen and pad. “I’ll assume you want the usual.” She said writing on her paper. James grabbed Mimi’s hand before she could walk away.
“What’s my usual?” James asked Mimi. He never looked at her while saying it, he just kept his head faced at the table.
“Two pancakes and a side of bacon.” Mimi said. She turned and walked over to another customer who was sitting at the counter. He was a little rough looking, like he had just stopped to take a break from a three-day haul. A trucker’s hat hid his greasy hair and an old beat up coat covered his stained shirt. His pants were no better, torn at the knees and ankles. James could hear them talking and he didn't like what he had heard, but he kept on looking out the window.
The clouds showed no break in the sky for sun to come through. The slight amount of rain was persistent at keeping everything wet and gloomy. People who passed didn't know if they should use an umbrella or not.
“Hey there buddy.” A man said hopping into the booth. He was a blonde with well-kept clothes. Probably better looking than most, but that didn't matter because James had no clue who he was.
“Who are you?” James asked shifting his gaze over to the man, but before the man could speak Mimi had returned with a glass of orange juice.
“K what are you doing here?” Mimi quietly asked. K wasn't a full name, James knew that, but what escaped him is how this man could just approach him so easily. Could it really be someone else that he had forgotten?
“I come here every morning just like James.” K said. James felt confused. Now this wasn't only the first time he had been to the diner, but he had also been coming here every morning. Something wasn't adding up. Why couldn't he remember?
“Can you explain how you know me, K?” James asked politely. K turned towards James and took a proper seat in the booth. He put his hand on the table and collapsed them together to match James’s.
“I’ll go get you a drink.” Mimi said leaving the table.
K was looking as if he was trying to find words to say.
“I've been your friend since the first grade.” There was a pain in K’s voice. “Come on, we went to the Emergency room together because we ran our bikes down dead man’s drop.”
James shook his head not remembering anything.
“There's gotta be something you remember about me.” A tear began to break way from K’s eyes. His sadness reached everyone in the room but James.
“Come on K. Let's let James eat in piece.” Mimi said placing James’s food in front of him. James watched as Mimi accompanied K to the counter. Suddenly his food didn't seem so edible anymore. James put his hands in his pocket.
James’s fingers struck something. A small sharp object resting at the bottom of his jackets pocket. He pulled the object out to get a better look at it. It was a chunk of mirror with a red backing. Confused at what it was for James kept turning it over in his hands. Something happened, James was sure of it now, but what had happened.
“Mimi, do you have a second?” James asked, catching Mimi as she walked by. He handed her the chunk of mirror. “Do you know what that came from?”
Mimi looked it over not letting any form of emotion over take her. She handed it back to James keeping her eyes on the mirror.
“I can't say I do.” Mimi walked off to fill more coffee. She stopped next to K who was bent over an empty mug looking very depressed. James couldn't tell if he should console the man or just leave him alone, after all he didn't really know the person. James overheard Mimi talking to K.
“Are you ok K?” Mimi asked placing her hand on K’s back. She took a seat right next to him giving him her undivided attention.
“Why can't we just tell him?” K cried. “He’s my best friend he deserves to know.”
“You know exactly why. The doctor told us he would come around when he was ready.” Mimi said taking K’s mug and filling it.
“I can't stay here any longer if I have to watch him like this.” K said turning away from Mimi. He walked out of the diner dropping a piece of paper at the end of James’s booth.
James leaned over and picked up the paper and turned it over. It was an old newspaper clipping. He caught a glimpse of the headline before Mimi took it from his hands. Three dead and one critically injured in crash on 94.
“Mimi, who was in that crash?” James asked before she could turn away. Mimi clenched the news article in her hand. She let a sigh and sat down in front of James.
“You were.” Mimi said softly. “You, me, and K.”
James was confused. The clipping he had read said four people were in the crash, but who was the fourth. It also said three had died, but they were alive. Was the clipping wrong? Or was it right?
“Last year there was a party we all went to. There was drinking and smoking. We might have gone a little too far. You drove us home and ended up going head on with a truck driver.” Mimi pointed over to the rough looking man on the stool. “His name is Arthur Stinel. His body was never found, burnt up in the fire.”
Mimi filled the glass in front of her full of coffee and began to mix in her sugar and creamer. She ran her finger along the rim of the cup as if she was stalling for something.
“But none of this is real. I'm alive, you're alive, K he just walked out the door.” James panicked. His heart began racing. The reality that he might actually dead began to set in. Mimi shook her head.
“Every day we go through this. We've been going through this for a full year and we'll continue going through this until you can remember.” Mimi spoke softly.
A loud horn sounded off in the distance. The sound of a semi got closer and closer. The light from a pair of headlights shone through the window to James’s booth.
“It sounds like it's that time.” Mimi said looking down at her coffee. James grabbed Mimi’s hand trying to get her attention.
“What do I have to remember?” James asked. The sound of the semi got closer by the second. “Mimi, please!” Still no answer. The truck was now upon them.
A hand was placed on James’s shoulder. He looked up and saw the smile of Arthur, the truck driver.
“I don't blame you son.” Arthur said.
James scooted over and Arthur sat down. When he looked up he saw K was sitting next to Mimi. He had a smile on his face.
“We’re in this till’ the very end.” K said.
James waited for Mimi to say something, instead she placed her hand on the table. K reached out his hand and placed it on Mimi’s. Arthur did the same. James looked as the three held each other’s hand and he decided to do the same.
The sound of the semi sounded through the diner. James closed his eyes preparing for the end. The noise stopped. James opened his eyes and came face to face with the diner, but he couldn't remember why he had come here.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
