As the Florida sun beat down on the pavement of Dunbar Avenue, the descendant of the Midwest quickly regretted her choice. Green’s was still a few blocks away, but she had already come this far. Shawna was going to have to tough it out for the life-sustaining greasy breakfast that was becoming far more commonplace than the scrambled egg whites that used to be her regular Sunday morning fare. The teenager checked her phone to confirm how much farther she had to go and saw the text from CJ, the life-sustainer of a different sort. “Damn it. I could have gotten a ride to the diner? Shhhhhhit.”
She pressed onward, quickening her pace a little bit knowing that there would be both food and drugs waiting for her. Now all she needed was alcohol and she would be set. But there would be time to see Ramiro later. The green-and-white awning was starting to come into view. She hustled down the street, sweat obvious on her t-shirt as she pulled into the air-conditioned glory that was Green’s Luncheonette.
Carter Newton sat at the counter not too far away from the entrance, his feet resting upon the ledge in front of him and his eyes fixated on the laminated breakfast menu. He’d arrived at the diner just a few minutes ago with his mind set on ordering a meal to-go. This was something the young man did more often than most since his parents weren’t too keen on cooking in the mornings—or at any given time, for that matter. His stomach rumbled in anticipation as he quickly made the decision to try out the steak and eggs.
The girl caught her breath and slowly walked over to the chairs, taking one next to her … well he was definitely at least acquaintance level, even in the relatively short time they had had contact with each other. Friends? Wasn’t farfetched. As least as friendly as a dealer could be to a client. Carter didn’t utter a word as he felt the young woman take a seat; he placed his menu back into its rightful holder before waving over the nearest waitress. “Water,” she rasped out to the woman manning the front. A quick spin brought a tall glass of icy liquid to Shawna, and she gulped it down, hoping to replenish what she thought was four pounds lost on that walk. Carter, on the other hand, requested a cup of coffee. “You know,” she finally addressed the boy next to her, “If you were quicker to answer your texts, I could have used a ride here.”
That was when Carter turned and saw the girl for the very first time that day, sweaty T-shirt and all. It didn’t take much piecing together for him to figure out that she’d walked the entire way to the diner; he shook his head and let one corner of his mouth turn up into a half smile. “Sorry, love. I had a few errands to run before I got here,” the boy said with a smirk, “But you do know that you could’ve taken a Lyft or something if you needed to. Would’ve made things a lot… easier. Less chance of having a heat stroke.”
“Tell me about it,” Shawna said, draining the rest of her water. “I dunno, I guess I wasn’t really thinking yet, just like, get to the food I don’t have to make.” She plunked her purse onto the counter and fumbled around for her wallet, just to have the money on hand to make both purchases she intended to complete. “So, you went north? How’d you manage to get roped into that? I didn’t think you were into that whole travelling scene.”
“Oh, I’m not,” Carter said as he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets, “But I’m sure that visiting New York City for the first time was probably a whole lot better than spending a Saturday night in a country club with some random broad.” As he spoke, Carter pulled a black zip-lock bag from his pocket; he took a quick glance at the waitress to make sure she wasn’t nearby before gingerly placing it into Shawna’s purse.
The teenager pffted at hearing that. “Hey, beats my Saturday night. Unless you’re impressed I now have all the quiz answers to win Rachel and Monica’s apartment memorized.” She glanced down to make sure the product was now in her purse. “I mean, probably would have been better to do that not in a giant house by myself, but you know. Life is life, right?”
She was about to pull out some bills, but the waitress’ return halted that for the moment. “Figure out what you’re having, dear?”
Shawna hadn’t even touched the menu, but she had been to Green’s enough to know what she wanted. “Can I just get two eggs and bacon, with home fries, whole-wheat toast and a fruit cocktail?”
“Sure thing, dear.” The waitresses almost sounded trained to talk to seniors in here, but the home fries were to die for if hungover. “Anything for you, hun?” she asked Carter, who’d decided to take one last glance at the menu while Shawna was ordering her food.
“You know what, I think I’ll just get the western omelette to-go,” Carter said with a shrug, “But with an English muffin instead of toast.” The waitress hurriedly scribbled both of their orders onto her pad before leaving them once more.
“Shit! Can I get mine to-go too?” Shawna hastily added as the waitress departed. “Shit. If I had known my potential ride back home was going to depart so soon, I would have said that.” She looked into her wallet and pulled out a couple of crisp $20s, holding them under the counter for Carter to pocket. The boy simply shook his head and chuckled as he stealthily took the cash from Shawna’s hand and slid it into his jacket pocket. Carter originally had no intentions on dining in the small restaurant; as always, the plan was to purchase his food and eat whatever he could in the car as he drove to his next customer. This plan wasn’t likely to change, but it did seem that he’d now have to add an extra stop to his list of destinations.
“Oh, so you mean you didn’t want to walk back home?” he said teasingly as he pulled out a couple of wrinkled bills from the back of his phone case, “I hear that long distance walking is good for you. Great way to get in some exercise.”
“Well, you know what, CJ?” Shawna offered as she pulled a third $20 out for the waitress. “Since we’re such good friends, I’ll let you walk the nine blocks back to my house, and I’ll drive your car there, so you won’t have to make it 18 blocks. That way we can both get some cardio in, hmmm? Besides, I don’t need to break up my yolks until I get back to the crypt.” Shortly after Shawna had said this, the waitress returned to their spot at the counter, this time carrying two takeout bags in her hands. Suppressing a smile, Carter exchanged his bag of food for the crumpled dollar bills before standing from his stool.
“Tempting offer, really. But I’m gonna have to pass on that one,” Carter said as he began to make his way towards the exit, “I guess I still have a little time to kill. Won’t hurt to make an extra stop.”
Shawna picked up her change, leaving behind any singles for the waitress and grabbed her breakfast, as well as her purse. “I am very appreciative. I really am.” Her sunglasses were already catching the light from the window. “You don’t know how much sacrificing those four minutes means to me.”
“Yeah, well… you know what they say. Time is money,” Carter said, returning the sarcasm as the two of them walked through the half-full parking lot. They walked until Carter’s bright, cherry red colored Lexus came into view; the boy pressed one of the buttons on his key fob to unlock the vehicle doors as he approached the driver’s side. As soon as he got into his car, Carter reached over and began to clean off the passenger seat; one of his leather jackets, an old pair of sunglasses, and a nearly empty bottle of water were soon tossed into the backseat.
“Classy as hell, bud,” Shawna commented as she poured herself into the front seat. “Don’t expect any less from you.” She balanced her meal and her purse on her lap, the warmth from the bacon and potatoes immediately felt on her legs. “Gonna eat and then I might coma for a bit. Sounds like a smart plan after that run earlier.”
Nodding his head, Carter pushed the button on his dash to start the engine. Almost immediately after, the sound of some random talk show came over the speakers; the boy took a brief moment to switch radio stations before putting the car into drive and heading out of the lot. “Make sure you buckle up,” the boy said with a smirk as he pulled onto the main road, “You know, safety first.” The drive to Shawna’s house, thanks to Carter’s innate tendency to speed, only took a little under four minutes. Once they’d arrived, Carter eased into the driveway and then shifted his car back into park.
“Thanks, CJ,” Shawna said as she unbuckled. She paused before opening the door though. “Hey, you know, if you ever want a place to, you know, chill or stash some stuff or whatever, my place is still gonna be empty for a few months. Parents won’t be back until the new year. Stupid world cruise. Anyway, you know, open invite. Because you’re such a nice guy. And you get me high.” She did seem a little nervous offering, as if she hadn’t bothered to make such a gesture before. Which was true. Still, if she wanted to start experiencing life to the fullest instead of what was in those stupid textbooks, she had to start opening up and letting some people in. Might as well start with CJ. He’s been cool enough since we started engaging in transactions.
Carter listened carefully as the young woman spoke, and couldn’t help but lift a curious eyebrow when she mentioned that her parents had left her alone for several months. Carter could somewhat relate, seeing as though his parents often left him to his own devices for days at a time. But having the house to herself for months? Oh, how lucky was she. Carter waited for Shawna to shut the car door behind her before he rolled down the window. “You know what, Shawna,” the young man said as he put his car into reverse, “I think I just might take you up on that offer one of these days.” And then he was gone.
The 18 year old sighed. Well, I put it out there. At least it wasn’t an outright no. It’s a start, I guess. She looked down at the bag, puddles of grease starting to form in the brown paper. “All right, get this in me then fall asleep. Sounds like a plan. She clutched her purse tightly as she headed back inside the beachfront home in a familiar spot. Alone with her thoughts.
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