Skipping Stones - Karlnap

•2|Old Town, Small Town|2•

The seconds tick by like a turtle walking to the ocean with weights tied at its feet. Sapnap constantly finds himself checking his watch, only to find the longer hand hasn't moved much at all since the last time he checked. As he sips his morning coffee, he finds himself tempted to go right now. He has about half an hour before his shift at work begins, and perhaps he could drop by the creek and wave to Karl a quick hello.

But the chances of Karl being there is low as it is only nine-thirty in the morning, and Sapnap assumes that he'd use his unfiltered freedom as an opportunity to sleep in.

They agreed on sundown, anyway.

"Why are you in such a rush to get to work this morning?" Asks the man behind the counter.

"I'm not," Sapnap replies, tearing his gaze away from the watch and up at the man in front of him. The name on the golden tag clipped to his white button-up shirt says 'Alex', but for as long as Sapnap has been attending this diner for breakfast, he has only ever seen him be referred to as 'Quackity' or 'Big Q'.

The man smiles, leaning over against the counter and asking, "Is there a cute chic at work?"

Sapnap cringes, bringing his mug back up to his lips and drinking the rest of the morning coffee. He turns around, facing away from Quackity and over to the old diner, which has been around longer than Sapnap has. This town never seemed to age passed the nineteen-nineties. It's as if time froze for this sleepy town right before the turn into the new millenium. And people noticed. Now no one enters this diner. Most mornings Sapnap is the only one there. His morning coffees and occasional breakfasts were the only things keeping this old diner from the eighties alive. And Quackity never lets him forget that.

"I'll take another coffee," Sapnap says, and just like every time he orders, Quackity's face lights up.

"Coming right up! To go, right?"

Sapnap nods.

"Hey, man, thanks for ordering from here," Quackity says as he grabs the pile of to-go cups, "I know I tell you that a lot, but I really mean it. I know this place is way passed its prime, but you make it worth opening up every day."

"It's no problem. It's peaceful. I like peaceful."

Quackity laughs as he places Sapnap's coffee down in front of him on the marble counter. Even after forty years, it's still as clean as it would have been in its prime. Or perhaps it's a sign that it's time to let the diner go. There is never enough people here to spill and stain the counters anymore.

"Why do people call you Quackity?" Asks Sapnap in an attempt to fill the dense silence between them.

"It was a high school nickname," Quackity replies with a light snicker. The light behind his eyes dim, "An old friend gave it to me, and I hold it near and dear to my heart."

Sapnap takes another look at his nametag. "Alex doesn't have a Q in it at all."

Quackity laughs, "It's a funny story. Though, it's one I can barely remember now. That was years ago. Back in the nineties."

"Oh." Sapnap taps the side of his cup and checks the time again. This time, a few minutes actually passed. He stands up, placing a few dollar bills on the counter. "Can I use the telephone?"

Quackity sweeps up the money with a smile, "Yeah, of course. Use it whenever you need, man. Thank you for dropping by again."

Sapnap walks through the empty diner, passing by saturated red booths and a jukebox that hasn't been touched in years. He could only imagine how bustling with life this diner once was. Quackity constantly tells him stories of him and his friends going down to the diner everyday after school. As it was a family owned business—his family owned business—he always got him and his friends discounts. Sometimes their meals would be free. According to Quackity, the diner was once the central hangout where all the teenagers went to hang out. All the fights broke out there, all the drama, all the cute couples, the toxic couples, the popular kids, the not so popular kids.