Reality's Escape: a collection of short stories

Sue's Place

Not too long ago, in a town like most other towns, there was an atrociously terrible restaurant. The food was bland, usually undercooked or overcooked (whichever you liked least), and served in messy heaps on stained dishes. But they had good coffee.

It just so happened that a secret agent was assigned to watch this restaurant. Suspicious activity had been reported.

Trina—a good, unassuming name for a perfectly normal young woman—threw a glance over the streaky windows and crooked sign that identified this as "Sue's Place". She tugged on the hem of her good, unassuming hoodie and tucked her perfectly normal auburn hair behind her ears, then pushed open the door.

A bell rang as she walked into the restaurant. She blinked and waited for her eyes to adjust. One lightbulb in the corner was flickering, and a few were completely out. There was no music playing.

The tables were crooked. Some had only three chairs even though the table had four sides. Near the left wall, two tables were shoved together, and all the extra chairs were crowded around them until it looked like the aftermath of Christmas dinner with a side of politics.

The door behind the counter opened, and for a moment the warm sounds and smells of a kitchen reached Trina as a little old lady bustled out. She was wearing a stained apron and huge shoes and a sweet smile. She called Trina "dearie" and told her to take a seat, then went back into the kitchen without taking her order. Trina sat and waited.

While she did this very important part of detective work, two boys came in. They were very raggedy-looking, with raggedy clothes and raggedy hair and raggedy shoes. They didn't sit at a table or go to the counter; instead, one boy grabbed a broom from the corner and stared sweeping. The other boy helped him by moving the chairs and tables out of the way.

Trina watched them carefully. They seemed to be paying special attention to the corner with the flickering light switch. The boy moving the chairs crouched down to hold the dustpan, but he seemed to be having an issue with the pocket of his raggedy jeans.

Then the little old lady came back through the door with a full plate and cup in her hand. She bustled over to Trina's table and put them down, then wiped her hands on her stained apron and gave her another sweet smile.

Trina frowned a little at the greyish pile on the plate in front of her. "I...I didn't order yet."

"Oh, that's all right, dearie. I mixed this up for you right quickly." The little old lady pulled out the chair across from Trina and looked her up and down, inspecting her good, unassuming hoodie and perfectly normal auburn hair.

Trina took a forkful of the grey stuff in her plate. It tasted like cold mashed potatoes with overcooked tuna, and she took a drink of water to wash it down. The little old lady was still talking, asking where she was from. She was just about to invent an elaborate lie when the door bell rang. The raggedy cleanup crew was leaving.

The little old lady—who had introduced herself as the famous Sue—noticed her glance at the closing door. "I tell you, there's no such thing as good help nowadays. They would probably say I don't pay them enough to sweep the whole floor. Now, you've cleaned out your plate! Would you like some more?"

"No! I mean, um, no, that was enough. I'm full. Thank you."

Sue took her plate and cup. "Where are you heading off to?"

Trina patted her bag. "Actually, I've brought my laptop. I was hoping to get some work done. If you don't mind me in your space, that is."

"Of course not, dearie! In fact, I'll bring you a coffee."

No protesting could defer Sue from her purpose, and she bustled back to the kitchen. Just before she got there, though, the bell rang again, and a skinny girl with tangled hair walked in. Right behind her was a big, burly man. The girl looked scared, and Trina tensed.