See You in Hell

10

Louise loved rainy Tuesday dinner shifts. The restaurant would be quiet and she figured after Teddy left they might even be able to close up early. On a rainy Saturday the place would be busy; people want to make the most of their weekend and a diner booth has some appeal tucked in from the weather. Even on a Monday or Wednesday there would still be a few bedraggled customers braving a downpour, but for some reason Tuesdays were different. Louise didn't know why this was, but she knew it to be a universal truth. Bob's policy was after 8 if there was a 30 min streak without newcomers you could close up for the night.

It was just her and Logan working tonight. She watched Teddy in agony as he slowly brought the burger to his mouth, each bite seemed like a painstaking effort. Worse still Logan was chatting him up about sports. It was a topic she had little patience for on the best of days, but especially now when they were so close to freedom. She shot daggers at Logan from behind Teddy's back but he was too engrossed in the mind numbing discussion to notice.

The lull was giving her too much time to think. She needed to figure out what she was going to do about the Ollie situation. She'd been successfully avoiding him since his admission a few days earlier, citing too much work at the restaurant. Andy never would have let this slide under normal circumstances, but lately he'd been too wrapped up in his whirlwind summer romance to care if she canceled production meetings. But she couldn't keep it up forever.

Ollie was very dear to her, as a friend. The thought of him as anything more just didn't sit right, like dating Gene. She'd have to find a way to let him down gently. But she had no idea how to even start the conversation. Gentle was not Louise's strong suite.

Finally, Teddy was finished. As the door swung closed behind him Louise sank down into a booth, lying back with a sigh.

"What's up with you?" Logan had seen her slack off on the clock plenty of times, but lying fully prostrate was a new low.
"Trust me you can relax, we're not gonna get anyone else coming in tonight." She made this address to the ceiling. Logan was wiping down the counter, it made her exhausted just watching anyone exert effort in this weather.
"Hey don't be slacking on me now, it's not even 8 yet."
"It's Tuesday and it's raining. No one else is coming through that door."
"In that case, I know what we should do."
"I swear to God Logan, if you try and make me clean anything or sort anything or any other type-A bullshit, I will lock you in the walk-in." Logan laughed
"Jesus four-ears you are a walking OSHA violation. That's not what I had in mind, I got my hands on something I think you're gonna like." Louise sat up surprised, he was staring at her with his signature shit-eating-grin.
"What do you mean?"
"How are you gonna get me down in the walk-in anyway?"
"I have my ways, what are you planning? I don't like that look." He disappeared into the back and she could hear him rummaging around in his backpack. He returned a few seconds later holding a paper bag and passed it to her over the counter. "This is drugs, isn't it?"
"Nah, wish it were. But I think you're gonna like this better, take a look!"
She opened the bag and pulled out an old VHS tape. It was sheathed in an unmarked neutral case, the kind of tape folks used to print home videos on or record episodes of Lost.
"Damn grandpa, haven't seen one of these in a while. What's this? If you're trying to get me to watch your homemade porno I'm not interested."
"No dummy, look at the label."
She flipped the tape over. There was something scrawled in chicken scratch on the side of the case, she could barely make out what it said.
"H and C.. sef..a.. Lad...master? Oh shit! Is this what I think it is!"
"Yup, that's the one you couldn't find right?" Logan was looking very satisfied with himself, but even that smug face couldn't bring her to suppress her excitement. The lost Hawk and Chick film - was this for real?
"Where did you find this?!"
"I have my ways." He echoed teasingly. "I've had it in my backpack for a while, been looking for the right opportunity to give it to you."