Dream Catcher

Chapter 2

King's Diner was owned by Oliver Lee, a man who had a serious obsession with Elvis and peanut butter banana pancakes. Pictures of the King of Rock and Roll lined the diner's walls as his music blasted through an old jukebox in the corner. The diner's eclectic style didn't draw in the customers as much as its unique menu.

"Dani, you look exhausted. Didn't you get any sleep?" Dolores, a waitress in her fifties, asked while patting down her puffy gray hair which was barely being contained by a pink headband.

Dani was sitting at the main counter drawing a picture of a man wearing a dark hooded sweater, a charcoal pencil in her right hand. Sketching was a hobby she had taken up as a teenager to relax.

Dani shrugged. "Enough."

"Enough? Don't lie to me, Dani Deleon." Dolores clucked her tongue, "How many times do I have to tell you? A woman needs her beauty sleep. You're always drawing or coloring. If you're going to color anything it should be your lips with some lipstick or your eyes with some eye shadow. You should stop with all that drawing and focus on getting a boyfriend."

"Mr. Right just hasn't come along, Dolores."

The door jingled and two good-looking men in their early twenties walked in. They were laughing and had guitar cases strapped to their backs.

"Stop the presses! The Booty Pirates have entered the building!" Belcher and Freddy shouted together. The two were part of a grunge band that changed its name every six months. Dani had seen them perform and even she had to admit they were pretty good. They were a throwback to bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Both musicians were regulars at King's Diner.

"Well you two boys sure are in a good mood this morning," Dolores noted. "You want the usual?"

Freddy flashed his white teeth. "It doesn't matter the time of day, our muse is so pushy. She spanked us into action. She kept whispering to us that we needed to eat pancakes. Delicious pancakes."

"More like Mary Jane was whispering for them to eat pancakes," Dani muttered to Dolores as she scrunched her nose up and pointed to their rumpled clothing. They were the epitome of grunge with their band tees and baggy jeans. Dani couldn't miss the lingering scent of Marijuana that followed the two men whenever they entered the diner.

"Man, I'm hungry," Belcher moaned before sharing a loud burp and giggling like a buffoon as though burping in public was something to laugh about. "Two stacks of blueberry pancakes, Dolores. When the muse wants us to eat pancakes, we must oblige and eat. So that she will continue to grace us with her presence and we will continue to make beautiful music."

Dani rolled her eyes while Dolores called out their order out to the cook.

Belcher looked over at Dani's hands encased in their usual gloves. "Hiya Dani. Are you cold again? I can heat you up real quick...if you know what I mean."

"I believe the real quick part," Dani said, quickly placing her hands in her apron's pockets.

Freddy placed an arm over his friend's shoulders. "It looks like she's heard the rumors about you, my friend."

"But I even wrote her a love song." Belcher gave a dramatic moan.

"It's alright. One day you'll find the right woman for you." Freddy patted his friend's back. "One who will appreciate all of your special talents."

"Burping isn't a talent," Dolores said, placing their orders in front of them.

"Can't you just think about it, Dani? You and I could make beautiful music together." Belcher wriggled his eyebrows. "All you have to do is let me into your he—"