Lennon

Chapter One

to lennon because i stole her name

Chapter One - Just Drive

 

One of these days, I will successfully kill all the bells in the world.

            No matter what town or interstate exit, all shops have the same stupid welcoming bell. I don't get how such an annoying sound can make you feel welcomed; hopefully urging you even more to spend all your pocket money there. Before last week, I never put any thought into topic - I never had any reason to let my thoughts get so wild about something so simple. Out on the open road where all I go are ding-dong doors, the sound is making me edge closer to going on a murderous rampage towards the bells.

            Denny's is no exception to this rule of thumb.

            Pulling the glass door shut behind me, I resist the urge to cringe when the familiar sound comes alive. For the sake of the waitresses in the drive-in, making a big deal out of it would create a useless scene that I really don’t have the energy to suffer through. This journey is supposed to be free of drama and stress, so complaining verbally about a sound wouldn't get me off to a good start.

            Scanning the restaurant, I notice that it’s just so dead. When turning off to this exit, the place didn't look like it would be so lifeless. McDonalds and iHop's litters both sides of the main street of whatever town this is, making Denny’s seem like a good choice to stop to in my own.

            But here in the inside, there only sits five people in the glorious space. From the looks of it, they are strictly regular material. They sit down in the plush seats comfortably, like they know the grounds inside and out. Not turning to even glance at the door that shut swiftly behind me, they continue to eat their drowning pancakes.

            I guess I have a puzzling expression written all over my face because a voice breaks through the casual chitter chatter. "Aw, darlin',” her voice is thick with an accent that isn’t familiar to my born and raised Californian ears. “The place is pretty much empty, so you can sit whenever you want. Take a safe booth off to the side or you can be daring and dive straight into sitting at the counter straight ahead of you. It’s all up to you."

            My eyes snap straight to the chairs that lay right before my eyes, sipping the sweet taste of rebellion. Was this drive not an act of rebellion? I would be an awfully horrible rebel if I didn't take risks like these, right? Without even bothering to look at the booths that I'm sure surrounds the place, I march to up front.

            "Good choice," the lady with the voice as sweet as honey says.

            I settle into a seat next to a friendly looking man, a smile blossoms on my lips. I knew I could do it, not even a moment of hesitation tripped me up on the way. Finally meeting the eyes of the speaker, I see a twin smile is widely displayed on hers. She doesn't try to hide hers, so neither do I.

            This stranger, who’s name I don't even know, is the first one to make me smile in a long time.

            She has a friendly sort of face, laugh lines making up her face. The otherwise ordinary blue eyes light up with laugh, filling me with the odd sense of travel. Clad in an off-white apron and her hair messily thrown up in a curly ponytail, she just seems like she's lived a truly remarkable live so far.

            She turns away from the table off to the side she was clearing dishes off of, pulling a palm sized menu out of the back of her apron. Maeve -her name tag I now see reads - closes the distance between us with an airy smile. I take the laminated plastic out from her hands, greedily tearing through the options.