Loving Jane

Nineteen

Sebastian drove aimlessly through the main street in the direction away from the city. But he didn't reach the highway. Instead, he took a turn on the edge of the suburbs to a small restaurant in the corner of an intersection. It was a small diner. The type you used to see in old movies. The typical neon lights. The trailer-type exterior. The red booth seat and white tables. There were even long counter seats facing the kitchen.

I broke into a high grin as Sebastian parked the car near the entrance.

"How did you find this place?" I asked as the ignition died down into silence.

"A friend recommended it to me. He lives near here. He told me they served a mean omelet, bacon, and waffles, which they serve all-day... Unless you have anywhere in mind," he offered, weighing in my reaction to his dinner suggestion.

"No," I scoffed. "This sounds great." I unlocked the door first to show him I'm not going anywhere.

We entered the diner and sat on a window seat on the corner, giving us some privacy. As per Sebastian's friend's recommendation, we ordered the house specialty. And it didn't disappoint, to Sebastian's relief. While we ate, we talked about the farm in our childhood. Since I barely remembered much of the past, being four years younger than him, Sebastian filled in the gaps of what I did remember.

"Who was the name of the guy your family hired to than to your livestock again? I recalled how he scared the living daylight out of us. The old man looked like from those horror movies in a farm setting," I said and chuckled at the memory.

"That would be old man Joel Mackenzie," he replied with a chortle. "The man lasted until his eighties. He passed away a few years ago, you know. My mom and I attended his funeral."

"Did he have anyone? A wife or children, I never knew though," I inquired.

"Oh, yes. He had a wife, but she died long before we were born. He does have a son, but he was raised by Joel's sister in Wisconsin. I saw him at his funeral. Thankfully, the man didn't inherit the old man's stern features. They said his mother was beautiful when she was young. Thankfully, he had inherited his mother's look." He snickered and then grabbed to take a sip of his soda.

"Uhm... what else was there?" I muttered in thought, recalling more things. As I did, I picked on my food and got a chunk on waffled then stuff them in my mouth.

It was then Sebastian asked me a question. "Had you ever been back there since your parents... Uhm... divorced?"

I shook my head, unaffected by his query. "No, I haven't. After they separated, my parents were kind enough to ask me where I wanted to stay. I went with my father, of course. Not that my mom and I weren't close. I knew my father needed me more... and I was right in the end." I added the last bit softly, smiling sadly.

He smiled back and didn't press on the matter.

We didn't stay long in the diner. Sebastian offered and gave me the choice to chose where to go for dessert. I reminded him of my request earlier about macarons.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Absolutely." I beamed.

When I told him the name of the place, Sebastian was confident he knows the place and didn't need my guidance to navigate to our next location. At first, I wasn't too certain about his confidence until we reached the right street. My silence may have given away my thoughts since he reassured me.

"See. I know where we were going," he stated smugly.

I snorted but otherwise didn't comment. Since we were back in the city, finding a parking space was a challenge itself. To our luck, we were able to find a space close to the small pastry store. From there, it was a good five-minute walk. Sebastian and I stood side by side, taking a bit of space on the pavement. But it was a quarter to nine in the evening. This part of the city was quiet as stores and businesses are closing for the day.