Fazed by Me

VI

 Stopping in front of an old rundown diner. The streets were still pitch dark except for the huge neon sign at the front that kept flashing the words diner on and off. Gradually Emmanuel killed the engine. The cold air hitting me full force, I took a minute to appreciate the dark and silence that surrounded us one last time. Far away we could hear the hoot of an owl and sounds of the creek that was down the road. Letting us know that dawn would not break for another couple of hours. 

" This the place huh?" Emmanuel smiled and let out a chuckle.

" Yeah, like I said the pancakes and waffles slap. Everything else on the menu ya gotta proceed with caution and at your own discretion." I quirked my eyebrow at him inquisitively as we exited the car walking towards the cracked sidewalk in front of the diner. Inside, we were transported to a 1950s diner with white and black tiles along the floor. The walls were once a beautiful baby blue I  imagined, however the colour had now faded to a dull blue. Along the counter in contrast to the walls what look like a fresh coat of baby pink sat on top of wood paneling. In bright pristine white "Pattie's Cake " in a bubbly font over the counter greeted all that walked in. All in all, the interior of the diner was atrocious making me even less thrilled to try their coffee. 

 Leading me to the booth at the back of the diner, the smell of coffee and cinnamon invaded my senses the further we went inside. The place was almost empty beside a group of construction workers on the other side of the diner. I was grateful for the lack of personal, no doubt my appearance would give anyone a scary wake up call. At times like this, I appreciated my low-maintenance locs even more. As we sat down on the hard bench, a waitress came from round back with a bright smile on her face setting the coffees down to the workers. As she got closer to our booth her smile seemed to have doubled in size. 

" Well I've never in all my years  you up this early Emmy" The waitress said as she touched Emmanuel's shoulder. He turned around and rolled his eyes playfully. " And with a date no less, how'd you get this pretty thang to agree to be in your company" I took note of her southern accent as well, lost in my own world trying to find the similarities between the two. Feeling their eyes on me I came back to reality sporting a shy small smile of my own in contrast to the two ear to ear grins the pair pointed my way. 

" Since my nephew won't introduce you to me, I'm the owner of this Michelin star establishment." As she finished her sentence, Emmanuel let out a loud laugh while his aunt slapped him upside the head, to which I let out my own chuckle. Finally taking a closer look at them both I could see the resemblance in the ways their eyes squinted when they smiled, the rich tawny colour of their skin. Though, his aunt had whisps of grey in her hair, I could still see that like her nephew she as well once had a beautiful ginger fro in her time. 

" You must be Pattie then?" I stated, to which they both looked at each other and laughed harder, leaving me feeling slightly awkward. 

" Actually my name is Pierrette, it's long boring and french. Pattie just had a nice ring to it, don't you think?"  I chuckled lowly, agreeing with her. " Though my store is Michelin grade,  I gotta admit we do lack on the egg and coffee aspects of things but my cakes,  that is my pancakes and waffle cakes are amazing"

At least she can admit it 

" I already warned her about your crap -" Pierrette hit him upside the head again, forcefully having him restructure his sentence again. After which she took our orders and promised two coffees on the house I could hear the sound  of laughter coming from the back. Shortly after, she came with two plates stacked one with pancakes and the other with waffles. 

" There y'all go. would you like anything else hon?" I shook my head gingerly cutting into my first pancake. 

" What about me? What if I wanted sum else"