Miles held the door of the diner open for Ana as she walked into the dimly lit restaurant. The diner had an old-fashioned look, as if the furnishings had been there for years and years. The walls were lined with booths, each booth featuring the listings for a jukebox sitting in the corner. Poor, modern country music was playing. There was also a bar with seating, and a few free standing tables. Half dozen or so men sat at the bar, smoking and drinking draft beers. Behind the counter was shelving, covered with bottles of spirits and a row of beer bottles. Next to the bottles sat an old color television, tuned to a football game. Every so often, the men would make a noise after a particularly exciting play.
Miles said "Hey" as they entered and led Ana to a booth. A couple of the men looked up and made sounds of acknowledgment. Miles handed Ana one of the menus on the table, then got up and went toward the bar. She saw him looking at the television, and asking one of the men something. They were gesturing toward the ball game. The other man got up from his seat and went behind the bar. He spent a minute doing something, then went back around to his seat. Miles returned to their table carrying two draft beers. "Lager or stout?" He was holding one glass of light colored liquid, the other dark.
"I'll take the lighter one, if you don't mind."
"No, I like stout. But, you should try a taste of this. It's a brewery from up on the lake. The lager is theirs, too. They've won a lot of awards."
"I don't know that much about beer."
"I get what I know from Jimmy. He was a beer maker way before he started hanging around the winery. He makes good beer, too. "
A waitress appeared, wearing cut off shorts, tennis shoes and a tee shirt with a pinned name tag reading 'Donna'. "You know what you want?" she asked.
Miles looked up and at Ana. "Do you need a minute?"
"No, if you go first." She eyed the short menu. It was standard diner fare, burgers, sandwiches, and entrees like meatloaf, chicken and dumplings.
"What you want, honey?" the waitress addressed Miles. She was slim, late 20s, with a mass of long curly hair tied back in a thick ponytail.
"Cheeseburger, fries. And a glass of water."
"The usual," she said writing on a pad. "Now you can't tell me you eat like this all the time and don't get fat." Ana guessed that Miles had carried on a flirtation with Donna during prior visits. Miles patted his stomach. "You're right there. I only do this as a special treat." Donna looked at Ana. "Listen to him," she said. "I keep trying to get him to eat some of the good food here - our meatloaf is excellent. And, we have a grilled chicken breast, or a broiled cod. But, no, it's always cheeseburger and fries."
"At least I'm consistent, "Miles said to her, smiling.
"I wouldn't say that," Donna replied. "This is the first time you brought a date. I was beginning to worry about you. I'm Donna, by the way," she extended her hand to Ana. "Miles has been coming here about every other Sunday for, what is it, a few years now."
Miles nodded. "And, it's always a pleasant experience."
"Well," Donna said, "Sunday is our slow day. You should see it here on a Friday or Saturday night. Dozens of families with kids. It's a real madhouse. And, during the week nights, it's ball teams. Softball, baseball, soccer. Nope, you picked a good day to be a regular." The door opened and Donna turned. "Now, look at that. I spoke too soon." A group of six people came in - two children, a young woman carrying a baby, a young man, and a slightly older couple. "Well, sweetie, looks like I'm getting busy. " Donna was talking to Ana. "Know what you want?"
"Yes, I'll try the broiled cod. And a green salad, house dressing."
"Coming right up. You ok with the beer?"
"I'll be ready in a minute," said Miles. He was working his way through the stout. He looked over at Ana's beer. She had just started to drink it.
"I guess just bring another stout and water - Ana, do you want water?" She nodded." One stout, two waters, coming right up." Donna said. As she walked away, Ana said, "She's nice."
"Yeah. She's terrific. She's the owner's daughter, and she really runs the place. I have been here when it was crowded, and you should see her hustle. She has all of the regulars down - knows when to bring drinks and when to ask. And, she's a flirt with all of the guys, but manages to be nice to the ladies at the same time."
Donna came back with the beer and water, then headed to the group of six. Other than the men at the bar, they were the only customers besides Miles and Ana. They had chosen a table and placed a high chair at one end. Ana saw Miles watching the baby. She looked over at the group as well.
"Cute baby," she said.
"Mmhm. Looks really young." Miles finished the rest of the first beer. Ana took a sip from hers and looked back at the baby. To her surprise, the young mother seemed to be staring at them. Ana looked to see if Miles noticed this, but he was flipping through the jukebox selections. Ana looked back, and the group were all engaged in conversations over their menus. I must have imagined that she was staring at us, Ana thought.
"Miles, do you know where the lady's room is?"
"Sure. " He pointed back near the entrance. Ana saw a hallway she hadn't noticed earlier with a sign stating 'restrooms'.
"I'll be right back," she said, going down the hallway. Miles watched Ana, and as he turned his eyes away, he noticed the young mother at the other table watching Ana. Without saying anything to the rest of the group, the young mother rose up and walked over to Miles.
"I know you," she said, "I know you well." She was wearing a cotton print dress, which accentuated her thin figure. Her limbs were long and her straight honey brown hair was parted in the middle. Miles looked at her. Within seconds, he knew who she was.
"Tessa," Miles fumbled, turning red, remembering the times when he had enjoyed her youthful beauty while her mother was away or slept in the other room. She'd shower for him and with him naked, and she'd sunbathe in the nude with him. Yes, he remembered her. How could he forget? "You've changed a lot. You look much more like your mother."
"That's right, Davie. I thought it was you, as soon as I saw you. But I wasn't sure, what with that disguise. You look different now - your hair. And, you're thinner. But, your eyes are the same."
Miles was stunned. He tried to be casual. "So, how are you? I see you have a baby."
"Yeah. How observant of you. Then you never were the sharpest knife in the drawer. The baby wasn't exactly planned. But Jason," she pointed at the young man, "he has been great. Those other folks are Jason's sister and her husband. We live with them. We had to move out of our apartment because I couldn't work during most of the pregnancy. I wanted to keep my baby and try to be a family. And Jason agreed. We got married as soon as I realized that I was pregnant. Not like the way my mom was." Miles saw a trace of a tear in Tessa's eye. "My mom still talks about you. She's always asking me to look for her husband, for Davie, and to let him know that the arrangements are ready, whatever that means."
