05:55 A.M.
Kelly's Diner.
June 6th, the year 2018. Wednesday.
Carmela climbed out of her car quickly and walked towards the entrance door of Kelly's Diner. The last thing Carmela wanted was to be shouted at by her diner boss because of a minute late to her server's shift. Kelly's Diner had red and white checkered tiles, long cushions for seats, and wooden tables.
The counter was full of ample servings of the food served at the diner. A lot of beverages that sat at the wood that had nailed to the walls.
It's Wednesday today, and she had an 8-hour shift to serve countless customers at the diner. She crammed down her bag on her locker in the staff room and picked up her apron.
Carmela tied it down through her back in a rush as her co-server peeped through the counter window. She scanned the order list on the serving room with the numbers on the side of it.
"Lori! Quick!" Her co-server called out to her.
"Wait up!" She shouted back as she placed a creamy glazed doughnut on a plate and an American English tea on a saucer. She gave it to her co-server, who was peeking through the counter window.
Carmela's co-server walked towards the customer. It was sitting beside the glass window of the diner. She placed the tray carefully.
Carmela went out of the serving room. She leaned towards the counter. She observed the customers nibbling their breakfast happily.
Carmela's colleagues call her Lori because she changed her name when she applied at the diner.
LORI RAMIREZ
She didn't want any interrogation, as she was the only child of the Torres clan. Carmela was not ashamed of her inherited company facing the bankruptcy issue. She doesn't want any insults from strangers.
Especially her best friend, Katrina. She can't believe that Katrina would say those things to her.
"Lori! Lori!" Carmela heard Michie's call that made her dazed back to reality.
"Hey, you are staring out of space again," Michie mentioned, while observing her face. She stepped beside Carmela and also leaned.
"It's nothing. I thought of something," Carmela stated softly. She doesn't want to share her thoughts with someone whom she doesn't know really well.
"Don't think about that. We're working. Our boss might be angry because of that," Michie reminded her.
"You know how mad he can be. He looked like 'King Kong'," Michie said while rolling her eyes. Carmela laughed at that, and Michie joined her.
"Look, I made you laugh. You are so gorgeous when smiling," Michie complimented her as Carmela grinned at that.
"You know, Lori. Serve this so your mind will be busy out of those thoughts," Michie huffed, then gave Carmela a piece of paper.
"You didn't say immediately that there's an order, eh?" Carmela said, and she looked at the customer's order.
"You're befuddled earlier, and I talked to you for a minute, okay? It's not like it passes an hour. Serve that, quick!" Michie nodded towards the piece of paper as Carmela went inside the serving room. She got a plate and filled it with hot pasta, placed a tomato sauce on the top, and some basil for the finishing.
After that, she retrieved the tongs from the utensil holder. She got three pieces of hot chicken wings from the pan. She went to the refrigerator to pour a glass of diet cola on a glass.
She looked at the side of the order's piece of paper and saw that the customer was sitting down at Table #39. The table was far away from the counter. Kelly's Diner was wide and had 50 tables for the least. Carmela walked out of the room as she held the tray.
She placed it gently on the wooden table. She saw a customer was a man wearing black shades, a blue long-sleeve polo, and looking at his cellphone.
"One serving of hot chicken wings and spaghetti, and a diet cola. Thank you for ordering sir!" Carmela said while smiling. The man removed his shades, and she's astonished by what she saw. It's Xian!
"Thanks for delivering my order---," Xian grumbled. He shifted his eyes towards Carmela's name tag.
"Lori," Xian said while smirking. Carmela frowned at that remark.
"It's nice seeing you again, here at the diner," Xian said while smiling.
"What are you doing here?" Carmela frowned.
"It's a diner, right? So I'm allowed to eat here?" Xian asked her sarcastically while looking at the customers around the diner. He looked back at her, and Carmela got nothing to say to him.
"I'll be back at my duty," Carmela added, then turned around quickly. Xian stood up from his seat and grabbed her arm. She felt the electricity by that single touch, and she hastily unclasped Xian's hand.
"Do you need anything, sir?" Carmela leered as she knuckled her fists. She needed to go back to work, and someone disturbed her from that.
"I need to talk to you," Xian said, dead serious while locking his eyes towards Carmela. Before she could say anything, he called Michie over the counter.
They talk for a minute in the other direction while Xian's actions puzzled Carmela. Michie nodded and winked at her. She walked towards the counter again as Xian dismissed her.
"What the hell are you doing?" Carmela asked, frustrated.
"I grant permission from her to talk to you for a moment. Don't worry about your duty, sit down," Xian said as he sat back down again and popped open his diet cola.
"What are we gonna talk about, Xian? I need to get back to work," Carmela's infuriated with her statement.
"I need to talk to you for a few moments, please," Xian insisted. Carmela stood still, not moving at her place, and crossing her arms over her chest.
"Fine. 5 minutes," she retorted while looking in the other direction.
"Carmela," Xian called out. He ran his hands towards his hair, also frustrated.
"5 minutes starts now," Carmela's impatient attitude came up as she looked at her wristwatch.
"I'm sorry," Xian said simply while huffing some air. Carmela looked at him suddenly, not wanting to hear him say sorry again.
"4 minutes," Carmela said, emotionless while locking his eyes towards Xian.
"Our memories together. I always reminiscing about it, and all the pain I brought to you. I'm right here apologize for all of that, Carmela." Xian was straightforward at that one while looking into her eyes.
"Is that what you have to say? That's nonsense," Carmela chuckled. Xian stood up and faced her. Carmela looked at his eyes and saw the tears verging.
"I need your acceptance, Carmela. It's fine for me if you treat me like this. But please, I apologize for what I did," Xian bald. She saw the tears pouring down in his eyes. A few moments of silence ensued between the two of them. It broke off when Carmela's cell phone rang.
~~Margo calling...~~
Carmela answered it and turned her back towards Xian.
"Hello."
"Carmela. I need you here. I have a meeting with Manager Ines. Can you come to my house before 11 am?"
"Yeah. I will dismiss early here at the diner," Carmela agreed.
"I will explain to your boss, okay? Come here, quick," Margo said, then hung up the line. Carmela turned around to Xian again. She saw he wiped the tears hastily.
"I'm sorry, your time is up," Carmela barked.
Xian sighed, then guessed, "When will I ever had time to talk to you again?"
Carmela shook her head out of frustration and sighed.
"You know, Xian, let me remind you of this. You don't need to talk to me anymore. It's been 5 years, you should know all the reasons, right? Let's just put into our minds our own closures," Carmela raged.
"I can't, Mela." Carmela exhaled and cackled.
"I said, don't call me that! Every time I hear that call, the memories always bring back to me. All the love you gave to me, as well as the lies and the pain! I can't accept it, Xian!" Carmela shouted at Xian's face while pointing her finger at him. The customers shifted from their seats and peeked at who was shouting.
Carmela doesn't care about the customers around looking at her right now. She needed to empty her rage inside.
"Please---"
"You can't forget everything?! Why can't you do it?! There is someone beside you, and it's Margo! She's there to fill the love you need, you desired! You don't need to talk to me anymore, apologize again and again, because you know what I will say to you, Xian! I can't accept it because you yourself know what you have done!" Carmela yelled.
"But it's different---"
"What?! Are you just playing with Margo?! Now I realized for the nth time that you are really a player, Xian! You bait one woman and play with them like they are toys! And I am one of them, keeping all the love you gave for 2 years not knowing you are cheating behind my back!" Carmela shrieked everything. Xian was speechless by that.
"You would also treat Margo like this?! And what?! You will make me your mistress?! You're so great, really, really great!" Carmela censured while clapping her hands in front of Xian's face. She also laughed at the thought.
"Margo is your present, and me, I'm your past. So forget everything that happened between us." Carmela added softly while pointing to herself. She felt the pain and wrath in her heart. She saw Xian was bowing his head down and cried.
"What's different?! Huh?! You have plans to get me again?" Carmela scowled, disgusted at the thought.
"I don't want to be back at you, Xian. I don't want to feel the pain again. Maybe, if you did that earlier, I will be in your arms again," she conceded softly.
"Not now, you have a loving girlfriend but you still want to take me back," she shook her head while saying it. Xian looked up and Carmela saw his sad eyes that she never saw before.
"You are good at crying, but you are also great at making a woman cry," Carmela gritted teeth then turned around. She walked hastily towards the staff room, leaving Xian behind.
The customers looked at her walking out of the scene. Michie called out over the counter, but Carmela didn't want to look at her. Carmela removed her apron hurriedly and placed it on her locker.
She slammed the door so loudly. It might break and trot towards the parking lot while wearing her backpack.
She fumbled for her keys and quickly climbed inside of her car. She leaned towards the driver's seat. Carmela felt the tears streaming down her eyes like a river.