I’m waiting for him at Al’s Diner. He said he’d only be 10 minutes but it’s been nearly 30. On a sunnier day I would have been mad that he’s waisting my time but today the weather is drizzly and cold so I don’t mind it so much being in here tucked away in the corner reading my favourite book. The red recliner which has been here for atleast a decade still maintains its soft plushness but has been perfectly worn in so that when you sit down you sink in just enough to never want to get back up.

Jenny feels bad that he’s keeping me so long so she keeps bringing me over more coffee. I like that she still works here even though she could be doing something else. She was offered a job out of town last month but she didn’t take it. Too much history here.

On the walls of the diner hang pictures of almost everyone in town. The frames sit lopsided on the red papered walls and some of them are placed so high that a thick layer of dust makes it hard to tell who’s who, but it doesn’t matter to anyone anyway because we all know we are up there.

We were meeting for lunch but at this rate he’s probably not going to show. I can smell fennel and garlic coming from the kitchen and fresh sourdough bread toasting in the oven so I’ve ordered myself the vegetable soup and I’m going to sit here with my book, a blanket and my food and enjoy my own company amongst the familiar faces in this room. I’ll be damned if I let him ruin my afternoon.