The Diner was a nice fit with the all-night, deep-fried, coffee-loving food culture the small posse embodied. Be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, The Diner was always serving it up fresh and hot! Whether you preferred a table or a booth, there was always room for you.
It was a classic fifties diner atmosphere, serving delicious home-style meals, ice cream sodas, floats, and shakes, with a super-friendly staff always ready to greet you whether you preferred dine-in or takeout.
The aroma of gravy over creamy mashed potatoes lingered in the air, and the jukebox was humming in the back as the foursome entered. They placed themselves in a booth and studied the menus for a while before Carl remembered: “Sal, what was it that you were rambling about at school? It wasn't him?"
Sal leaned forward and checked out The Diner to see if anyone was watching them.
“I said, it wasn’t Alan. He's never been with a girl like that.”
Rosie and Jack looked at each other, and a smirk materialized on Carl’s face.
The party was speechless. It was almost like that time in English class when Marie Lays proudly proclaimed that she could almost tell if a movie didn’t use real dinosaurs.
Carl cleared his throat. “And how do you know this, Sal?”
“He told me.”
“He just flat out told you?”
They were interrupted by the waitress, who had come to take their order. When she left, Jack and Rosie were all ears.
“It’s like that time with Aunt Vickie, okay? I just know stuff. They just tell me.” Sal turned and glanced out the window. He felt like he was one of the Black-eyed Children—unwanted.
Sal took a deep breath. “I’ve always been the odd one out. I'm not like you, and I'm beginning to think I’m not who my parents claim I am.”
“Sal, you’re my brother, and that will never change, but ever since the episode with Aunt Vickie, I knew something was off.” Carl leaned back. “The question is, Sal, do you want to know?”
“I think someone's already trying to tell me. I want to know. I have to.”
“The truth is out there, man,” Jack joined in. “We’ll help you.” Rosie and Carl nodded.
The waitress brought the flabbergasted party its food.
“But if it wasn’t Alan who impregnated Louise, then who? What the hell is going on?”
Rosie and Jack’s eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.
“I don’t know, Carl. I guess that’s another mystery to be solved.” Sal took a big bite out of his burger.
“Wow, who would have guessed that Alan Hanson was still a virgin?” Jack said surprised. “He's always seemed so macho.”
“Well,” Rosie said, “didn’t he utter the sentence, and I quote: 'If a buffalo's a kind of bull, how can you get wings from it?'”
“Or how about: 'It just hit me that Oreo spelled backward is Oreo,'” Jack added.
The party laughed and the tense air dissolved a little.
“But seriously, what do we do about Louise?” Rosie added. “She may be in trouble,”
“I think I'm the last person, she wants to see," Carl said.
“Maybe we should drive up to her house," Jack said.
“Great idea. Let’s roll up to her house like the guys from that Queer Eye show, come to the rescue of the poor helpless redhead and give her a make-over. There you go—all done. Now no one will be able to tell you’re with child. That won't leave her scarred for life,” Rosie said resigned.
“Yeah and maybe we could give each other exotic names and call ourselves 'The Fab Four'!” Jack winked at Rosie.
“Rosie's right,” Carl said, jumping in. “We can’t just drive up to her house and demand answers.”
Sal wasn’t paying attention to the conversation going on around him. The voices seemed far away. He'd discovered a stranger lurking in The Diner. He didn’t mean to stare, but he couldn’t help it. The guy in the corner was so handsome, so magnetizing. The stranger's seductive stare and the toothpick in his mouth were perfect. His slouchiness was sexy. His raven black hair was long, wavy, messy and casual. His face was shaped like a diamond, pointy at the top and chin. His eyes were white, almost silver, around the black pupil, and they were fixed on Sal. He was wearing a black suit that nicely complimented his athletic body.
The guy smiled a disarming smile at him. If the stranger had asked him to square dance to the tune of Achy Breaky Heart right there in the diner, he would have.
Was the guy for real or was he dreaming? He'd been on a lot of dates and flirted with a lot of people, but he'd never experienced anything like that guy before.
Sal felt like he might die if he didn't get to touch him. His attraction to Robin hadn't even been that strong. In fact, it didn’t come close.
He was about to get up and leave the table when Carl stopped him. “Yo, Sal! Is anybody home?” Carl waved a hand in front of his face.
“Are you going with Rosie to Louise’s house tomorrow?”
“What?" Sal answered a bit baffled. "I mean, yes. When?”
“Tomorrow after school? What the hell's up with you? Weren’t you listening?” Sal detected a bit of tension in Carl's voice.
“I think I know what’s up,” Rosie said, following the stranger with her eyes as he paid for his meal and walked past them, leaving The Diner.
“Right,” Carl said a bit bewildered. “Mom’s texted me like a million times, so we should probably go.”
The party paid for the food and headed for the minibus. The three others were chatting lively, but Sal didn't participate in the conversation.
Robin had been like a sunbeam inside of him, but now she slowly vanished, receding into the shadows in the back of his mind.