Chapter 18
It was Sunday morning, June13th, 1971, and Darin got up around seven.
After a shower, he rushed out of his motor court room.
He got in the Bel-Air and drove out of the motor court parking lot with the Don’t Pull Your Love song by Joe Frank and Reynolds Hamilton playing on the radio.
He drove down Marshall Avenue then turned left on Thorndale Avenue and headed south.
A little while later, Darin turned right on Broadway Avenue and soon drove up to the First Presbyterian Church of Burkeville.
Darin stopped his Bel-Air by the street. He had a view of all the members getting out of their cars. He watched them, head into the church.
This was the church Sheryl, and Darin planned to get married in after they would have graduated from college.
His eyes widened the second they say Sheryl in a beautiful light blue dress walk into the church with her parents.
He soon saw his mom and pop get out of his dad’s Bel-Air and head over to the church. He smiled at the sight of that old brown suit that his dad owned for about twenty-five years. And his mom had the same blue dress she wore for twenty years. His parents weren’t known for buying fancy dress clothes. They were frugal with dad’s hard-earned money.
After seeing Sheryl and his parents, Darin wanted so bad to park the Bel-Air in the church lot, but he wasn’t dressed for the occasion. He knew some of the old fogies of Burkeville would consider it a sin if he showed up in church wearing blue jeans and a tee-shirt.
So he drove off down Broadway Avenue with the Spirit in the Sky song by Norman Greenbaum playing on the radio.
Darin drove back to his home. He parked down the street and watched his house.
He saw Kenny driving his Rambler with Charles in the front seat drive down the street. The song High Time We Went by Joe Cocker blared from the 8-track under the dashboard of Charles’ car.
Kenny stopped his Rambler along the street by Darin’s house. He blew the horn.
Old Darin watched while his younger self ran out of the house with a small suitcase in hand.
Young Darin ran to Kenny’s Rambler and hopped into the back seat.
Kenny raced his Rambler off down the street, and they were all excited about heading to Ocean City, New Jersey to party.
After the Rambler was gone, Darin headed back to the motor court.
An hour had passed, and Darin finished his second Marlboro. He glanced at his watch and knew it was time to go.
He grabbed his car key off the small dresser and headed out of his room.
He got inside the Bel-Air, started up the engine, and drove out of the parking lot with the Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley playing on the radio.
He drove off down Marshall Avenue and headed straight to the diner for breakfast.
Gracie immediately walked Darin over to the booths by the windows. Everybody stared at Darin, and that made him feel uncomfortable this morning. He was uncomfortable because all the patrons on the diner just left the church, so they were dressed in their best Sunday clothes. Darin still wore blue jeans and a tee-shirt.
“Coffee?” said Gracie once Darin sat down in his booth and handed him a menu.
“Yes, please,” he said.
Gracie smiled and walked away.
Darin stared at the menu but knew what he wanted and placed it down on the table.
A few minutes passed and Gracie brought him his coffee. Another female waitress named Judy walked over to Darin’s booth.
“Are you ready to order?” said Judy.
Darin glanced up at Judy and was disappointed Sheryl wasn’t working but remembered she didn’t work on Sunday mornings. Her parents forbade it because attending on Sunday was far more critical.
“I am. I’ll have the French Toast,” he said and handed Judy the menu.
Judy smiled and walked away with the menu in hand.
Darin glanced at the patrons in the diner while he drank his coffee. His eyes soon widened the second he saw his parents enter the diner. “Like clockwork,” he said, as he knew they always ate breakfast at the diner after church. That’s why he had to be here at this time. He wanted to see them in their younger bodies.
To Darin’s surprise, Gracie seated his mom and dad at a table near his booth.
“Would you like some coffee?” Gracie asked June and Henry.
“Please and lots of it,” said Henry.
Darin smiled, hearing this, as he remembered how his dad would drink a pot of coffee every night when he was young. He returned to drinking his coffee and took discreet glances at his parents.
Judy walked up to June and Henry, and they ordered their usual scrambled eggs.
When Judy walked away, Darin took another discreet glance at his parent’s table and his eyes locked on his mother’s eyes.
“Good morning,” she said, catching Darin by surprise.
“Ah, good morning,” he said.
Henry looked over at Darin then over at June. “Who is that old hippy?”
“I don’t know. He came in the A&P on Friday,” she said.
Henry took a discreet glance over at Darin. “I hate it when men my age have to become hippies. What are they trying to prove? Disgusting. Just plain disgusting.”
“I don’t know, Henry. There’s something about him. Something extraordinary,” she said.
June and Henry got quiet when Gracie brought over two cups of hot coffee. She placed them in front of June, and Henry then left.
Henry waited until Gracie was not within hearing distance.
“What do you mean strange?” said Henry.
“He reminds me of Darin,” she said and discreetly watched Judy bring Darin his French Toast. French Toast. Darin loves French Toast. She said in her mind and thought this was a strange coincidence.
Henry looked a little confused. “Darin? How can he remind you of Darin? That guy is old like me.”
“I know, but when I saw his eyes at the A&P on Friday. I saw Darin. And I should know my own son,” she said and looked dead serious.
Henry took another discreet glance at Darin at the same time Darin took a cautious glance at Henry. Their eyes locked for a few seconds. For a few seconds, he believed June but shook off that feeling. “Nah, no way,” he said and started drinking his coffee.
Judy brought June and Henry their breakfast at the same time Gracie freshened up their coffee cups.
While Darin, June, and Henry ate, they all took discreet glances at each other.
When Darin was finished, he got up with June and Henry’s eyes following him to the cash register.
“I can’t believe how much that old man reminds me of Darin,” said June.
Henry ignored her and still thought Darin was nothing but an old hippy. They remained quiet during the rest of their breakfast.
After Darin drove the Bel-Air out of the diner’s parking lot, he drove down Marshall Avenue with the Bad Moon Rising song by Creedence Clearwater Revival playing on the radio.