back around to me, the same smile on her face. “Oh, you already know what you want?” She pulls her little pad and pen out of her pocket, ready to take my order.
Part of me wants to chicken out right then and there. Part of me wants to just let the whole thing go, order breakfast, then go on home. It’s not like Eric, or anyone, would ever know. I could just say I had told her and that it wasn’t up to me what she did with the information. But Eric had just forgiven me for lying to him about Nathan, and had that big talk with me about honesty. I mean, let’s face it the only reason I was here in the first place was because I had lied. Not to mention I knew deep down this was the right thing to do. I had to gather up my courage and make this work, make this happen.
“No.” I push the menu away from me as if to show how serious I am. “I’m not here to eat, I’m here to talk about your daughter.”
Kathleen drops her pad a little bit, but the same smile stays glued to her face, a little confusion creeps into her eyes. “I don’t have a daughter.” She doesn’t say it in a bitchy or mean way, more in a genuine way.
Did I have the wrong person? Was that even possible? I glance down at her nametag again, unless Eric had gotten her name wrong. That wasn’t likely, Eric wasn’t wrong often. I glance back up at her eyes, Stephanie’s eyes, and I know I have the right person.
“Yes you do, Stephanie,” I say the words slowly, worried that as soon as I say her name an alarm will go off, or something.
A look of fear and anger comes into her eyes, her smile now completely gone. “Look,” she says, taking a few steps closer to the table, “I don’t know what she owes you, but I haven’t talked to her in years, so if you think-“
“No,” I interrupt, “no, it’s nothing like that. I met her recently. It’s… it’s a really long story, but I met her inside of a facility for troubled teens a few months ago, she was my roommate and-“
“She’s in jail?” Kathleen asks, shocked.
“No, it’s not a jail, although it might as well be. It’s a facility that parents can check their kids into if they think they need help, or counseling, and they can pretty much keep them there as long as they want, and Stephanie… she was my roommate, like I said…” I’m stuttering now, getting really nervous. I don’t know how I was thinking this would go, but this sure wasn’t it.
“Who put you up to this? Did my ex husband put you up to this? Look, I have a life here, a good life.” She sighs and takes a step away from me. “Get the hell out of here.”
I jump up after her, practically running to keep up with her fast pace. “No, Stephanie sent me, she needs you. She needs your help!”
Kathleen swings around, clearly pissed off. “I’m not buying into whatever it is you’re trying to sell here, please leave.”
“I’m not trying to sell anything!” I’m practically yelling now, and I see the few people who are in there starting to look at us, but I don’t care. “She’s in this place called the wellness center, and it’s awful they-“
“If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to call the police,” she cuts me off.
I open up my mouth to talk again, but she pulls her cell phone out of her pocket as if to prove her point on how serious she is. I have no choice. I turn around, defeated, and even more miserable than when I started.
I feel her eyes on me the entire time I walk across the diner and through the door, it’s not until the door swings shut behind me that I see her turn around and start walking toward one of her few customers.
I had failed, she didn’t believe me, she thought I was full of shit. Just like everyone else these days. Was anyone ever going to believe anything I said? I was so sick of this, so sick of everyone and everything. I deliver one swift kick to the garbage can outside of the diner, causing the top of it to fall off and go flying across the
Part of me wants to chicken out right then and there. Part of me wants to just let the whole thing go, order breakfast, then go on home. It’s not like Eric, or anyone, would ever know. I could just say I had told her and that it wasn’t up to me what she did with the information. But Eric had just forgiven me for lying to him about Nathan, and had that big talk with me about honesty. I mean, let’s face it the only reason I was here in the first place was because I had lied. Not to mention I knew deep down this was the right thing to do. I had to gather up my courage and make this work, make this happen.
“No.” I push the menu away from me as if to show how serious I am. “I’m not here to eat, I’m here to talk about your daughter.”
Kathleen drops her pad a little bit, but the same smile stays glued to her face, a little confusion creeps into her eyes. “I don’t have a daughter.” She doesn’t say it in a bitchy or mean way, more in a genuine way.
Did I have the wrong person? Was that even possible? I glance down at her nametag again, unless Eric had gotten her name wrong. That wasn’t likely, Eric wasn’t wrong often. I glance back up at her eyes, Stephanie’s eyes, and I know I have the right person.
“Yes you do, Stephanie,” I say the words slowly, worried that as soon as I say her name an alarm will go off, or something.
A look of fear and anger comes into her eyes, her smile now completely gone. “Look,” she says, taking a few steps closer to the table, “I don’t know what she owes you, but I haven’t talked to her in years, so if you think-“
“No,” I interrupt, “no, it’s nothing like that. I met her recently. It’s… it’s a really long story, but I met her inside of a facility for troubled teens a few months ago, she was my roommate and-“
“She’s in jail?” Kathleen asks, shocked.
“No, it’s not a jail, although it might as well be. It’s a facility that parents can check their kids into if they think they need help, or counseling, and they can pretty much keep them there as long as they want, and Stephanie… she was my roommate, like I said…” I’m stuttering now, getting really nervous. I don’t know how I was thinking this would go, but this sure wasn’t it.
“Who put you up to this? Did my ex husband put you up to this? Look, I have a life here, a good life.” She sighs and takes a step away from me. “Get the hell out of here.”
I jump up after her, practically running to keep up with her fast pace. “No, Stephanie sent me, she needs you. She needs your help!”
Kathleen swings around, clearly pissed off. “I’m not buying into whatever it is you’re trying to sell here, please leave.”
“I’m not trying to sell anything!” I’m practically yelling now, and I see the few people who are in there starting to look at us, but I don’t care. “She’s in this place called the wellness center, and it’s awful they-“
“If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to call the police,” she cuts me off.
I open up my mouth to talk again, but she pulls her cell phone out of her pocket as if to prove her point on how serious she is. I have no choice. I turn around, defeated, and even more miserable than when I started.
I feel her eyes on me the entire time I walk across the diner and through the door, it’s not until the door swings shut behind me that I see her turn around and start walking toward one of her few customers.
I had failed, she didn’t believe me, she thought I was full of shit. Just like everyone else these days. Was anyone ever going to believe anything I said? I was so sick of this, so sick of everyone and everything. I deliver one swift kick to the garbage can outside of the diner, causing the top of it to fall off and go flying across the
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