just a little change

It always surprises me how easy it is to pull myself together in a public place. I wasn't always able to keep it together. It used to be that the smallest of things had me falling to pieces. But I had grown up so much in the past year and, thank goodness, I had been able to build that much needed barrier between me and the rest of the world. Now, (unless they were one of the few who could read my face) no one knew when I was upset unless I let them.

So it wasn't hard for me to take that step into the little diner and switch from heart-on-my-sleeve mode to public mode.

Sami and I sat down at the cherry red booth, setting our much craved banana splits (with extra chocolate) down at the black and white checkered table. A new woman in town, Carri White, had taken over the diner recently and she was notorious with her flair for the dramatic. She had taken the dull as paper building and transformed it into something with a warm, glamorous, movie set sort of setting. Just being inside the place made me feel better... Perhaps that was why Sami had chosen to bring me here.

Carri herself was in the diner that day, and she smiled broadly from behind the counter when she saw us come in. I hoped that she would have a chance to come over and chat with us later, if there was a break in business. Although Whiton was a small town, the fact that The Parlour was the only place that served edible food meant that Carri was doing fantastically well for herself.

The conversation between Sami and I was light and relaxing, as we ate our creamy Banana Split. Soon, I was nearly completely calm inside as well as out. I smiled at Sami as I leaned back and stretched. I laughed as my spine popped back into place, "Oh, gosh, my spine is all crinkled."

"Izzy!" Sami moaned at me, "That is so gross. I swear..." She trailed of as I burst into a fit of giggles at her reaction. "You said that just to freak me out," she accused, "didn't you?"

I just laughed harder. She glared at me without true anger, "You jerk."

By then we were both giggling, and that was how Carri found us when she was finally able to escape from the hungry masses. "Well, hello girls." I scooched over in the booth so that she could sit next to me. She practically sank into the cushion of the seat next to me, sighing dramatically as if it was the first time she had been able to sit down all day- knowing Carri, perhaps it was.

Her head thrown back against the cushion, Carri said "That idiot, Arron, quit today. Just flat up called me this morning and told me not to expect him in because he could care less about The Parlour or his job here."

Sami and I shared a look. Arron Stine had always been a creepy sort of guy, the sort who would sneak a look down your shirt when you weren't paying attention. But it had been hard for Carri to find someone to work at The Parlour with her. Any of the decent workers had already been snagged by the local fast food places or the Walmart.

My brain whirred, maybe this could be a change, perhaps not the change, but it was better than nothing. Impulsively, I turned to Carri. "I'd need to turn in my notice to McDonalds, and finish up a last week there, but if you want me I'm your girl."