From her parking space at the drive-in she saw him, the lead in a movie playing on her personal screen through the windshield.
What would possess a man of that age to still grease his peppered white hair, cigarette in hand leaning on a passenger car door like he was James Dean? In another time and place she wouldn't give him a second look, but Julie kept watching while she awaited the order of fries and cherry limeade that would show up any minute. The man made no sudden moves, casually observing the person seated in the passenger side of the car.
He nods his head like he's still in high school, like he's trying to impress someone. And that stance, for Pete's sake, who stands like that anymore after age 25? She was transfixed on his profile, hip cocked above a straight leg, and the farthest leg presumably bent as he leaned on the car door slightly hidden from her view.
He looks rather pleasant. A smile made its way to her pursed lips when she saw him give a short backward nod, a laugh pushing up his salty pepper mustache to reveal a missing tooth.
Did he get in a fight? Maybe he's too poor to afford dental care. Compassion whelled for a moment. But then came more judgment, And where are my fries? They're usually quick here. The man took another drag of his cigarette, lowered his hand slowly flicking ashes to the ground, nodding in agreement to the mystery person in the car.
And who's in the car? I haven't had a cherry limeade in so long I can almost taste it. I'll bet smoking ruins your taste buds for cherry limeade. She imagined the acrid smoke stinging her nose, scraping her tongue against the back of her front teeth to rid itself of the perceived taste.
The man dropped his cigarette to the ground and rolled his heel on it. Leaning into the car, he helped the person out.
White hair, a bit overweight, she straightened her dress and stood beside the car while the man shut the door. He then turned to the woman and offered his arm to her revealing the hidden leg to the undisclosed audience, Julie the judge-righteous, across the parking lot. Something odd caught Julie's attention, suspended between worlds, waiting for her fries and curious as the movie played on through her windshield.
A sudden knock at the window jolted Julie from her sleuthing. The car hop held up a bag of fries flashing a Barbie pink smile.
She's got great teeth. I wonder if she uses those strips or did she do the machine thing?
Fumbling for the window button with one hand, the other hand feeling for her purse, Julie got a slight retina ache from the strain of keeping the "afternoon special" in her periphery.
"That will be a dollar-ninety-eight for an order of small fries and a medium cherry limeade," mumbled the brunette in blue and yellow cap balancing on her roller blades as she handed Julie the receipt.
The change couldn't be found fast enough, Julie wanted to catch the end of the movie.
"Keep the change," Julie quickly dropped a handful of quarters, 10 to be exact, into the car hop's hand. She almost spilled the cherry limeade while blindly searching for the cup holder, Julie positioned her purse in the passenger seat keeping the hot bag of fries in her lap.
"Have a great day," the car hop's voice trailed as she turned on one wheel and rolled away.
The featurette was coming to a close. The couple was still making their way to the front door of the restaurant across the parking lot, which so happened to be at the furthest end of the building from where they parked. A stiff leg lifted the man every other step.
They didn't use the handicap spot, wow! I wonder why? Her heart swelled a size or two like Dr. Seuss' Grinch upon feeling the love from Whoville.
He has one fake leg. How did he lose it? In an accident, in a war, how? She would never know. Lifting her cherry limeade to her lips, the straw missed the intended target finding its way up her nose. Instead of limeade joy she felt pain, lots of pain.
"Ouch," pulling the cup down and wondering if she might have a bleeder. Who knew a straw could do so much damage. But back to the movie, one so intense she ignored the grease vapor that made every effort to lure her taste buds. She gently pressed her fingers against the outer part of her nose soothing the sting.
Focus! Learn! Be gone inner-judge!
In 10 seconds it would be over. Julie witnessed a slow walking woman and man, possibly in their late 70s who looked as happy as any couple on their first date. He opened the restaurant door for the woman and gave another James Dean nod, cracking a slight smile.
He was probably the coolest guy in his high school, and she might have been his sweet heart even back then.
How sweet the love of a man and a woman, possibly after untold years; strangers to most, but somebody to each other.
Julie smiled and slowly pulled her car out of the drive-in slip, blindly fingering a fry out of the bag and popping it in her mouth, only to burn her tongue.
No comments:
Post a Comment