"Breakfast"

(November 4, 2007)

As Frank walked into the Treeline Diner, he immediately spotted Molly working behind the counter and smiled broadly. His day was already a little brighter.

"Good morning Frank!" she called out. "You look awfully cheerful this morning, what's the special occasion?"

Busted! Frank flushed briefly but managed to recover quickly. "Why it's just a beautiful day today. The leaves are starting to change color, there's not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature's supposed to peak in the upper 60s. It's a perfect day to be riding before I put the bike away for the winter and go back to patrolling in a car. And to top it off, I walk in here and immediately see you. What more could a fellow want?"

Molly laughed, "Well aren't you sweet! You go grab yourself a seat and I'll be over to get your order in a few minutes."

Settling into his usual seat by the window, Frank thought back to the first time he'd met Molly. At that point he'd been a deputy in the sheriff's department for several years and had just a week earlier been assigned to motorcycle duty. It had been an unusually chilly June morning when he'd decided to stop off for a pancake breakfast at the Treeline diner. Molly had been the only waitress working that morning and the two of them had struck up a conversation. He couldn't remember what it was they'd talked about, but he'd been coming back regularly for the past three months.

Before coming in this morning, Frank had resolved that today was the day things were going to change. Today he was going to ask her out. Now all he had to do was actually ask her.

Looking around, Frank could see that the diner was mostly empty. He'd planned it that way In part because that way Molly wouldn't be rushed and they could have time to chat. It also meant that there would be fewer people to see if he made a fool of himself. He already had butterflies in his stomach and the last thing he wanted was an audience.

Giving the menu a quick glance, Frank looked out the window. There weren't any children at the bus stop yet, but he knew they'd be along before too long. And shortly after the school bus left, he'd be back on his motorcycle and back on his patrol route. The odds were that he wouldn't be able to make it back to the diner today, so if he was going to ask her out, it needed to be this morning.

"Hi Frank! Do you know what you'd like?"

Frank's immediate reaction was, "A date?" but he didn't say it. That would be too abrupt he decided; too much of a line. Besides, if he asked her right off and she turned him down, he'd still have to somehow get through the rest of breakfast with that looming over him. No he decided, it would be better to wait a bit.

"How about a short stack of pancakes with scrambled eggs?"

Molly grinned, "The usual, huh?"

Frank laughed, "Yeah, I guess I'm getting a little predictable." And then, with an impish grin, "One of these days I'll do something to surprise you."

They both laughed and a few moments later, Molly left to put in his order.

As soon as Molly turned away, Frank immediately began second-guessing himself. Maybe he should have asked her right then? What if her shift ended before he had a chance to ask? What if dispatch sent him out on a call? It wouldn't be the first time he'd been sent on a call in the middle of a meal. So many things could go wrong.

"Mornin' Good-Looking! How are you today?"

Frank looked up, "Hi Suzanne, I'm doing good. How are you?"

Suzanne was about 15 years older than Frank. Always ready with a kind word, Frank had come to think of her as a caring, motherly type. Not someone he was interested in romantically, but a friendly face nonetheless.

"Oh, I can't complain, can't complain at all. Would you like some coffee this morning?"

"That would be great. Thanks!"

As Suzanne poured the coffee she looked at Frank and asked, "Everything OK this morning? You look a little nervous." Eyes suddenly wide, she asked in a hushed, conspiratorial tone, "Are you going to ask her out?"

Surprised, Frank asked, "Huh? Ask who what?"

Suzanne smiled softly, "Molly, silly. Are you going ask Molly out? I've seen how you look at her when you think nobody's looking. No, don't tell me. But I think you should. I think she likes you Frank."

Frank could feel himself turning red as Suzanne laughed, "I knew it! It's OK, I won't say a thing. Good luck! I'll be back to check on you later."

When Molly brought his food out a few minutes later, Frank was still too embarrassed to do anything more than thank her. It didn't help that he could see Suzanne out of the corner of his eye, gesturing from across the restaurant for him to ask.

The rest of breakfast was a blur. Frank mentally chastised himself for missing a second opportunity to broach the subject of a date. Then again, he'd been so surprised by Suzanne catching on, maybe he should just wait and ask her another day when he was a bit calmer. He was so distracted that he barely noticed how quickly he'd eaten his breakfast.

"You must have been hungry," Molly grinned as she returned to the table.

"Yeah, I guess I was at that," Frank replied.

"Can I get you anything else?"

Now was the moment! He could do this! And then, panicking, he stalled for time, "Could I have another cup of coffee please?"

"I need to put on another pot. Do you have a few minutes while I take care of that?" Molly asked.

"Sure. I can always wait for a fresh pot," he smiled.

Molly headed off to make the coffee while Frank gathered his thoughts. Looking out the window, he took another look at the bus stop. A group of 12 or 15 children had gathered to wait for the school bus. In their midst, Frank spotted a familiar black and tan dog, about half the size of a German Shepherd. "Good ol' Wylie," Frank thought with a smile. "He's out there every morning, seeing the kids off to school. He loves those kids and they love him too." Remembering some time spent playing with his own dog while growing up, Frank resolved to give Wylie a pat on the head at the next opportunity.

"Hey handsome, here's your coffee."

Stirring from his reverie, Frank turned to Molly, "Wow that was fast! Thank you!"

Molly chuckled, "You've been staring out that window for ten minutes. What's got you so fascinated?"

Feeling the heat on his face and tightness in his chest, Frank seized the moment, answering, "Well, there's something I've been wanting to ask you..."

Copyright © 2007 by Blair Learn