RSSThe Librarian and the Waitress: Part 2
December 5, 2009
kosmo - See all 763 of my articles
This is the second part of a three part story. Catch the conclusion tomorrow.
“Sit down, relax, and watch some TV. I’ll whip up some vittles for you. Burgers OK?”
“Yeah, burgers would be great” replied Ray, and he sank into the comfortable easy chair. He flipped the TV on to ESPN and watched highlights of the games from earlier in the day. It seemed like just a minute had passed before Jaymi appeared at his side, holding a plate with two burgers.
“Hey, you made one with American cheese and one with Swiss,” he remarked. “I like that.”
Jaymi grinned. “Well, you switch back and forth between the two, so I figured I’d give you both. I’m afraid I don’t have any coffee – would you like a Pepsi instead?”
“That would be great. Caffeine is caffeine!”
Jaymi disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a tall glass of Pepsi.
“Hey, you can change the channel to something else,” said Ray.
“No, you go ahead and watch whatever you like. I can watch TV any time.”
“I can’t thank you enough for this. It’s so nice to be inside an actual home for once. This is so much cozier than any restaurant. I definitely owe you a big favor.”
Jaymi laughed. “You supply me with an unending array of books. I think you’re ahead on points.”
“I am simply your humble librarian” replied Ray, with a smile.
When Ray finished the second burger, Jaymi whisked away the plate and put it in the dishwasher.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to be a bit of a party pooper,” Ray said with a yawn. “This has been an incredibly long day and I’m dead tired.”
“No need to apologize. Let me show you to your room.”
Ray grabbed his bag and followed Jaymi down a narrow hallway. There were two doors at the end of the hallway. Jaymi opened the door on the right.
“Here you go – one nice, soft bed. There are some extra blankets and pillows in the closet. Let me know if you need anything. I’m right across the hall. Oh, yeah – we just passed the bathroom. It’s the other door on the right.”
“Thanks. I should be all set. I do appreciate the hospitality.”
Ray brushed his teeth, climbed under the blankets, and was asleep a few minutes later.
He awoke in the morning and heard noises coming from the kitchen. The noises sounded an awful lot like bacon and eggs frying. Ray climbed out of bed, threw on some clothes, and followed his nose to the kitchen. Jaymi was overseeing bacon and eggs on the stove. She had obviously just stepped out of the shower – she was wearing a pink robe and slippers, and her hair was still damp. Ray noticed that she smelled quite nice.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” she said, turning to face him. “I thought you’d like a nice hot breakfast before you had to hit the road.”
“You’re going to spoil me, Jaymi. Not that I’m complaining.”
Jaymi grabbed a plate, slid two eggs and several slices of juicy bacon onto the plate, and placed it in front of Ray. The toaster popped, and Jaymi grabbed the two slices of toast, butter, and silverware and returned to the table. She sat down across from Ray.
“You’re not eating?” asked Ray. “I can share.”
“No, that’s OK. I don’t usually eat breakfast. It’s fun to watch you eat.”
As Ray devoured the bacon and eggs, he wondered if perhaps the restaurant was not making the best use of Jaymi’s natural skills. It seemed that she was actually a better cook than whoever was actually in the kitchen.
When he finished breakfast, Jaymi had a fresh towel ready for him. He went into the bathroom to take a shower while she went into her bedroom to change into clothes that were more appropriate for the outside world.
Ray turned the water to a near-scalding temperature and soaked in the soothing heat. The showers at the truck stops were usually lukewarm, and it was nice to take a hot shower for once.
When Ray was finished with the shower, he went back to the guest bedroom ad changed into jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers for the long day ahead. He gathered his minimal possessions, put them in his duffel bag, and zipped it. He took the bag into the living room and settled into the easy chair to wait for Jaymi to appear, so that she could drop him off at the restaurant.
A few minutes later, Jaymi pulled the car into the parking lot. Ray grabbed his bag and they headed toward his truck.
“We should do this again. Maybe you could take a day off the next time you’re in town and we could have a real date.”
“I’d like that,” replied Ray. “Let me grab my schedule and see when I’ll be back in town next.” He jumped into the cab and grabbed a notebook. “It looks like the 14th, and then again on the 21st. I think I can take off the 15th.”
“Sounds great.” Jaymi climbed up next to Ray for a second and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you on the 14th.”