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Kick-in Diner, Hell Michigan
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Kick-in Diner, Hell Michigan |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Right now, this minute, Sandy Stevens wished her boss would die. Run over by a rampaging elephant or knocked on the head by an exploding fire hydrant. Anything! And just once, she wished she could come into work and not have to clean up after everyone else. Sure, Danny made her ‘night manager’ so he could screw her out of a raise and make her work the long twelve hour shift from six at night to six in the morning. He told her she was the most trustworthy employee he had and he’d sleep better knowing she was in charge when he wasn’t there. “Bull!” she mumbled as she stepped into the kitchen of the ‘Kick-in Diner’. It was cold outside and her heavy coat took up all the space in her locker. She quickly put on her apron and smoothed down her hair then went to Danny’s office for the daily ‘shift change’ talk. She referred to it as the ‘shitchange’ talk. Sandy walked in and sat down at his desk. He never sat there, he walked around the room as he talked. He even ate standing up. Not that he had too much energy, it was just that he was really short and this was the only way he could stand over someone. Danny’s office had changed in the last few months. Gone was the dark maple paneling. Instead the walls were covered in corkboard. And the corkboard was covered with pictures. Pictures of Danny with Brad Pitt. Pictures of Danny with Jennifer Aniston (after the split with Brad). There was George Clooney, Kevin Bacon, Tom Selleck, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah. Danny was a celebrity. Or he’d like to think he was. A year ago, Kick-in Diner was featured in a movie with George Clooney and Whoopi Goldberg. The outside was filmed as it was, but the inside was filmed in California, not a small town in Michigan. When Danny saw the finished film, he renovated the interior to look exactly like the movie set. Then he advertised like crazy, hoping to attract movie fans. I was sure he would fail. He didn’t. Kick-in Diner became a hot spot. A place to see and be seen in. There was a 60 Minutes story about it. An ‘Entertainment Tonight’ feature. A Today show appearance and cooking segment and Danny got to attend the premier of the movie. He was in heaven. And I was in hell. Literally. The Kick-in Diner is in Hell, Michigan. We usually get our quota of wacko’s but with the success of the movie, we were getting busloads of wacko’s. Literally. Tour buses packed with star crazed fans ready to buy up all the menus and matches. Danny set up a small store in one corner of the diner to sell his ‘Kick-in Diner’ souvenirs. Did I mention I was in hell? The night shift was usually the worst shift. Not only did we have the bus wackos to deal with, but we had the regular wackos from town to deal with. They mostly didn’t get along and it was a rare night when the police weren’t called to quiet down some kind of disturbance. The only good thing out of this is that the tips were better. From 6 pm to 6 a.m there were five of us and we split the tips evenly. On a good night we each would make about two hundred dollars in tips in the beginning. Now, we averaged about fifty each. But we still had to contend with the sightseeing crowd. They were a breed apart. They talked about us like we weren’t there. I had to develop a thick skin as I walked the floor and stood at the cash register. They commented on my bleached hair. My plump ass. My lack of education. One TV crew wanted me to go on some makeover show where they crack my nose and stuff fat from my butt into my cheeks. What? I don’t think so! What most of the tourists don’t realize is that some of us WANT to be this way. We don’t aspire to look like Cher or Joan Rivers. Hell, we don’t even iron our clothes why would we want to iron our faces into flat, no expression masks? “Excuse me dear, where’s the ladies?” I looked up and saw an old woman standing in the doorway. She had on a black leather miniskirt and fishnet stockings. She was either a tourist or the local old Veterans home was having some hookers in for a party. “Down the hall the to left. You can’t miss it. The sign on the door says ‘Chicks Room’.” She looked at me funny (or maybe her bladder kicked into overdrive) and huffed off down the hall. I could hear the noise from the diner. It was louder than usual for so early on Saturday night. Probably was a special bus tour. It was getting close to Halloween and Hell was a ripping place on that holiday. Sometimes I wish I’d been born smart instead of …well…born stupid. I walked out into the diner and stood behind the counter. There were about 40 old women walking around taking pictures. As I looked nothing like Whoopi Goldberg, who played the smart but sassy waitress in the movie, I avoided getting my picture taken. I cashed out the register and spent a quiet hour counting the money and making out the deposit. We usually served the last tour bus dinner by seven so that was when the staff could eat. I never cooked at home. I ate here. Two meals a day. It saved money which helped pay for my lavish and stately trailer. Tonight’s special was meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Jackie, the night cook served up half the crew and we sat in the kitchen eating while the other waited on the few locals who used Kick-in as their Saturday night rest stop. If we’d had a TV, like a sports bar, we’d never get rid of some of these people. “I’m ready for this to be over,” Jackie sighed. She was nearing 60 and thin as a ferret. “Me too.” I agreed. I was nearing 50 and I’ve probably eaten my weight in ferrets! The kindest remark a tourist made about me was that I had a ‘lovely ample bosom’. I nearly wet myself! Ample? I wanted to tell her that one boob was ample but put them together and I had a ledge built for serving a seven course meal! “Well, I wouldn’t mind so much,” said Donnie Taylor, the one male staff member. He wanted to be a waiter but the Kick-in wasn’t fancy enough for that title. So Danny put him on the register. He was the only one of us that finished high school. “I just wish they wouldn’t ask me if I met anybody famous.” “I don’t get it,” Jackie said. “Why is it that they all think being famous is something special?” I ate silently, listening to them rant on and on about being in the public eye. If they knew what kind of offers Danny was looking at, they’d all quit. I saw his correspondence and he was hoping to find a way to make more money from this. He was stretching his fifteen minutes of fame into a lifetime if he could. He wanted to have a TV crew follow us around all day and night for some reality show. And he wanted to have a sitcom about the Kick-in Diner. And I’m sure he was behind the makeover idea. Anything to get his name, or his diner’s name into the limelight. I wish he’d fall into a hole! With our dinner over, we traded places with the other staff. I set tables for the morning rush and filled ketchup bottles and salt shakers. The night dragged on with fewer than normal customers. Poor Danny! He’d see the nightly receipts and know that his fame was fast fleeting. At 6 a.m., I turned over the diner to Angie and put on my coat to leave. Danny never showed up until 9 or 10 lately. Now that he was in the big time, he needed his beauty sleep. I walked the half mile to Hell’s only trailer park and put myself to bed. I wasn’t married. Never saw the need for a man in my life. No pets, they expected to be fed once in awhile and I just didn’t have the time for it. I snuggled down in my bed with the latest murder mystery from James Patterson and read until I fell asleep. It was a few hours later that I woke up to a loud pounding on my door. Throwing on my coat (who in Hell wears a bathrobe?) I went to the door to find Jackie standing there. “You never guess!” She said as he pushed her way into the trailer. “No. I won’t because you’re going to tell me. What happened?” “Danny’s been murdered!” I spit out a laugh and reached out to steady myself by placing a hand on the counter. When I looked at Jackie, I could see that she was serious. “What? When?” “I don’t know, they just came to my house and told me to get down to the diner, that Danny was dead in the men’s room and someone shot him. Then they asked me who was next in charge and I told them you and well, they told me to come and get you. So get dressed!” For a moment it didn’t sink in; I shook my head and sighed. It was just like Danny to get me to pull a double. Even if the creep was murdered, he still managed to get more unpaid work out of me. I dressed quickly and followed Jackie out of the trailer. We got into her truck and as she put it into reverse she asked “you didn’t’ kill him did you Sandy?” “Oh Hell!” |
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littlewing Member Rara Avis
since 2003-03-02
Posts 9655New York |
MY OH MY what a beautiful storyteller you are, Sharon. I absolutely loved this! I envy your ease with dialogue and this read so easily, no breaks, only where you meant them and you manage to put comedy into this because I did laugh. (If I wasn't supposed to, I did) *grin* You have it, Lady . . . this is a beautiful creative write and it truly reads as if it were effortless. I loved how you did this, how it read: I was sure he would fail. He didn’t. Kick-in Diner became a hot spot. A place to see and be seen in. There was a 60 Minutes story about it. An ‘Entertainment Tonight’ feature. A Today show appearance and cooking segment and Danny got to attend the premier of the movie. He was in heaven. And I was in hell. *smiling at you* |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Thank you Sue. It doesn't seem to flow for me. I prefer YOURS to be honest. |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
I'll come back to read this--I still want to give the scenario a shot myself. (I had to take a little break.  I was taking myself way too seriously. And btw, the cure for that is karoake--and the cure for karoake is cuervo.  *wince* My head hurts too much for bouncing today.)I'll come read you tomorrow Shar.  |
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Mysteria 
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
Well now, the plot thickens yes? The intro to this was great, the setting was awesome, and the characters pretty skookum too, but if you think it is ending here, think again! Great job on your own challenge, and for a minute there I thought you were writing about someone I know all too well  Excuse me dear, where’s the ladies?” I looked up and saw an old woman standing in the doorway. She had on a black leather miniskirt and fishnet stockings. She was either a tourist or the local old Veterans home was having some hookers in for a party. Oh I loved her! Loved her! Wish she had been wearing a red hat with a purple feather though, LOL  Great challenge, and well met! Okay, who did kill Danny? |
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Dark Angel Member Patricius
since 1999-08-04
Posts 10095 |
Now I HAVE to know who shot Danny! A great read Sharon, enjoyed  Maree  and i knew in the crystalline knowledge of you |
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Enchantress Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113Canada eh. |
Great read Sharon!! Very much enjoyed.. and I have been to Hell, Michigan!!! |
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littlewing Member Rara Avis
since 2003-03-02
Posts 9655New York |
Sharon, uh huh no way, umm . . . mine has no dialogue tyvm. |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Now that you've started this, I hope you continue? A great short story, I only see a couple of places where you would want to go back to edit to make it flow smoothly, but you're onto a good story and it keeps one's attention all the way through. So while I'm popping the popcorn for the second act, I do hope you're clicking the keyboard for Part II.  |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
Smiling wide yet again. I thought you set the scene nicely, and hey you, first person is a great opportunity for dialogue, which you have always done well. I'd have done a few things differently, but that's just me. (Yanno I love to type colloquialisms.) But all in all, you held my attention and and the break in the story was well-placed for suspense. I look forward to part II.  |
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latearrival Member Ascendant
since 2003-03-21
Posts 5499Florida |
Somehow I missed this one.But it gives me a chance to bring it up.. Loved it. martyjo |
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the_girl_next_door Senior Member
since 2006-02-26
Posts 591USA |
This was awesome. I loved it.. absolutely amazing.. keep it up... ~Heather~ Desire nothing except desirelessness. Hope for nothing except to rise above all hopes. |
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Clang Member
since 2005-12-15
Posts 222 |
You're a great story teller. Good job! I want to know who killed him too! |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Still looking for Act II. PLEASE? |
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