The Waitress at the Lake

Teddy Bear

And this is what happens when Write on Edge gives you a prompt: 500 words, a waitress, a lake, in the summer, with a secret. Boom!
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 She sat on the bench kicking her bare legs playfully. The June sun warmed the curve of her neck as she read her book, occasionally glancing up at the birds skipping along the ripples of the lake. Her worn shoes lay abandoned a few feet away and her toes dug into the cool depths of the sand. As her fingers turned the last pages, she looked up again and sighed. She could smell the pine wafting up from the trees below, and mixing with the smell of the diner that had seeped into her hair and under her skin. She looked down at her stained pink uniform. Should she have told him?

She heard his voice in her head, and the words he said earlier that morning. I can’t do this. His tone had been gentle but there had been something else, a catch in his breath, almost hysterical; a new reserve holding him back. He had always been so open to her, but now… it was if all their memories were gone. This man who had become her lover, her friend, and her confidant… She had only wanted to try it. She was sure he would like it if he just tried it. But had she gone too far? Said too much?

Since she was 14 she had hidden this part of herself. But lately, she thought they had grown so close, close enough to maybe tell him... He had asked her, after all, hadn’t he? He said tell me what you want, what you really really want… Shyly, she had pulled an old Polaroid photograph from her purse and slid it across the table toward him. He stared at the photograph for a long time, and took his hand away, as if he didn’t want to touch it.

Is this a %^&*( joke? he cried, his eyes wide.

"Oh Teddy!" she whispered the nickname she'd given him, and reached for his hand. "You might like it!" she whimpered.  

Don't call me that! he snarled and jerked his hand away.

He swore again and stood up to leave, dumping their breakfast onto her lap. She heard him mutter under his breath, sicko!

So now she sat on the bench, wondering about it all. She had really liked him. But for god’s sake, she wasn’t going to change who she was. She couldn’t! This terrible, beautiful secret had separated her from her friends all her life. But it was the only thing that made her happy. Smiling, she put her book down, unbuttoned her dirty dress and threw it into the wind. She ran down the short hill and straight into the cold, sparkling water that hit her like a slap in the face.

Her book, How to Live and Love Life as a Furry, lay on the bench awaiting her return.

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