Diner at the Edge of Never (survivor challenge #13)

The Diner at the Edge of Never Damn Toyota! I vented my anger once again as my shoes sloshed in the great puddles. Maybe I should have stayed in the car - but I hadn't seen another in over an hour anyway. But, then, I would still have been dry. I cursed myself for being impatient. The rain continued to come down - it didn't care that I was out in it. I looked at my watch - 3 a.m.! I should have been snuggled comfortably in bed by now. Around the bend I saw a light - at last! Someplace to escape the rain! I approached the old roadside inn - a diner built into an ancient railroad car and parked at the side of the road. "Open 24 hrs" read the neon sign. I was sure they would have a phone and I might be able to dry off a bit. There were no vehicles in the parking lot - but at that hour of the night I wasn't too surprised. It was like stepping through a door into another time, another era! Suddenly I was transported back to the '50s - the jukebox, the leatherette barstools in gold-speckled red, and the Coca-Cola signs on the wall! Oddly enough, the place wasn't empty. Two men sat at the bar nursing some kind of tall drinks and a young couple stared at me from their table as I entered. The man behind the counter was a classic - leathery tanned face, two-cornered hat, short-sleeved red shirt and suspenders. "Good morning, young feller!" he said. "Y'er lookin' kinda damp. Come set a spell an' let me git you some towels." He disappeared into the back without waiting for my reply. The other "guests" just stared at me and said not a word. I could not locate a payphone, so I asked the proprietor when he returned with the towels. "Sorry," he said, "the phone's been out for a couple days now. Don't get much call for it. Nearest is another 20 mils down the road aways." That wasn't going to help me tonight, so I resigned myself to being there for a while. At least it was warm and dry. The two men at the bar resumed their conversation, and the young couple shifted their stares to each other, holding hands like lovers, oblivious to the world around them. I sat and sipped my coffee. I had no idea what I was going to do - but I was sure I would think of something once daylight hit. The proprietor came over to me, and stared at me for a moment. "Say, young feller," he said, ""pears there's been some mistake. You ain't s'posed to be here yet." I was totally confused - then everything blurred - once again I felt the pelting rain as it fell on my face. "Hey, Jack!" This one's coming around!" I heard one of the paramedics yell. "Let's get him in the ambulance!" I felt myself hoisted by strong hands and my stretcher slid into the waiting vehicle. "Too bad about those others, though." I heard them say. "The two fellers in the truck, and that newlywed couple didn't have a chance - not much left after that crash!" Someone leaned close to me. "You're a lucky one," he said. "You got thrown from your car. There's nothing left of it. Funny how you landed by that old railroad car - used to be a diner back in '55." I drifted out of consciousness again as the ambulance sped off down the road. 4/11/2002 Written April 11th, 2002 © on Apr 11 2002 10:27 AM PST, Heinz Scheuenstuhl    0 • 10