16. The Orphans
The nearby cherry blossom trees in Seattle, Washington, lifted Darla’s spirits as she poured over the maps spread out on the hood of her car.
Her latest movie had finished filming, and her director was sure that he would be able to secure an Academy Award nomination for her role as an awe-inspiring professor.
She loved her time in Seattle, especially filming on campus, but she was ready to get home to her familiar bed. She carefully studied the map, marking the route she would drive.
Flying was an option, along with the rest of the cast, but she preferred to keep her feet on the ground as much as possible. She had the pen cap precariously tucked between her teeth as she battled the soft tendrils of hair curled around her face.
She smiled to herself and triumphantly capped the pen, satisfied with the route taking her from Seattle to Los Angeles.
She enjoyed stopping to see various sites during road trips, and in her younger years of acting, she would usually opt for a more relaxed plan of just heading in the direction and looking at a map when needed.
Now that she was older, she preferred to map out the route, carefully ensuring she could get home quickly. Her next project was scheduled to start in two weeks, and she only felt settled when she acted.
The rush acting gave her had filled any urge to swap places with other people.
She could step into a new character, make them come to life with her talents, and it allowed her fewer complexities since there wasn’t a need to hide what she was doing.
There was no more need for careful planning.
These thoughts swirled in her head, as she carefully folded the map to show the beginning part of the route on top for quick reference and headed to the driver’s seat.
This, she thought as she inhaled deeply, this is what it's all about. Freedom in all ways. She gave a final look in the rearview mirror at the beautiful campus and the cherry blossom trees in full bloom. She smiled as she put the car into drive.
An hour into the drive, she decided to pull over and grab a cup of coffee. There was still a few hours until her hotel stop in Portland, and she was already feeling exhaustion stiffening her muscles.
It was a small diner, shallow blinking lights filled the sign by the road enough for it to read Earl’s Pit Stop.
The welcoming lights shone brightly on a variety of patrons.
History had proven that even the safest of situations could cause the greatest amount of harm, and diligence was key when traveling alone, especially at night.
The bell above the door gave a startling trill as she pushed the glass door in.
It was much louder than she anticipated, with a jukebox blasting an Eagles song.
She turned and headed to a booth as far away from the music as she could get.
She felt the weariness melt away as the electric vibes of the diner hummed within.
I needed this, out of the dark car and some coffee.
She sat in the corner booth, the worn vinyl stuck to her skin as she moved.
The diner was packed, and she observed as the server hustled behind the long bar taking orders, refilling drinks and delivering food.
For a small town, Darla was surprised that a dinner rush would be in full swing at 8 pm in the evening.
“Hi, my name is Kinley. What can I get for you?” A small-framed girl appeared in view of Darla, and she was taken aback by how young she looked.
Based on the roundness of her face, Darla guessed she was either twelve or thirteen.
Her apron, which looked like it once had been white, was streaked with various food and grease stains.
A faded logo for the diner was stretched across the fabric and peeling along the edges.
The young girl had the apron strings wrapped twice around her waist, the sizing clearly meant for a full-sized adult and not this teenager before her.
Darla was struck by how beautiful Kinley was. Her striking black hair contrasted perfectly with her pale complexion, and her blue eyes reminded Darla of the ocean on a clear blue-sky day.
“Yes. Hi, could I please have a cup of coffee. Just black is fine. And I will need a few minutes to look at the menu.” Darla blinked away her thoughts as Lizzie’s blue eyes filled her head. Lizzie, if only you were here now to enjoy this food with me.
Kinley just nodded and walked away without so much as a smile. Darla shook her head as she watched Kinley go and grab food from the window and take to a booth nearby.
If only there was a way I could help her. She reminds so much of Lizzie, hardworking and beautiful. Way too young to be working, especially in a place like this, she thought as she chewed her lower lip.
Darla took the opportunity to glance at the menu. She wasn’t particularly hungry, but skipping her normal mealtime was causing her stomach to make angry noises at her.
By the time Kinley returned with a mug and a steaming pot of coffee, Darla had decided on a simple salad with vinaigrette on the side.
Kinley nodded again before retreating to the order window overlooking the kitchen to yell her order to the cook.
“I need a cow’s dinner and a side of zany sauce.” Kinley finished by ringing a small bell and moving onto another round of new customers who sat down after Darla arrived.
Darla sipped her coffee and continued to watch the girl intently.
She seemed to be off in her own world, moving gracefully from one task to the next, never faltering, never flinching.
It was how Lizzie had worked, caring for her when she was ailing and in the same breath kissing a scraped knee for her granddaughter.
She was always moving, always flowing, and always strong.
In a far booth, Darla noticed a young boy also with jet black hair. His arms looked too long for his body as he focused intently on stacking a deck of cards into a pyramid. Kinley stopped by often to check on him. His hair was shaggy and pulled low across his face.
Odd to have his hair worn so low. He needs a haircut.
Darla considered speaking with his parents if she saw them.
Better to stay out of it, it’s not my business.
The boy looked across the room at her, as though he could read her thoughts, and Darla looked quickly away.
Her cheeks flushed at getting caught staring at the boy.
Kinley delivered her salad with a flourish, and once it was half eaten, Darla allowed herself to relax slightly and rifled through the leftover newspaper on her table.
A fresh cup of coffee was poured without her even realizing it.
She found it humorous that she was drawn into the small-town print; it felt like she was spying on the intimate details of stranger’s lives.
The young boy came to mind again as she hopelessly wondered why a diner would allow a young girl to work here and a young boy to loiter.
Kinley was standing near the boy when the door to the diner burst open and the bell sound paled in comparison to the sound of glass shattering.
“Oops!” The burly man let out a laugh as he ignored the damage and sauntered to the corner booth near the jukebox.
His posse of men followed, and they filled the surrounding booths and tables.
Two immediately made their way to the jukebox, arguing over which song to play next.
The energy of the entire diner shifted, and it made Darla unsure of what she needed to do to escape.
She watched as Kinley boldly approached the man who busted open the door with such force that it now hung wide open and on a single hinge. Darla couldn’t hear what words were exchanged, but she could see that Kinley was flailing her arms around yelling at the giant man.
A few patrons slowly stood, taking this chance to make their exit, and she followed suit. She left a fifty-dollar bill on her table and made her way carefully to the front door.
The exchange between Kinley and the man grew louder as she moved closer.
“I don’t care that you are my uncle. You can’t just show up anywhere that I am and cause a huge disturbance.
My paychecks are the only thing that pay for your booze-fueled appetite so who is really the adult here?
” The man scrunched his face as it turned bright red, and he stood taller, squaring up his face with hers.
“You are only fourteen years old. I am an adult. You are a child!” he spewed.
Darla was close enough now that she could see his spittle landing across her face, and she didn’t flinch away. Kinley just kept her steely composure.
Once outside the diner, Darla took a deep breath.
The man's stench was heavy of cigarettes and alcohol, and it burned her nostrils just by quickly passing by him.
There was a commotion behind her as she heard the familiar sound of plates shattering, followed by more yelling.
She made the escape to her car, and just before she turned onto the highway, she caught a glimpse of Kinley in her rearview storming away from the diner.
Her tan fabric purse was slung over her shoulder, and behind her, in tow, was the dark-haired boy.
Darla cranked her window down, and her elbow responded with a burning pain.
Stupid arthritis.
“Hey!” Darla called out, her window half down. Kinley, now ahead of her car, turned and faced Darla. Her face was lit up by the headlights of the car. “Want me to give you both a ride?” Darla offered, giving up on rolling the window down all the way.
Kinley looked back at the diner, her eyes hollow as the lights reflected back in her bright blue eyes, and then at the boy who clung to her side and nodded. Kinley stalked to the rear driver’s side, opened it, and shuffled the boy in before climbing in behind him.
“This is my brother, Jenkins. His first name is Tim, but he likes to go by his middle name,” Kinley stated. No emotion, just facts.