Natalie (standard:romance, 8613 words)
Author: Kirk	Added: Mar 19 2006	Views/Reads: 3453/2439	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A story about a man that can find true love for everyone but himself, until she arrives.

Natalie 

By Kirk 

======== 

I had a real bad day. 

I mean real bad. 

I pulled into my driveway and punched the emergency brake, threw open
the door and got out of the car. I slammed the door hard, trying to 
burn off some of my frustration. My dog Jack came running around from 
the back of the house to greet me as I closed the gate behind me, 
stopping dead in his tracks when he sensed my mood. He just stood there 
looking at me, waiting for me to enter the house. 

I unlocked the door, tossed my keys on the kitchen table and flopped
down on the sofa. Jack jumped up next to me and laid his head on my 
lap. I started petting him and took several deep breaths. 'I really 
have to get a new job,' I thought, as I counted to ten a few times and 
then went to the kitchen to get Jack his dinner. "I'm so stinking glad 
this is Friday Jack, I need a break from that place," I said, filling 
his bowl with Dog Chow. 

Normally I'd call for pizza on Friday night, but I just didn't feel like
eating in. I changed my clothes and walked to the diner down on Main 
Street. 

Rosie's Diner was an old style type. It opened for breakfast at 7:00 and
closed after dinner at 8:00. From the outside, it still looked like a 
diner car from a train. Inside there were about ten booths and, of 
course, the counter, to eat at. It was crowded this evening. There was 
only one seat left at the counter. It was the one where the server has 
to come around the counter to get to the booths that usually meant 
several interrupted attempts to put food in your mouth. Everyone 
avoided that seat, but at that moment there was no where else to sit 
and I just didn't care. I sat in the vacant seat and looked at the menu 
board on the wall. 

Rosie always had some sort of special going on. With her being a devout
catholic, tonight's was fish, a slice of pie, and coffee for $5.95. I 
wasn't in the mood for fish. 

"Hey! Gene! Where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you for ages!" 

I didn't even have to look. Only two people that ever lived on this
planet have a voice like that. One was Ethel Merman and the other was 
Rosie McCloud. Rosie was the sole proprietor of the diner. She bought 
it in the 50's with insurance money after her husband's death and ran 
it ever since. She was now a very senior citizen, but you'd never know 
it by looking at her and of course, listening to her thunderous voice. 
She didn't wait on tables anymore, but she took the orders, and kept 
everyone up to date on the latest gossip. 

"Hi, Rosie. How yah doin'?" I said. 

"Great!" she bellowed. 

I noticed that the drinks rippled a little on the counter when she
answered. She'd make a good Mrs. Tony the Tiger. 

"How's the meatloaf tonight?" I asked. 

"Why does everybody ask that question? Okay, it sucks. It was made four
days ago and has been sitting in the oven ever since, just waitin' for 
you to walk in. Any other questions?" she asked, as she whacked me on 
the side of the head with a menu. 

"What's new?" I asked, as I ducked from another swing of that menu from
her. 

She held her hand in front of her, rolled her eyes, and hooked her thumb
toward the other end of the counter. I tried to look, without looking 
like I was tying to look. 


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