Page 12 of Flipping His Script
"No." She giggled. "I mean, yes, itisclosing time, but…" She leaned forward and said, "I know I shouldn’t do this, but I'm a huge fan." Her eyes were bright, and her smile was wide. "Do you know, I watchedSwordplayfive times?" Her voice picked up steam. "And I don't mean on video either. I mean at the movies, with popcorn and everything."
Swordplay– it was the second movie in the blockbuster trilogy that had made me famous. The trilogy's final movie was done filming and would be out later this year. The plot was so secret that the movie's title was still a mystery, even to me – not that I cared.
Soon, I'd be done with all that. Hell, I was practically done already, except for the public appearances, and better still, cashing the checks.
The waitress was still giggling. "Not that I can't get popcorn at home. I'm just saying…." She paused to catch her breath. "Wow."
She lowered her voice. "I heard you had a place around here, but I didn’t believe it. I mean, yeah, I believed it. I just didn't think thatI'dever see you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cellphone. "You don't care if I take a selfie, do you? If I don't, the kids'llneverbelieve me in a million years."
Andthisis why I came at closing time.
The restaurant wasn't completely empty, but the few remaining customers contented themselves with merely staring as the waitress sidled close to me and took three selfies in a row before stepping back to tell me that she was my biggest fan.
She used a lot of words to say it. Somewhere in the middle, she used the one word I hated on general principle.
Love.
There'd been a time when I might've gotten off to hear someone gush about much they loved me. But the truth was, my fans didn't love me. They loved my character.
Or maybe they loved to hate him.
Either way, it had been a long time since I'd been able to go anywhere without causing a scene.
Still, I was a good sport. Without millions of fans like her, it might bemeworking a shitty graveyard shift.
If I was lucky.
And it wasn't lost on me that the waitress was probably working the shift to support those kids she had waiting at home. On this basis alone, she was a better mom than mine had ever been.
I let her talk, using the time to take in my surroundings.Was there a back exit?
Probably.
Had Anna bolted?
I didn't think so.
But shewasmaking herself scarce.
Finally, the waitress said, "Oh, my God. I'm standing here blabbering when you probably came in to eat, right?" She laughed. "I mean, why else would you be here?"
She looked over her shoulder and hollered out toward the kitchen, "Don't you dare shut down the grill! We've got a bona-fide V.I.P. out here!" With that, she made a grand sweeping gesture toward the double row of ugly pink booths. "Have a seat. I'll grab a menu, get you fixed up in a jiffy."
I looked toward the booths. Ten minutes ago, a certain someone had been wiping down the seats of those booths. Now, that someone was gone.
Hiding?
That wasmyguess.
I gave a silent scoff.Good luck with that.
"Actually," I said, "an old friend of mine works here. I figured I'd sit in her section, maybe say hi."
The woman's face lit up with another smile. "You mean Anna? You two are friends? Seriously?"
I smiled back. "We're something."
"Wow." The waitress shook her head. "She never told me. That little scamp."
Scamp?That's not what I'd call Anna Burke, but then again, thiswasa family-friendly establishment, at least according to the sign on the door.
The waitress glanced around, and her smile faded. "She was here just a minute ago." Brightening, she said, "But never mind. I'll find her for you." She pointed toward a booth near the back. "Take that one. It's the best in the house."
From the looks of it, that wasn't saying much.
Still, I ambled to the booth and sat. And then I waited for the chick who was going to do my bidding.
Even if she didn't know it yet.
