Wicked Little Town

It’s 6am at a diner in a small town in New Jersey. Gerard has been in for about ten minutes now and is running through everything he does every morning, the first thing being putting on the coffee pot to have his, at least, third cup of the morning. Gerard doesn’t just work at the diner but it’s not entirely his either, he’s too young to own anything. The diner isn’t his dream either. He is an artist. He knows this as true as the air he breaths but after four years of art school, he didn’t know what he wanted in life so he came back home to figure it out. Turns out it wasn’t a great idea. His parents decided to take some time off from running the diner and wanted to spend a few months in a sunnier place and get out of New Jersey. And since Gerard was free they decided he should run it while they were away. It wasn’t what he wanted but he didn’t know what that was either so he found no arguments nor strength to oppose. The good thing was that he didn’t hate it as much as he thought he might. He wasn’t that much of a people’s person but that wasn’t the big city. Most people in town were old people and knew him since he was little and used to draw them portraits in the corner of the diner on a sheet of his notebook or maybe on a napkin.

Inside the diner, Gerard had a clear view of the town park and some other local shops that were beginning to open and load up on produce for the day. He was standing there looking outside with his coffee on his hand to warm them since it was the middle of fall and it was very chilly. As he took a sip of the warm beverage, he shifted his eyes from the market to the bench in the park that was right across the diner and something called his attention. Or more of a someone. There was a young guy sitting there with a pink suit case with sunflowers on it, a big green bag, a guitar case and two babies. One in a stroller and one he had on his lap. The baby in the stroller seemed to be sleeping while the one on his lap seemed to be playing with the guy’s face. Gerard was blatantly staring, thinking he wasn’t being noticed but after a minute or so, the guy waved a hand at him and pointed to the diner’s door. Gerard made a gesture with his hand to tell him he could come in. He saw him put the baby down on the stroller and cross the street with his belongings while wondering who this guy was. He wasn’t a local, he was sure of that. Not that he knew everyone in town but at least he thought he saw everyone at least once and he hadn’t seen him. Besides he was sure he knew everyone who was around his age, even thou the guy looked younger than Gerard, it was still an age range he would know.

The little bell on the diner’s door rang as it opened and Gerard finally saw the guy up close and all his details. He was fairly short with short dark hair and a lock that fell on his face but it wasn’t too long. He had green eyes and as Gerard could notice, he had some ink on him.

“If you are not opened I can come in later.” The guy finally spoke. “I mean, it’s kinda cold outside and I rather not to but I will if you wanna.”
“Nonsense. Coffee?”
“You are an angel.”

Gerard made a little smirk and went behind the counter to grab a new mug and poured some hot coffee on it. Mean while the guy sat at the bar of the diner with one of his babies on his lap, the other still asleep on the stroller. The baby immediately grabbed a menu and started to pound it on the bar making a loud noise.

“Cherry, honey, no. Man you are quick. Shoulda named you Jessie.” He took the menu out of her hands and gave her a tinny rubber guitar which she took straight to her mouth and started chewing.

“Wow… “ Gerard hands him the coffee and is surprised with the reference but suddenly doesn’t really know how to properly form words and sentences.

“ Oh, sorry, comic book reference.”
“Yeah, I know. Jesse Quick. That’s what I should have said instead of just wow. “
“Well, wow back at you.”
“I know my DC.”
“I can see that. Oh I’m Frank by the way. “
“Gerard.”
“Gerard… cool t-shirt too Gerard.”

As Frank says this Gerard looks down because for the life of him he can not remember whatever t-shirt he picked up this morning without looking and threw on him before his jean jacket.

“Morrisey fan too?” he says after checking.
“I would marry him if I could, so back off.”
“I can’t fight you, you have a baby in your lap.” Gerard throws his hands up in the air with a side smile as he watches Frank sip on his coffee. – And who are the ladies?
“This is an amazing coffee.” Frank says out loud but mostly to himself, looking at his mug and thinking that he didn’t quite remember when was the last time he had some decent coffee that didn’t taste like dirt water. “Oh… umm… this is Cherry.” He pointed to the baby on his lap. “And that one on the stroller is her twin sister Lily and they are my kids.”
“Oh…” Gerard nods not knowing quite what to say because he looks really young to be a father and he doesn’t want to pray or be rude.
“Yeah, I know. I look too hot to be a dad.”
“I was gonna say too young.”
“Oh… that’s what people always tell me, not hot, young. I keep mixing ‘em up.”
“And are you guys just passing through town?”
“Actually… nop. I was looking to stay here for a while.” Frank nods trying to look confident even thou he is absolutely terrified. “I have no idea what the hell am I gonna do since I’m not good at anything except playing guitar.”

Gerard took a sip of his own coffee as he watched Frank talk. Frank wasn’t looking at him, he was playing with his fingers on the edge of his mug while talking so it was easier for Gerard to just look at him because he was a little bit fascinated. It wasn’t everyday that something happened in town. Every day was pretty much exactly the same as the one before and it had been like that ever since Gerard could remember. Having an almost teenage father of twins full of tattoos was going to have the town buzzing for a while. He put down his mug and kept the conversation going, which wasn’t his strong suit but he was curious.

“ So umm… are you alone with your kids?”
“Yeah… yes .- Frank nodded and looked up at Gerard . Yes, I am. Mom is… better off.”
“A story for another time?”
“Definitely.”
“And do you have a place to stay?”
“Nop, not yet.”

Gerard leaned in a little and pointed outside the diner to the market across the park.

“Do you see that market?”
Frank turns around to see where Gerard is pointing. “Yeah.”
“That’s Bob’s market. He owns half the town and is a lunatic but he’d know where you actually may be useful around town.”
“Ugh.” He turns back around and looks at Gerard. “Did I tell you, you are an angel?”
“I think you mentioned it.”
“You are.”
“Oh and Bob is very uptight and judgmental…” Gerard steps back from the counter and from Frank “so play the single dad card a lot.”
“I will. I have a single dad puppy face and all, you just watch it.”

Frank all of the sudden starts to bat his eyelashes fast at Gerard and arcs his mouth into a sad face and then pouts. Gerard can’t help but laugh and shake his head.

“I would consider giving you the keys to my car right now, you are good.”
“Thanks.” Franks smiles gallantly. “I’m gonna get going but I have one last favor to ask you.”
“Sure.”
“Can you heat these up for me?” He reaches for his green bag and grabs two bottles with baby formula and hands them to Gerard. “Lily is gonna wake up hungry any second now.”
“Totally.” Gerard grabs them and head to the back.
“See? Angel”
As Frank gathers up his stuff and settles Cherry down next to her sister on the stroller Gerard comes back with the bottles ready and warm for the girls and hands them to Frank.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you! How much do I owe you?”
“Oh it’s on the house.”
“No, tell me, how much is the coffee?”
“I couldn’t charge you even if I wanted to, we are not opened yet.”
Frank gasped dramatically, exaggerating. “Okay, I’ll buy you a beer some time...” as he was saying this, Lily woke up and started crying. Cherry gave a glance at her sister and started to cry as well. “or maybe in about fifteen years.” he said looking at them and giving them their bottles.
“Hey, I’ll be here.”

Gerard shrugged and they both laughed quietly, then Frank exited the diner and Gerard watched him go to the market where he could just feel the disapproving eyes of Bob on Frank but he turned soft when he saw the twins on the stroller.

Gerard smiled to himself as he gathered around what was on the counter and cleaned up. A few minutes later he heard the little bell rang again and someone coming in. he peeped out from the kitchen and saw Ray, his best friend and other cook, get into the diner with loud music coming from his earphones which he was in the process of removing.

“Morning! Hey there’s a new kid in town, did you hear?” Ray said as he took off his backpack and jacket and threw them away at a corner of the kitchen.

“Wow, hello. Yes, I saw. News travel fast.”
“I was just by Bob’s to get some tooth paste and saw him. Single dad. With twins.”
“Mom’s a no show.”
“Oh… you know something.”
“I saw him freezing outside with those girls. I told him to get in and gave him a cup of coffee. We talked.”
“Okay… and why are you so happy?”
“What?! I’m not. I mean… I’m just me, I don’t know.”
“You are not you. You are like… smiling?”
“Oh fuck off!”
“No, really, like, stop. It’s weird.”
“Get to work. I’ll clean outside.”
“I didn’t even know you had teeth.”
“Fuck you Ray!”

Gerard turned back and headed out of the kitchen to finish cleaning off the tables outside as he saw Frank pass through outside the diner to the other side of the town. He found himself smiling again. What was he happy about? It’s not like Frank was going to change his life or anything… right?

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~*

It was about seven o’clock in the afternoon the day went by as usual, almost as if Frank had never been to the diner earlier that day. It was just another Thursday. As Gerard was ready to close up for the day, he heard the bell ring as the diner’s door opened and since he was looking away he dropped a careless:

“We are closed.”
“Oh, man. I cannot catch my luck with you today”

Gerard quickly turned around almost dropping the plastic bottle of ketchup he was filling- he saw Frank standing at the door, no bags this time, just his two girls, one on his shoulders and one on his arms.

“Hey! No come on in.”
“Are you sure? I’ll just buy something off of the market, it’s fine.”
“I still have the kitchen on, what are you having?”
“Umm well, after the day we’ve had we deserve some large fries I think” Frank put the girls down and sat at a table with both of them on his lap.
“Coming right up”

Gerard snuck into the kitchen as he heard Frank talk to the girls and then sing something to them. The girls were laughing hysterically and again Gerard couldn’t help but smile to himself, luckily this time on his own.

A few minutes later he came outside with a plate full of fries and a soda and put them on the table. The three of them screamed at unison and Gerard shook his head with a smile and turned around to clean something else that was already probably clean but he didn’t want to just stare. Frank was concentrated on his conversation with the girls and answering back all the undistinguished mumbling they were saying. As hard as Gerard tried he couldn’t figure out a word but Frank seemed to speak baby fluently.

“So… I talked to Bob.” Frank finally stopped his incoherent conversation with his children and addressed Gerard.
“How did that go?”
“Actually, amazingly. He offered me a house.”
“Really?” Gerard asked in disbelief.
“Rent free too, for a couple of months.”
“You are joking!”
“Nop. I have to restore it. It’s a little risky place- he said if I could fix it up he will let me live there for free until I finish it and then we’ll see.”
“That’s some good news! So you have a roof now.”
“Partially. Probably will have to fix that up.”
“Do you have any skills to do this?”
“I do not but I’m very handy.” Frank blinked at Gerard who tried to fight it with all his might but inevitably blushed.
“umm… me netiher, otherwise I would help you out.”
“It’s okay. I will figure it out eventually. I still need another job.”
“I’ll let you know if I know anything.”
“Please do.” Frank nodded and added. “Hey, give me your phone.”
“Okay…?”

Gerard took his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and handed it to him. Frank grabbeds it while hugging the twins and typed something on it, then gave it back.

“There” Frank showed it to him as he hands it and Gerard read “Frankie” and his phone number. “If you know about a job or just wanna come hang out with bricks and dust…” Frank smiled.
“I might take you up on that one.”
“Anytime! Well, we faught, we drank, we made our ancestors proud. We should get going. It’s past bed time and my arms will be delighted to put them down for longer than thirty seconds. What do you say dudes? We go night, night?” Both of the girls threw their arms up in the air and screamed “No!” at unison. “Oh yeah, or daddy is gonna pass out anywhere.”

Frank put some money on the table and stood up with both girls who after hearing the words “night, night” got whinny and loud. Gerard walked him to the door and as he opened it for them standing right behind them, Cherry tried to throw herself into Gerard’s arms to the sound of complaining mumblings. Gerard grabbed her before she fell off of her dad’s arms and helped Frank get her back.

“No, baby, come on. We’ll be back tomorrow.” Frank said as he restored his balance with both girls on his arms. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it.”
“She likes you apparently. Bye Gerard. Thank you! Say bye girls”
“Nooo!!” The girls screamed again.
“Bye!” Gerard answered back as he waved at them on their way out and closed the door behind them.

Notes

Yes, I AM on fire, right?
I'm so excited about this new project. It was inspired by me watching Gilmore Girls for the 127391237912319th+ time.

I hope you guys enjoy it!! Comment please?