Damn. Had it been that long since she had been in a relationship? Not even a relationship. Sex. Avery missed being intimate with a man. Touching him. Teasing him. Tasting him.
She had to get out of there. Forget studying. As much as she didn’t want to because the place reminded her of her own loneliness, Avery would go to her apartment and attempt to study there.
After a hefty trek across the college campus, she got to her car and took her time getting home. When she got to her apartment building, she sat in her car for a while in silence.
Her mother hadn’t called her yet, but she knew that would be coming soon. Her father should be sleeping. He had worked hard last night alongside her. Her friends all had serious day jobs where they couldn’t call her like they used to when they worked at low-level retail or fast-food jobs.
Avery went into her lonely apartment. At least she cleaned it. If her mother stopped by, which she did sporadically without warning, she wouldn’t have to hear her mother comment on the messy condition.
Avery started to head to the couch in the living room and stopped. If she sat on that thing, with its brown, suede-like material and overstuffed cushions, she would be out like a light in no time. Right now, she needed to be alert.
She set her items on the breakfast bar in her kitchen and sat on the stool next to it. Avery opened her book to the right chapter, took out her notes that she had managed to scribble during class, fired up her laptop, and stopped. Her thoughts kept tripping over the couple in the library.
Reckless behavior like that could only lead to trouble. Avery had been there before. She rested her hand on her midsection for a moment before she slid her hand down her thigh.
Come on. Get it together. Concentrate.
Avery read the first line of chapter twelve in her statistics book, and then reread it again and again and again. Every time she blinked, images of that couple entered her mind. If she didn’t do something to purge the thoughts from her head, it would drive her insane.
A typical woman might have gone to her trusty battery-operated boyfriend. Avery pulled out a notepad she always carried with her and removed the purple pen she kept attached to the spiral ring. She opened it to a blank page and wrote Secret Wish across the top.
It took her no time to write a song based on lovers stealing away time to find each other. The more she thought about the song, the more she saw herself as the woman, hiding in a darkened corner with a sexy man. They would kiss and touch. As soon as it got too much for her to take, she would…run away.
Avery slammed her pen down. She had to stop letting her past rule her present, particularly when it came to her art. Songwriting and singing gave her the freedom to be herself.
She took a breath and leaned her head back for a moment before redirecting her attention back to her song. She ended the lyrics the way it should end. The woman in the song realized she could be stronger without him, and she got with the next man. Nothing lasts forever.
* * * *
“Come on, girl. You can make it.” Avery’s sputtering Ford rolled into the parking lot of Uncle Pig’s Diner.
The slight sunlight in the early morning casted a faint glow over the restaurant. She exhaled as soon as she parked her old car by the back door. At least Avery made it to work on time.
Avery started to go around to the front door when the back door opened and Jessie emerged with a cigarette in between his fingers. As the dishwasher, he had direct access to the back door.
“Thanks, buddy.” Avery patted the short man on his shoulder as she bolted through the open door.
“You know I’m here for you.” Jessie laughed.
Avery deposited her personal items in a locker in the employees’ break room before she rushed to the kitchen. She found two other waitresses and the cook milling around.
“Did you bring your books?” Bruno peered up at Avery as he checked out the flat-top cook top and grill.
Avery did all she could to not roll her eyes. “Did you and my parents get together and decide how to torture me or does it come naturally?” She picked up an order pad and pencil as she regarded the older man.
“I’m doing what I can to make sure you don’t end up working here the rest of your life.” He pointed to her with a silver spatula.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Mona winked before she draped her arm around Avery’s shoulder. “He is right, you know.”
This time Avery did groan. “Not you, too. This diner is the only place I don’t have to think. I just want to work, collect my shitty tips, and go home.”
“We can dig that.” Graciela strolled over to the group of them. “We also know that you have dreams. That’s more than the rest of us have.” She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “You would get better tips if you wore the right uniform.”
By uniform, Graciela referred to Uncle Pig’s request that the waitresses outfit themselves with what Avery called bootie shorts, shorts so short and tight that a yeast infection would definitely follow. Besides that, Pig also wanted them to wear tight T-shirts. At least Uncle Pig provided the shirts.
“Respectable tips for respectable outfits.” Besides, if Avery’s parents showed up to the diner, which they have done in the past, she knew the lecture afterward would be legendary.
“Hey, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I look like fucking Queen Elizabeth in this getup.” Mona nudged Graciela with her elbow. “Besides, my plan is to marry Mr. Wonderful.”
“Good luck finding a guy like that at this shitty little diner.” Graciela shook her head. “Oh, wait. You did find your Prince Charming. Or should I say Prince Pig?”
She reached back and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. In her assigned outfit, she showed off her womanly curves. That didn’t mean that Avery would be going down that route. She liked her jeans and normal-fitting Uncle Pig T-shirt with its tasteless slogan, “Eat like a pig.”
“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t bad mouth the place that pays you.” Uncle Pig walked into the kitchen area. “We’re just about to open. You all ready?”
Mona and Graciela stood up straight and saluted their boss. “Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
“Smart-asses.” He shook his head. “Specials today are the pancake breakfast with a choice of eggs, hash browns or grits, and meat. We’re also doing a breakfast burrito.”
“You mean with all the stuff you couldn’t sell yesterday?” Mona giggled.
“Again, smart-ass.” Pig pointed to Mona.
“Good thing you love this ass.” She turned her backside around to him.
For as imposing as Uncle Pig looked with his massive height, large belly, and big, bushy beard that made him look like Santa Claus’s wayward brother, whenever he looked at Mona, his longtime, live-in girlfriend, he looked like he melted. Too bad to everyone else, he acted true to his namesake.
Mona reminded Avery of an older sister. The African-American woman’s skin tone matched Avery’s, but she kept her hair natural, large and fluffy.
“It’ll be a good day today.” Pig faced Avery. “Are you here all day or do you have classes?” He damn near rolled his eyes when he asked her about her classes.
“You’ve got me all day.” She leaned against the large stainless steel sink. “I’ll even stay after we close at three to help clean up.”
“Or you can let her go so she can study.” Mona nudged her man.
“Or, even better, Avery can come with us tonight to Songbirds and blow us away.” Graciela nibbled on her lower lip as she stared at Avery with expectation.