dr-dean replied to your post âprocrastinatingâ
I NEED to know about "Lois knew her customers"
One of the two fics that come out of the Big Kansas Adventure. Outsider POV, canon compliant, based on the diner closest to the Bunker in Smith Center. Swear to gods, best coffee Iâve had in ever. Had an old folgers can with âQuestions for the Mayorâ on a bookshelf near the counter. It was great.
But also, places like that have a rhythm. If youâre in there often enough, like a waitress would be, you know that Widower George is in on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Linda-who-just-split-with-her-husband allows herself one slice of pie every payday, the VFW meet for coffee on (theoretically Wednesday, but really every day). That sort of thing.Â
And then suddenly thereâs this giant black car showing up, and a guy in his 30s looking just lost, and some weeks heâll be there every day and then you donât see him for weeks, and sometimes he has another guy with him, sometimes not.Â
The first week, you donât miss him. he does this. The second week, well, thatâs odd, but maybe he got caught up in whatever job heâs so closed lipped about. the third week, youâre starting to get concerned, but itâs not like you even know his last name to ask around since he always paid cash. And... it just keeps going. Then suddenly heâs back, a little thinner, a lot more worse for wear, but acting like nothingâs changed.
I just... got stuck. Which probably means I should drive back out to Lebanon and Smith Center and see if that helps. Which is a 6 hour drive, so thereâs a reason I havenât just done it.