His Diamond

Blissful ignorance

Bella

“Woman, where are you at? I've been waiting here forever”

“Am coming B, am just around the corner” came Stacy’s breathy reply. Bella scoffed, she knew this was a lie, Stacy was always late. She ended the call and continued to wait.

Ten minutes later, Bella watched as Stacy came running towards her. “ Sorry, sorry, sorry… I am here now, all is well.” Stacy said, hugging and kissing Bella, who stood watching her unresponsive.

“You do know that when you ask to meet someone, you should be the first to arrive, right?”

“That only applies to guys and dates.”

“Since when? And who taught you that?”

“I don't know, it's just common knowledge, right?” came Stacy’s reply.

Laughing and shaking her head, Bella pulled her into Alfredo's. “As punishment, you will pay for my meal.”

“Fiiine,” Stacy said, rolling her eyes, sliding into their booth, and picking up the menu.

“I don't know why you even bother looking at that thing, we have practically memorized that menu.”

“You never know...They might surprise us with something new.”

“I doubt that, besides, you always order the same thing.”

Bella and Stacy had been coming to Alfredo’s for years. It was a small, quaint old diner. The walls were lined with outdated floral wallpaper, and pictures of Alfredo, the owner, and his family. The booth seats were covered in red leather, many of which were worn out because of years of use.

The tables lay bare with just salt and pepper in the middle. It was nothing like the Ritz but they loved it. As they waited to be served, they were surprised to see Alfredo bringing their food. Bella quickly stood up to help the elderly man with the tray he was carrying.

“Hey Mr. Alfredo, how come you are serving us today,” Stacy asked, still seated in her chair.

“Let me help you,” Bella said, taking the tray.

Wiping his forehead with the back of his shirt, Alfredo sighed, looking at the girls. He’d known them since they were in high school and even though they came from completely different backgrounds, and behaved like two opposites of a spectrum, they were always very close friends.

“Is everything okay?” Bella asked, concern etched on her face.

“Yeah, yeah, nothing to worry about. Janet took a nasty fall yesterday evening as she was cleaning the floor. She's fine…just a sprained ankle and a few bruises, but I am afraid her days as a waitress have come to an end.”

“Oh no, I am sorry to hear that. She was such a nice lady.”

“Yes, she was. You know she was working here just as a favor to me? She didn't need the money or the hustle because her children took care of all her expenses. When her children heard of it, they shipped her off to live with her youngest daughter this morning”, Alfredo said, taking the empty tray from Bella. As they spoke she had emptied the contents onto their table.

“I am sad to see her go but am glad she is fine.”

“Yeah, me too. Anyway, I've got to get back to it. Enjoy your meal girls.”

“Wait!” shouted Stacy, who had been quiet the entire conversation. Alfredo halted his step and turned to look at her.

“Was there anything else you needed?”

Ignoring the question, Stacy went on speaking.

“Now that Janet is out of commission, doesn't that mean you need to hire someone to replace her? Give Bella the job”

“Technically, yes. The position is open, it pays very little, and you don't make very good tips. I am not sure you’d be interested.” he finished looking at Bella.

“I am,” Bella said eagerly. “I’m a hard worker and I promise to do a good job. Money is no problem for me. It would be better than earning nothing like I am now.”

Alfredo stared at her.” Are you sure? A young vibrant girl like you shouldn't be spending her days coupled up in this old place. You should be in the financial district working with your peers and exploring the world.”

“I am sure. There are about a thousand other qualified candidates at every interview I've been to, and nothing has panned out so far. So, yes. I am sure I want this job”. She finished getting on her feet and facing Alfredo.

With one last glance, Alfredo turned to leave. “See you tomorrow at 7 am sharp.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you” Bella was jumping up and down.

Colin

The office was eerily quiet, and Colin's loud sigh was the only thing that punctuated the silence. It had been a brutal day for him. He felt completely drained and didn't even think he could drive himself home.

He lifted his eyes to the clock and sighed deeply, closing his eyes. It was a few minutes past 11 pm and he knew George had retired for the day already. He couldn't bring himself to tear the old man away from his family just so he could drive him home. 'I'll just get a cab and have George pick me up tomorrow,' he resolved.

He took a few more minutes to gather his energy and stood up. He dialed for a cab as he headed for the closet in his office where he retrieved his jacket and headed for his private elevator. The cab had arrived by the time he stepped out of the office.

He rattled off his address, sat back, and closed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on. Colin had started dozing off when he was startled awake by the rumbling of his stomach. His eyes flipped to the rear-view mirror and he found the cab driver looking back at him.

“Do you need me to stop somewhere where you can grab some food?” he asked.

“No” came Colin’s cut reply.

The journey continued in silence for a few minutes when the rumbling of Colin’s stomach punctuated the silence. Again, Colin met the driver's stare in the rearview mirror but this time, the driver remained silent.

Colin had not eaten all day. Grace usually took care of his meals and reminded him to eat. Fending for himself was something Colin hadn’t worried about in years. He needed to find an assistant soon or his stomach would keep embarrassing him like it currently was.

“Let's stop somewhere for some food”

“Yes sir. However, I am afraid the only places open right now are downtown. If that doesn't work for you, I can make a U-turn back to the financial district.”

“No, I am too tired. Anywhere is fine”

“If you are sure, I'll take you to a nice diner I know close by.”

Colin nodded and the driver made his way to dinner. When the car came to a stop, Colin looked around with a frown. ‘Is this even a place humans are allowed to eat? It looked old and run down. He turned to the cab driver who was smiling at him.

“I promise you won't get food poisoning; this is the best restaurant around.”

Without a word, Colin stepped out of the vehicle and headed for the entrance with the driver right on his heels.