Owning a diner on the outskirts of town, you learn a lot. Always have extra toilet paper for the washrooms, keep a clean counter, and always have time to listen to customers. Sure I may not look the part, but I have many stories to tell.

This one time, a gruff looking guy comes storming in here on his bike. He was on his way into town because his parents had died in a house fire. Very tragic from the way he tells it. He threw me for a loop when this big guy told me, “It’s okay you know? I loved them, they loved me, that’s all that matters.” I learned a lot from him that day.

I hear stories like that all the time, from all ages and walks of life.

One day, a beautiful girl, half my age mind you, comes walking in looking for a job. She had 2 cents to her name. I couldn’t just send her out into the cold, so she began working for me. She became like a daughter to me.

That was until a few weeks later, he came back into her life, on a cold cold night.

I should’ve killed him when I had the chance.