12:00 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.

Adam Fluxelright

Finally. Adam had arrived at The Median. It seemed a bit busier than usual. (Almost all of the parking spots were taken.) The Median was quite spacious compared to other diners that Adam had been to.

Inside, the diner has a futuristic feel to it—mainly due to the metallic and gray overtones present. The friendly staff, comfortable seating, and distinct home-styled food always brought him back again and again.

Teresa, the young brunette who works at the front, was typically the first person who’d greet him once inside. Because Adam has been a regular customer, she’s known his name by heart for quite a while.

“Hey there, Adam! How are you doing today?” She asked politely.

“Oh, I’m doin’ alright,” he said plainly.

“Looks like your favorite spot is open today! Follow me,” she said enthusiastically. Teresa handed him the menu, and sat him at a booth where it’s possible to partially see the kitchen and observe most of the diner.

As he finished ordering his usual order of chili fries, something kept poking his attention at the farthest corner of his eye. He looked farther to his right--which happened to be somewhat near the entrance—to see one of the classiest women he’s ever laid eyes upon. Her elegant, ruby-red dress, voluptuous figure, and long, flowing, wavy-curly, amber-brown hair were absolutely stunning; he had to approach her! The butterflies in his stomach fluttered sharply causing a small wave of anxiety.

After a few deep exhales, he got himself together and readied to walk over. The walk towards this beautiful woman felt like eons. His heart was pounding, but he was as determined as one could possibly be at making a lasting first impression.

There was a man that she was talking to, however. It was ever so apparent as he got closer to where she was standing. “Could this be her boyfriend?” He thought nervously as he slowed down his walk.

Curiously, upon further inspection, the man seemed quite familiar to Adam. The man reminded him of Matt Pryze, the one person Adam envied at college. It’s hard to believe that he’d be in this diner talking to this beautiful woman of all things, but stranger things have happened. Before Adam could get a clear and definite look at the man’s face, she and the man finished talking, and the man quickly headed for the exit.

There she was standing all by herself—she looked so shy, innocent, and sweet. It was almost as if she was emanating an aura of pureness and femininity that impacted him on a visceral level. Before long, she was directly in front of him, and he began to introduce himself:

Adam (Feeling a bit nervous): Uh…Excuse me, Ms.? I was sitting at the table across the way over there, and I just couldn’t help but notice your positive and elegant vibe...I just had to come say hi to you.

Maria (Feeling a bit shy): Aww…Thank you!

Adam: My name is Adam. What’s your name?

Maria: Maria.

Adam: It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you, Maria.

Maria: Nice to meet you too.

Adam: Oh…yeah. There was a man talking to you just a second ago. He reminded me of this guy I knew from college. You know ‘em?

Maria: Yeah. His name is Matt.

Adam (Feeling surprised): Matt Pryze?

Maria: Yeah.

Adam: Seriously?! I can’t believe it. I know him pretty well actually. We went to the same college. That’s so crazy…

Maria: Really? That’s interesting.

Adam: Yeah, I know.

Adam: What are you doing now?

Maria: Nothing, just here on lunch break.

Adam (Feeling confident): I’m actually on mine too, and I just ordered my food a few minutes ago. You should join me!

Maria: Okay.

Following a quick surge of optimism, he began leading Maria to his booth and walked as if he owned the place. Teresa handed her a menu on the walk over with a friendly smile.

There were a bunch of food crumbs scattered on one side of the otherwise shiny booth seat from the previous customer. He quickly wiped them off with his hand before offering her to take a seat. She found this a little odd but chivalrous nonetheless. Lunch breaks weren’t too long for Maria as there were always plenty of customers waiting for her at work; therefore, a Caeser salad was sufficient enough. After placing her order, Adam quietly restarted the conversation:

Adam: So, are you from around this area?

Maria: Oh, no…I actually grew up in the Southeast.

Adam: Wow, you’re a long way from home. Did you come here for school or something?

Maria: Yeah, cosmetology, and a change of scenery I guess. I love my family with all my heart, but I felt that I needed to be on my own for a little while, so I could continue growing as a person.

Adam: I completely understand how you feel. You know…my dad was in a similar situation in his early 20’s. His mother, Greta, was really, really attached to him, but he felt that it was time to spread his wings and leave home. She was crying and begging him not to move away, but deep down, she knew it was best for the both of them for him to go. It was extremely difficult for him to move, but he finally grew the courage to take the final step. He told me that she had a really bad case of empty-nest syndrome after he left. But thankfully, she was able to get over it as she started to get grandkids. He ended up starting his own art tutoring business shortly after he left home. This is how he met my mother actually; she was a client of his. Who would’ve known, huh?

Maria (Feeling intrigued): Oh my gosh! That’s so wonderful! I’m a big believer in following your dreams.

Adam: So am I.

Maria: Do your parents still make art together?

Adam (Feeling amused): They do! In fact, they still have the original vase they made together when she was still his client.

Maria: Aww…that’s so sweet!

Adam (Feeling confident): It is. It definitely is. I’d like to have that kind of love for myself one day.

Maria: Oh, me too.

In the midst of their conversation, a tall and lanky waiter with hair resembling a silver-like, platinum-blonde-colored whirlwind brought their food to the table. He looked like he was in his early 20’s, and his overall presentation was a little disorganized. He was moving around really fast like he was running out of time.

As he put the plates down on the table, they slid an unusual distance towards Maria and Adam—as if they were being pushed by wind. It was Skye’s very first day on the job, so he gave off a rather timid vibe, but their bright, inviting smiles made the service a lot more comforting for him. A veil of confidence came over his face shortly before speed walking back towards the kitchen to retrieve other customers’ orders. After Skye left, Adam and Maria resumed talking:

Adam: How’s the salad?

Maria: I like it. It has a nice crunch to it.

Maria: Did you come out to this area for school as well?

Adam: Pretty much. I always wanted to live out here, and I thought that there would be a lot more opportunities available to me. Turns out I was right; I like this area a lot. The people have been absolutely great to me, and the scenery is amazing. I also work for a really large company that has its main headquarters here.

Maria: So you knew Matt back in college?

Adam (Feeling a bit aloof): Yeah…well…not really. I talked to him a few times…maybe once or twice. I mainly watched him from afar when we had the same classes, or when people would tag him like crazy on social media. He was in the most popular social frat and several groups on campus, so he was constantly talked about amongst students heavy in the social scene. He always seemed to be the life of the party and knew exactly what he wanted in life…and I wanted all that at times for myself.

Maria (Feeling shy): I see…well it does seem like he’s doing pretty well for himself. He travels a lot.

Adam: That seems great.

Maria: Oh, I should be heading back to work. I have some clients scheduled that I need to take care of.

Adam (Feeling confident): Okay.

Adam: I really enjoyed talking to you, Maria. Let’s exchange contact info and grab dinner sometime.

Maria (Feeling intrigued): Sure!

Maria: Would you like my card?

Adam: Sure! And here’s mine.

Maria: Thanks. I’ll add you to my contacts on my way back to work. Nice meeting you!

Adam: Likewise.

Off she went. Her beautiful and bright aura merged with the brightness emitting from the afternoon sky as she exited the restaurant. He immediately scanned over her business card as soon as she was gone. “Maria Flowers.” “What a beautiful name,” he thought to himself aloud as he added her name and number to his phone’s contact list.

While he finished up his meal, he pondered the conversation that just unfolded. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered about as he replayed their initial meeting and entire conversation in his mind, but there was only one lagging worry. Matt.

Adam sat in concentrated silence and began speculating in his mind. Is she interested in him? Is she dating him? She didn’t say one way or the other, but her number was now in his contacts list. That has to be a good sign…right? It has to be.

In a fog of infatuation, he slid up from his booth seat with the intention to leave and collided with Skye as he was bringing meals to several customers. The gravity of everyone’s eyes were now cast upon them both, especially the two hungry men in suits whose meals now lay on the floor. Skye had the most embarrassed and unusual look on his face as he frantically scrambled to help clean up the disastrous mess. The suited men were clearly unhappy prompting Adam to apologize immensely to them. He then handed them each money for their inconvenience and new orders.

After helping to diffuse the situation, Adam walked over to the trashcan and disposed of his plate on the way out. “Have a good day, Adam!” Teresa said gleefully. “You too,” he replied.

On his way to the car, he noticed a couple embraced and kissing. The woman—in a red dress of all things—was kissing a man that kind of resembled himself across the street. He felt a quick pinch in his chest—could that be Maria and her boyfriend? Time and his surroundings appeared to slow down for just a few moments.

Thankfully, upon closer inspection, the woman looked nothing like her. His thoughts quickly shifted back towards optimism as time seemingly felt normal again. “Perhaps it was a sign of good things to come,” he hoped internally.

The door on the driver’s side of his car slammed shut. Inside the car, he exhaled in a kind of relief and satisfaction. The bachelor life had been his unintentional mantra since his senior year in college. This could finally be the beginning of a turnaround, at least he hoped. Thoughts and desires for settling down with a good woman have been creeping up and intensifying as time’s gone by. He had a really good feeling about this woman; it was like something he knew deep down in his gut.

So far, the day was anything but normal—previously, he was feeling like he would be stuck in the state of normalcy forever.

With a renewed optimism that he hadn’t felt in years, his body started feeling pleasantly light inside as he turned on the ignition and began pulling out of the parking lot…