Déjà Vu

There are very few, Long John Silver’s left in the city.  The last time I had been to one was when I went with my brother and sister.  A friend and I decided to go and eat there one evening.  Some of the fast-food chains have now combined themselves with another fast-food chain.  A & W is now alongside with this Long John Silver’s.  We enter the restaurant and as we walked in I noticed the place was divided into two sections.  I thought one side was for A & W and the other side for Long John Silver’s.  My friend informed we could sit either side.  I could feel myself laughing inside for being naïve even at my age.  We order our food and sat in the section with the most tables empty.  

I was sitting with my friend eating my fish.  And as I looked around at the crowded restaurant at least two people were sitting at the each table or booth.  A mother and her two children were sitting in a booth next the window.  The mother and the youngest was a girl with golden blonde hair sat on one side of the booth.  The boy sat opposite of them.  They were all eating vanilla ice-cream on a cone.  The three of them were sharing their quality time together.  The ice-cream seem to be having a race with golden blonde girl for no matter how fast she tried to eat it still continued to melt and run down her arm.  The young boy seemed to have won the race with ice-cream only leaving behind a mustache of evidence it was even there.  

I notice two men sitting across from each other, both of them reminded me of what would be described as truck drivers; there was a ridge look about them.  They were unshaved and hair uncombed, it was as though they were driving through and stopped to get something to eat before continuing on their journey. Both wore shirts with emblems on the front and their arms were naked as though they had torn the sleeves off of the shirt edges and strings of threads that looked like streamers tangled down on their arms. 

In the corner of the restaurant next to a supply counter, sat a man and woman.  The woman was talking to him and though he was not speaking, he never looked up to indicate or acknowledge he was listening to her in what story she was telling him.  He continued to eat while she continued to talk.  The expression on her face was one of an acceptance of him and something they had developed between themselves over the years….”I am listening even though I am not looking at you.”

Next to us sitting at a small table with two chairs was an elderly couple.  They both had arrived about the same time we did.  She was a petite fragile woman, who could not stand erect and worn black sunglasses that covered most of the upper part of her face from her cheekbones to her brow, the sides of the glasses were wide and thick wrapping around the side of her head.  She worn comfortable slip on pants and had on a light black and white jacket on.  As he went to put in the order at the counter, she chose the small intimate table for two next to us.  He too was unable to stand erect but seemed to be more mobile than her.  He arrived with the food and placed himself next to her.  Even though the atmosphere was not a romantic dining place they embraced the moment together.   There were very few words between them.  And when they finished there dinner, both struggling to stand he looked at me and said, “That was good and cheaper that Red Lobster.”  I smiled and agreed with him. 

The memory of my brother kept appearing in my thoughts as I sat there watching everyone.  I was trying to remember when exactly it was he asked to go to A & W to get a chocolate shake.  My sister, my brother and I went to A & W north of the river.  As I looked across the table at my friend who was sitting there; I smiled for I could see him sitting in front of me it was like déjà vu.