for her promise to be home by 8:30.
On the other side of the table, Dale's mind was contemplating several scenarios that he could play out with this semi-attractive girl. He had no intention of trying anything sexual with her - at least for the moment. Not until you find out where the law stands on such things in this part of the country, he thought, laughing inwardly.
Dale sensed Olivia's trepidation about what he'd been saying and toned down his rhetoric. He didn't want to scare her off before determining how she could be of use to him.
"I'm sorry if I've spooked you with my advice. That wasn't my intention," he said, as he looked her in the eye. "Because I've had a rough time of it, doesn't necessarily mean you have or will. From what I've seen so far, you're a very stable, bright, and attractive young woman."
Bright? Attractive? Olivia couldn't believe her ears. She tried hard not to blow these words out of proportion.
"I don't know how bright or attractive I am, but I do know I should be heading home," Olivia said, her cheeks turning a light pink as she checked her watch.
"That's too bad. Maybe we can talk later."
"You're staying in Lasting?" Olivia lit up.
"Oh, not permanently," Dale said, taking a swig of pop. "For a few days. You can't travel constantly. You have to rest every once in awhile."
"If we don't meet again - not that I don't want to - it's been nice talking to you. Most of the guys in here who talk to me always have ulterior motives."
"I'm glad I'm not like all the others. It's been nice to sit and talk with you too."
Olivia got up from the table and lifted her gym bag off the floor. "Well . . ." she said.
"Well indeed," Dale replied. "I'm sure we'll talk before I leave." He surveyed the dining room. "Now that I know where to get good food and even better company."
Both smiled and Olivia turned toward the front door.
"See you later," she said.
"I'm sure you will."
As Olivia left Burt's the nagging feeling she'd had before returned. How can Dale be so sure we will meet again? Olivia certainly hoped that they would, but she wasn't as sure as he seemed to be. Positive thinking, that's all it was, she concluded. He certainly didn't seem to be the type who'd want to do her any harm. In fact, he appeared to want the exact opposite. Still, her uneasiness wouldn't go away.
"Forget about him, Olivia," she said aloud. "In a few days he'll move on and you'll have this nice memory of talking to an extremely good looking customer."
Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw the flash of a headlight turn onto the street and knew instantly it was Jeremy. Maybe she would flag him down to say, "Hi," and he would notice her mauve makeup.
As the bike came closer Olivia's heart sank, while her blood pressure skyrocketed. There on the back of the bike and hugging Jeremy's waist was Susan.
"Doesn't that witch get enough of him during the day?" Olivia cursed, as they drove by. "How can he stand to have those talons in him all the time?"
When Olivia got home, she retrieved her diary and began to write.
Dear Diary,
I'm going to make Jeremy Atkins forget all about that fake tramp Susan Parker if it takes all year! She doesn't deserve him and he definitely doesn't deserve that thing! I need to devise a plan and then go through with it. If she thinks that she's the only girl for him - she's wrong! The sooner she knows that, the sooner I'll be with him.
She closed the diary and looked into the mirror. She was fine with having to change her appearance in order to be more attractive to Jeremy. Everything’s merely cosmetic, she concluded. Appreciating what was staring back at her, her anger began to subside. As she was about to put her diary back, she recalled her meeting with Dale and felt compelled to write about the occasion.
At work tonight, I met the most handsome guy I have ever seen in my life (besides Jeremy, of course), named Dale. He has the dreamiest eyes you can imagine. We talked about me and Lasting (Dale is passing through), and he said, "You are a stable, bright, and attractive young woman.” I don't know what he meant by stable, but it doesn't matter because he thought I was attractive! Me! I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the mauve lipstick and eye shadow I wore tonight. If a total stranger notices it, I can only imagine what Jeremy will think of it! One thing Dale told me I know is true is you control your own destiny. So from this day on I'm going to totally concentrate on how to get Jeremy to fall in love with me!
Olivia Deborah Atkins does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
As usual, she reread the entry before hiding her innermost secrets away. She knew that if anyone were to discover this book and read its contents, she would die of embarrassment.
***
"Would you like another beer?" Lucy asked Dale.
"What?"
"Another beer - root or otherwise?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. My mind was somewhere else," he said, looking into Lucy's big brown eyes. He swallowed the last few drops from his glass and placed it on her tray. "In fact, I wouldn't mind another beer. Root beer is fine."
Lucy returned shortly with his drink and noticed her customer distracted. "Are you okay?"
Dale grinned. "Why would you ask that?"
"You don't appear to be part of this world right now."
"No, I'm fine. Really."
"Okay, if you say so. Here's your bill, if there isn't anything else." She placed it on the table and turned to leave, when Dale grabbed her arm.
"There is one more thing, if you don't mind?" he said letting her go. "Can you tell me about the girl who sat here earlier – Olivia?"
"Now I know why you have that far off stare. After talking with Olivia for a while, everybody gets a glassy look in their eyes," Lucy laughed.
"She didn't seem that bad to me."
"That's because you don't have to constantly listen to her. If you were here for 20 days instead of 20 minutes, you'd come to a different conclusion."
"Is she not popular?"
"No, that's not it. I'm being too hard on the girl. It's that she talks about one thing and one thing only, at least to me and the other waitresses."
"And what would that be?" Dale said, getting more interested. "Boys?"
"More like boy," Lucy smiled. "Did she mention someone named Jeremy Atkins by chance?"
"No," Dale replied, as his mind raced back to the motorcycle rider from earlier in the day.
Lucy's face went slack. "I guess I'll have to start believing in miracles."
"This Jeremy Atkins . . . is he about my age and rides a new motorcycle? Has a girlfriend named Susan?"
"How
