Jonah got into his car, laying back to take a breath before leaving. His stomach grumbled and he remembered that he had not had anything to eat all day. He decided to take a short walk to the local diner down the block to get some food.
Stepping out of his car and locking it, he walked to the road whistling mindlessly as he made his way to the diner. Walking inside, the smell of fried meat, bacon, grease, freshly baked bread and coffee hit him. His stomach made a louder noise in impatience. The diner was packed to almost the brim as it was evening rush hour.
Jonah looked around desperately searching for a space in the diner. He was too hungry to go anywhere else. Fortunately he found a corner which someone had just finished eating. He quickly took over the seat, and waited. He picked up the menu that was placed in the center of the table.
Scanning through it while his fingers drummed lightly on the table. He had made up his mind to settle for some cornbread and tomato soup, with some wings and iced tea. Jonah looked around, the diner was still busy, he comes to the conclusion that it would be a while before someone came to attend to him.
Using this time to relax he looked through the window, thoughts floating through his mind. He could not continue being under someone's control in the name of a blackmail and Elliot was not ready to make their relationship known. He had to let his parents know about his sexuality even if it means keeping Elliot out of the hit.
His parents were a bit conservative and held traditional moral values, yet they loved him. He knew that the news would be a shock to them, but they would come around eventually after all he was their only son. Now he just had to brace his mind for the initial backlash and silent treatment he would receive from his parents. He was running through how each and every scenario would play out with his parents in his mind.
When a waitress dressed in a pressed red shirt and black slacks with a checkered apron around her waist appeared at Jonah's table. She touched him lightly jolting him out of his deep thinking.
"Welcome sir, to Big Apple Bites. What can I get for you today?" The waitress greeted in a cheerful tone. "Well I would get two servings of the cornbread and tomato soup, with a side of wings and a glass of iced tea." Jonah replied.
The waitress wrote his order down on her pad nodding. "Alright, just wait a few minutes. Your order would be with you soon." She said before waltzing back to the kitchen then the next table. Jonah waited his patience growing thinner as his leg bounced recklessly under the table. He could not wait to eat, he was so hungry he could eat up a storm.
As promised few minutes later. The waitress walked up to his table. Placing his order down beautifully arranged in a tray. She nods and walks off. Jonah wastes no time digging in. He had to remind himself multiple times that he was outside and had to practice good etiquette. Still he scarfed down his food in twenty minutes gulping down his drink as well. He used a napkin to cover his mouth and a huge burp due to him rushing.
The diner was a little bit quiet now, the evening traffic had eventually fizzled out. Leaving a calm atmosphere. The waiter showed up again. This time a white plate in her hand and a glass of iced tea in the other setting it down on his table she says, "The manager sent this on the house to apologize for the delay in service. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience." Jonah nodded. This place had won his heart with their excellent service.
"It is fine. The wonderful food was worth the wait." Jonah replied.
"We are happy we could satisfy you." The waitress said walking away gracefully to another table. Jonah looked down at the plate to see five fortune cookies arranged in a row. And a glass of iced tea.
Jonah chuckled to himself, "Since when did American owned business start offering Chinese fortune cookies." He said to himself. Shrugging he picked one up and broke it, pulling out the rolled up paper inside. Unrolling it he read.
"The truth will set you free, but first, it will make you miserable." Jonah lightly chuckled, at how the quote related to his situation. He flicks the paper away and pushes the fortune cookie into his mouth. The crunch and the cookie melting on his tongue, not too sweet and not too bland.
Perfect. He sipped his iced tea. After a few minutes he picked up the second cookie, breaking it like the first and unrolling the paper inside. He read, "A hidden path will soon be revealed, take it, and you shall find freedom." Jonah laughed at the coincidence or seemingly accurate fortune. He threw the paper away, feeling he was just drawing parallels where it was not even necessary. He devoured the second cookie washing it down with another gulp of iced tea.
He picked up the third cookie inspecting it, "Well let us hope you are not as weird as the first two." He whispered. He broke it again, unrolled the paper and read it out loud, "Beware of those who smile with their mouths but not their hearts." Jonah turned back looking around the diner.
"What sort of sick joke is this?" He thought to himself. As his eyes scanned the diner it was filled with elderly people, none with the build of his supposed blackmailer. "Could it be the universe playing some sick joke?" He asked himself. Now unsettled he calls the waitress to pack up the last two cookies while he paid his bills, slipping a tip under his glass cup. The waitress approaches him with a white paper bag.
He grabs it, thanks her and walks away. Uneasiness churning in his stomach, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. A wave of nausea washed over him as he started the walk to his car. He hated the hold this blackmailer had on him. He hated how he's reacting and how he's feeling.