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“And what would you like?”
“I want the Chicken Nuggies!” the little boy said, bouncing in his seat.
“Okay,” the girl said with a chuckle. “Will that be all?”
“Yeah, that’s it,” said the man with the lighter hair.
“Alrighty! I’ll have that out for ya in just a few!”
“Thank you,” replied the other man.
As she walked away, the server, who’s nameplate read “Maya,” turned and looked back at the table. The lighter haired man was trying to calm the little boy down, while the other man, with the dark hair, was trying to engage the girl in conversation, though she was having none of that. With a smile, Maya went and hung up the order, before going over to the checkout counter.
“Hey Sally, do you recognize that group over at Table 4?” Maya asked.
Sally finished ringing up her customers, then turned and look at the group Maya was talking about. “Oh, yeah. They’re in here all the time. I’m pretty sure those two are a couple and those are their kids.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Maya responded. “They’re cute,” she added.
“Yeah. I just wish I knew their names. It feels weird to refer to them as ‘Green-Eyes’ and ‘Trenchcoat’.” Sally sighed.
“Wait, why Trenchcoat?”
“Oh, well the darker haired guy is always wearing a trenchcoat when they come in. Literally, always. I’ve seen him in a trenchcoat when it’s been 90 out.”
“Dang, that’s some commitment. When it’s that hot, you won’t find me in anything longer than capri’s.”
Sally laughed at this and started to respond, but just then came the ding of the bell.
“Ope, that’s me,” Maya said. “Be right back.”
Maya picked up the tray and brought it over to the family of four.
“Right, so we have the Tempura-Battered fish for you, the Jumbo Burger for you, the Chicken Ceaser Salad for the young lady, and the Chicken Nuggets for the cutest little boy ever.”
At this, the little boy laughed, and Maya could hear Trenchcoat chuckle. Green Eyes laughed and ruffled the little boy’s hair. The girl just rolled her eyes, but Maya thought she saw a smile peak through for jus a second.
“Now, is there anything else I can get you?”
Green Eyes turned to the little boy and said “Whatdayathink Jack? We all set here?”
“All set!” Jack said, then laughed and started to eat.
“Well alright! I’ll come around in a bit to check in. Enjoy your meal!” Maya said.
“You too,” Maya heard the girl say, then watched as her face turned bright red. As Maya walked away, she heard Trenchcoat say “It’s alright Claire. We all make mistakes.”
At this, Maya chuckled again, and walked back over to the checkout counter.
“So, I have some news for ya,” Maya said.
Sally looked up from her station and turned, her interest sparked. “Oh yeah? And what would that be?”
“I just learned the names of both of the kids.”
“You did?!” Sally demanded. “Tell me!”
Maya laughed. “The little boy is Jack and the girl is Claire.”
“Claire? Hm.” Sally said, then drifted off.
“Why ‘Claire? Hm.’ What’s wrong with Claire?”
“Oh. Well, it’s just” Sally stammered. “I’ve seen them around here so often that I kinda made up names for them in my head. And Jack is kinda close to what I had, but Claire is way off in left field. I thought she looked more like a Sydney.”
Maya looked back at the family, then said “I could see Sydney.”
“Right?”
“Wait, now I’m curious. What were you thinking for the adults?”
Sally blushed. “I shouldn’t have brought this up. It’s such a weird thing to do.”
“No, it’s too late now. Ya gotta tell me.” Maya responded.
“Well…. Fine. I always thought that Green Eyes looked like a Matt or a Mike, and I thought Trenchcoat looked like a James.”
“I mean,” Maya squinted at the family, “I could see Matt. Not so sure about James though.”
“Well, what about you? You have to at least have a guess at names.” Sally demanded.
“See, here’s the thing” Maya grinned. “Unlike you, I don’t try and give names to people that I don’t know. That’s weird.”
Sally rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”
“Nah. I’m just right.”
Sally scoffed, and Maya turned to leave. She walked back to the family and asked “How’s everything tasting? Good?”
“These nuggets are so yummy!” Jack cried, mouth full of food.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Maya laughed. “And how about the rest of you?”
“Everything is excellent.” Trenchcoat said.
“I’m glad. Can I get you any refills?” Maya asked.
“Ooh, can I have more choccy milk?” Jack asked, bouncing in his seat.
“Of course you can. Anything else?”
“I’ll take a water, if that’s alright. And Dean will take another Pepsi.”
“Sounds good! I’ll just take these, and I’ll be right back with those!” Maya turned and left, passing Green Ey- Dean, as he came back from the bathroom.
“‘Scuse me.” He said, then sat down.
“Of course,” Maya said, then started refilling the drinks. A moment later, she walked back to the table and passed the drinks around.
“Now, anything else I can get ya?” She asked once the drinks had been dispersed.
“I think we’re all good here. Cas, Claire, need anything?”
“Nope. I’m good,” Claire responded.
“Looks like we’re good. Thanks.”
“Alright! I’ll check back with y’all in a bit!”
As the family of four continued to eat, Maya made a beeline directly to Sally, armed with the knowledge she’d just gained.
“Sally, I have big news.”
Sally took one look at Maya’s face and..
“No way. No way you learned all four names in one day. It is literally impossible. I’ve worked here for months and never got one, no way you learn them all in one day.”
“I can just keep the names to myself if you want. That way, you don’t learn them all in one day. I mean, if it’s that big of a deal-”
“You better tell me them. I swear to God, if you don’t-”
“Okay, okay. Green Eyes is actually Dean, and Trenchcoat is Cas.”
Sally made a face. “Cas? That’s weird.”
“Yeah. But, like, it fits somehow?”
Sally looked at them for a second. “I guess I can see Cas. Kinda. Dean totally works though.”
“Right? He totally looks like a ‘Dean’.”
Maya turned to watch the little family. Dean and Cas were laughing at something Jack did, and Claire was trying to look bored, though it wasn’t working. Dean ruffled Jack’s hair again, and Maya saw a look come across Cas’ face that was just so… It looked like something you only read about in stories. The phrase “Falling in love more and more every day” came to her mind, and that was just about right. Cas had the look on his face of someone that was totally head over heels in love, and it was so cool to see in real life.
A tap on the shoulder from Sally brought Maya back to Earth, and she realized she’d been staring.
“It’s kinda creepy to just stare at people,” Sally said, and Maya blushed.
“It’s not my fault that they’re so cute. I mean, just look at them!” Maya argued.
“Whatever. Shouldn’t you go, ya know, see if they’re done. Ask them if they want dessert, things like that?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m goin, I’m goin.” Maya grumbled, then walked to the family.
“Are we all done?” Maya asked, seeing the empty plates.
“Yup, we’re about done here.” Dean said, collecting the dishes into a pile.
“Could I interest you in any desert today? Our special today is Pecan Pie.”
As soon as she said the word pie, Maya saw Dean’s eyes light up, and she knew the answer before it even left Dean’s mouth.
“Well, that sounds pretty good. Anyone else want a slice of pie?” Dean asked.
Jack raised his hand, bouncing in his seat, and Dean chuckled. “How about you, Claire. Want a slice?”
Claire looked at him and rolled her eyes, but agreed. “Yeah, I guess I’ll have some.”
Cas chuckled at this, then turned to Maya and said “Four slices of pie, please.”
“Coming right up,” Maya said cheerfully, then left to retrieve the desserts.
She dropped the dirty dishes off in the back, then retrieved four slices of pie, delivering them quickly to the family.
“Thank you,” Dean said, then immediately began to dig in.
“Of course. I’ll bring you guys the check and just take it up to the front when you’re ready to check out. Sound good?”
Dean mumbled something through a mouthful of pie and Cas laughed. “Sounds great, thanks.”
Maya smiled and walked over to the counter. She quickly rung up the check, and delivered it to the group, before returning to her spot with Sally.
Sally didn’t say anything, so Maya watched the family laugh and enjoy their deserts. Cas was watching Dean inhale his pie, and picking at his own slowly. Jack was eating his almost as quickly as Dean, and Claire was somewhere in the middle. They were all laughing, though. Even Claire. It was so sweet to see.
Suddenly, Cas stood up, and Maya saw the check in his hand. She quickly turned her attention to Sally, and poked her in the ribs to get her attention. Sally glared at her and started to speak, but quickly saw that Cas was making his way to the register to check out. She glanced at Maya, then greeted him as he approached.
“Hi! How was your meal?” Sally asked, ringing him up.
“It was wonderful. The service here is great!” He said, looking directly at Maya when he said it. She felt herself turn red, and smiled at him, slightly self-conscious.
“I’m glad to hear it!” Sally said. She pressed a few more buttons, then handed him his receipt. “You’re all set! I hope y’all enjoy the rest of your day!”
“Thank you. You as well.” Cas said, and turned to leave. “Oh, and just by the way,” he said, turning back to Sally and Maya. “You could have just asked our names. We don’t bite.” He grinned and left, leaving the pair in a stunned and slightly embarrassed silence.
They stood there until the family left, Jack waving at them as they exited. Cas gave them a smirk, then pulled the door closed behind him. The girls watched the family climb in an old muscle car and drive away. As soon as they turned out of the driveway, the two started freaking out.
“How did he know we were talking about them?! Does he have super hearing or something?!” Sally cried.
“How would I know?! You’re the one that had seen them before, not me!” Maya retorted.
“God, that’s embarrassing. Now he knows that we talk about his family. God, he probably knows that we called him ‘Trenchcoat.’” Sally buried her face in her hands, and Maya laughed.
Just then, another family entered, and Maya took them to their seats. As she was taking their orders, she couldn’t help but think about that look she had seen on Cas’s face. She glanced at the door again, and wondered if she would ever see them again. She realized that, not only did she wonder, she hoped. She hoped she’d see this little family of four again, because what they had just seemed so special. And, that was what she wanted when she got older, she knew. That little group, though she had never seen them before today, had become a picture of what Maya wanted when she grew up. Not perfect, but happy.
Sally shook her out of her thoughts once more. Maya realized she’d took and placed the orders in a daze and she shook herself once more, trying to clear her head. And, although she did manage to get on with the rest of her day, that happy little family never left her mind. Not once.