12-19-2020, 10:56 PM
[Two days later]
Delicato sat in the less-than-average diner staring at the table. It wasn't exactly dirty but clean was
a fair few paces away. She looked around the establishment. Just her, an old man reading the paper
and a trucker finishing his breakfast. Pretty dead for nearly noon. Maybe that's why she was here.
An older gentleman enters and walks to the counter. He places an order, smiles at the waitress and
turns to scan the entire place. He eyes Delicato hard but her back is to him. She seems lost in her
own world. He walks over and sits in the booth across from her. Their eyes connect and he smiles.
She doesn't.
"I'm at least as big a fool as you are." he said, looking her up and down.
"Well, you did pick this diner." she snapped back.
"The story hasn't changed. I still can't help you." said the man as he removed his cap.
"That's not what a girl wants to hear after driving six hours."
His coffee arrives and he thanks the waitress. She looks down at Delia and smiles but Delia
pays her no mind. The lady walks away without speaking.
"So that's it? I come all this way for nothing?"
"No. I wanted to see you." he said, taking a drink from his cup.
"Well this was fucking grand!" she said as she scooted from the booth.
"Hold your horses!" the man replied.
Delia stopped and scooted back in. She moved her near empty coffee cup out of the way and leaned
forward resting her folded arms onto the table. Staring out the window, then at the old man.
"Aren't you tired of it yet?" he asked, stirring creamer into his coffee.
"Of what?"
"Chasing blood trails." he offered.
"It's what I know."
"It's what's gonna get you killed!" the man said now looking up into her eyes.
"Shitty coffee and a lecture. So glad I came!"
"What are you now, thirty-five? You got your whole life in front of you - "
Delia cut him off.
"I seriously don't need this!" she said leaning back with her arms crossed.
"Why don't you go back to Dallas and put in for a desk job? Break a few pencils, wad up some
printer paper and before you know it; retirement!"
Delia cracked a smile and laughed lightly.
"Yeah, and I can put on twenty pounds, find a nice man, spit out a couple brats and my life will
be complete! Right? That the tired line of bullshit you came here to drop?"
"At least you wouldn't end up a burned corpse in some Mexican border town!" he said with more volume.
The waitress and the old man at the counter reading his paper looked over. Delia's guest smiled at the
waitress and she grinned back. He wasn't even making a dent. Delia was what she was.
"Look, I need those contacts. And you're the only one that can get them for me."
The man sat staring out the window. He would do anything to help Delia but sending her to certain death
wasn't something he could abide. He knew she would never give up fighting the good fight. No amount of
talking would ever change her mind. Delia was as headstrong as they come. They were alike in that respect.
She was after all his daughter.
Delicato sat in the less-than-average diner staring at the table. It wasn't exactly dirty but clean was
a fair few paces away. She looked around the establishment. Just her, an old man reading the paper
and a trucker finishing his breakfast. Pretty dead for nearly noon. Maybe that's why she was here.
An older gentleman enters and walks to the counter. He places an order, smiles at the waitress and
turns to scan the entire place. He eyes Delicato hard but her back is to him. She seems lost in her
own world. He walks over and sits in the booth across from her. Their eyes connect and he smiles.
She doesn't.
"I'm at least as big a fool as you are." he said, looking her up and down.
"Well, you did pick this diner." she snapped back.
"The story hasn't changed. I still can't help you." said the man as he removed his cap.
"That's not what a girl wants to hear after driving six hours."
His coffee arrives and he thanks the waitress. She looks down at Delia and smiles but Delia
pays her no mind. The lady walks away without speaking.
"So that's it? I come all this way for nothing?"
"No. I wanted to see you." he said, taking a drink from his cup.
"Well this was fucking grand!" she said as she scooted from the booth.
"Hold your horses!" the man replied.
Delia stopped and scooted back in. She moved her near empty coffee cup out of the way and leaned
forward resting her folded arms onto the table. Staring out the window, then at the old man.
"Aren't you tired of it yet?" he asked, stirring creamer into his coffee.
"Of what?"
"Chasing blood trails." he offered.
"It's what I know."
"It's what's gonna get you killed!" the man said now looking up into her eyes.
"Shitty coffee and a lecture. So glad I came!"
"What are you now, thirty-five? You got your whole life in front of you - "
Delia cut him off.
"I seriously don't need this!" she said leaning back with her arms crossed.
"Why don't you go back to Dallas and put in for a desk job? Break a few pencils, wad up some
printer paper and before you know it; retirement!"
Delia cracked a smile and laughed lightly.
"Yeah, and I can put on twenty pounds, find a nice man, spit out a couple brats and my life will
be complete! Right? That the tired line of bullshit you came here to drop?"
"At least you wouldn't end up a burned corpse in some Mexican border town!" he said with more volume.
The waitress and the old man at the counter reading his paper looked over. Delia's guest smiled at the
waitress and she grinned back. He wasn't even making a dent. Delia was what she was.
"Look, I need those contacts. And you're the only one that can get them for me."
The man sat staring out the window. He would do anything to help Delia but sending her to certain death
wasn't something he could abide. He knew she would never give up fighting the good fight. No amount of
talking would ever change her mind. Delia was as headstrong as they come. They were alike in that respect.
She was after all his daughter.
