Page 55 of The Presidents Shadow

THE SUNNYTIME DINER would fit perfectly in, say, Kansas or South Dakota. The place has five twirling counter stools covered in fake-marbled plastic. There are four booths for customers, and there’s not only a Coca-Cola dispenser but also one devoted exclusively to Orange Crush.

At three o’clock in the morning, six people are squeezed into a booth designed to accommodate four.

Maddy has a tale to tell, and Mama-Girl suggested they move away from their “office” and settle in Sunnytime… what she calls “the break room.” Then she adds, “A good story is always improved by a plate of great flapjacks and shitty coffee.”

Everyone agreed, and the group is about to collectively destroy twenty-five pancakes and three carafes of coffee. When Maddy surveys the crowded table, she can’t keep herself from counting that among them all, they’re about to consume twenty-five pancakes.

Although Maddy is paying, she’s not eating. These girls need the food more than she does, and besides—her job here is to talk.