Neighbourhood Talk

Some things change

4.7 Linda West

Spring 1996, Cinema

While chatting with Mae, Linda almost forgot she wanted to meet her best friend at the cinema, where Delilah worked at the food booth. Despite that, she was still a little early, and she almost ran into the visitors waiting in line to get their snacks ready before the movie started.

Linda waved to her friend: "Hey, Dee!"

Delilah showed a bright smile, but gestured that she still had to finish her customers.

"Here's your latte, Mam", she said, handing the cup to a middle-aged woman in a hideous old fashioned dress.

Linda watched her working through the remaining people. In about five minutes she served them all.

"So, what have you been up to?", Delilah asked finally, "how is your dissertation going?"

"Ugh... Sadly not as well as I would like too. That old guy is trashing me with lab work!", Linda replied. The last few experiments went well, but she found hardly any time to review her notes.

"You'll do fine!", Delilah said cheerfully.

Linda sighed, she wasn't as convinced as her friend.

"Hello, ehh..", a male voice interrupted her thoughts. He seemed to focus Delilah's chest for a second, then continued after he figured out her name tag: "Delilah?"

"Can I have a chocolate chip cookie?", he asked.

"Sorry", Delilah replied with her professional appologetic tone, "these are sold out now. How about a sandwich?"

"No thanks, I wanted to have something sweet...", the man said.

After thinking for about a second, he added; "could I pick you up after your shift instead? I know a great place to go!"

"Huh? ..sure...", Delilah answered.

Linda saw that he caught her by surprise. That would be the only explanation anyone would agree after getting maybe the lamest pick up line in history, no?