Loque Bella

It was Friday night and Loque Bella was working her usual 01 to 06 shift. It was around 03 in the morning and the diner was empty; the only people there were her and the cook who was in the kitchen watching a football game on the small TV mounted in the corner on the wall, whilst she was sitting behind the counter flipping through a fashion magazine, wishing she looked as beautiful as the women in it. Loque Bella was stunning but she never saw it and she definitely never felt it. The large thick frame glasses she wore on her face made her feel unattractive and the fact that she couldn't afford make up to make herself look even a little better didn't help either.

Just then the door swung open and hitting the bell at the top, Loque Bella lifted her head and there was a woman walking in. She was about sixty years old and was wearing a wholly blanket over her long brown dress; she looked somewhat homeless. Her name was Gorette.

"Good morning?" Loque Bella said closing the magazine.

"Good morning child," Gorette responded; her voice hoarse like she hadn't had a drink of water in days.

"How can I help you?" she asked coming out from behind the counter to meet her.

"May I please sit down?"

"Of course," she said and Gorette sat down in one of the booths, giving out a heavy sigh.

"Uh that's better."

"What can I get you?"

"I . . . I don't have any money. What do you have that is free?" Gorette asked.

"A cup of coffee."

"Great I will have that."

"Are you not hungry?" Loque Bella asked.

"Oh my darling, you have no idea how hungry I am. I haven't eaten in days but I have not even a single coin on me. I can't afford to buy anything."

"Right, let me get you that coffee."

"Thank you dear," Gorette said and Loque Bella went to prepare her a big cup of coffee; pouring some milk into it and even adding a few tiny marshmallows. She then put it on a tray and delivered it to her and looking down at the tray Gorette's face lit a little up. "Uh what is this?"

"You said you were hungry so I cut you a pie of apple pie."

"No darling, I have no money I can't afford this, you have to take it back."

"It's on the house," Loque Bella said.

"What?"

"It's on the house."

"Oh my dear, that is so so kind of you. I'm sorry hungry. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Loque Bella said and Gorette immediately dug in. "If you need anything else just let me know o.k., I'm by the counter," she then said and walked way.

"Wait." Loque Bella stopped and turned back to her.

"Yes."

"Would you mind sitting down and keeping me company?"

"Uh . . . Not at all sure," she said and sat down opposite her.

"Do you want a bite of my pie?"

"Oh no it's fine, I just ate thank you."

"Right," Gorette said and ate on; as Loque Bella watched her for a bit and then turned her head to the window to look outside at the full moon. A faint smile grew on her face as she looked on and got lost in its gorgeous yellow light. "I love it too," she then said and Loque Bella turned to her.

"Sorry?"

"The moon . . . I love it too."

"It's just so beautiful. Every time I look at it it just brings this weird happiness inside of me, like . . . Like it's speaking to me you know," Loque Bella said.

"What does it say?"

"No it's stupid," she said chuckling.

"Go on tell me, I would love to hear it."

"You promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise," Gorette said.

"It tells me that one day I will find a place where I truly belong. That I won't be this nobody for the rest of my life and that I will finally find the happiness that I have been looking for my whole life."

"Oh darling, that's so beautiful."

"You don't think it's weird that I get all that just by looking at the moon?"

"Not at all; if you can hear the moon speaking to you then you must be very special."

"Or just really weird, it's a thin line," Loque Bella said and they laughed.

"What is your name child?"

"Loque Bella."

"Oh what a lovely name, what does it mean?" Gorette asked.

"I have no idea." They chuckled. "All I know is that my mother, whoever she was, left a request in a letter that whoever adopted me should name me Loque Bella."

"Your mother gave you away?"

"Yes she did. Right when I was born," she said.

"Oh sweetheart, I am so sorry."

"Yeah."

"I'm sure she did what was best for you," Gorette said.

"So they told me," she said and silence swept for a moment.

"Did you find a good foster home?"

"I did; I got adopted by the Henry's and they were so nice. They gave me everything I needed and they never missed a chance to tell me they loved me; life was good, I couldn't have dreamed of it being any better. But then one night, an accident happened and my whole world went dark. I lost my guardians and I lost everything that made my life the special thing it was. And just like that everything changed. They told me that if anything happened to them that I'd be taken care of but it seems someone greased the lawyers because when the will came out, my name was nowhere in it. I got kicked out of my own home with not so much as change to pay for the bus. It's been five years and I have been fending for myself ever since."

"Oh my darling I am so sorry," Gorette said.

"I used to hear talks about them not liking me and not considering me family but I didn't think they would go as far as writing me out of the will and abandoning me. No one hugged me, no one wished me well, no one even walked me out to make sure I made it to the bus stop o.k. they just stood there and watch me leave and that was it."

"That is such a sad story," she said, with a hand to her chest even.

"It's alright, that's life right. Sometimes it knocks you down and sometimes it really knocks you down but whatever, you just dust yourself off and you keep going."

"Such a brave girl. I know the Henry's are looking down on you and are so proud of who you've become."

"Are they really? There's nothing to my life," Loque Bella said tearing up.

"Uh uh don't you dare say that about yourself, nothing to your life, you're alive, that's something."

"Yes but look at my life, I'm a waitress who gets paid scraps. I live in a worn out one room apartment because I get paid scraps. I can't get a better job because I didn't finish high school; this is my life and this is all it will ever be."

"What if I told you you could be so much more?"

"Listen lady I like you but I am not selling my soul to you," she said and they chuckled. "Things are bad but things are not that bad." They chuckled on.

"Worry not your soul is safe."

"Thank you."

"But it is lost," Gorette said.

"Tell me about it; every day I wake up feeling empty, like there is so much more to my life but I have absolutely no idea how to access it. Like there's a huge part of me missing and I don't know where that part of me is."

"I do."

"You do what?" Loque Bella asked.

"I know where that missing part of you is."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," Gorette responded.

"Where is it?"

"Not where my darling . . . When," she said and Loque Bella just sat there looking at her with a wondered look on her face. Did she just say when? What was she going on about?