Table For One

The rain fell lightly on the windows of the old beat down diner. It’s nine o’clock. Ashley walks in a few minutes later than she usually does. Today she brought a yellow and white polka dotted umbrella and set it beside her.

The waitress stopped asking if she was expecting someone years ago.

Martha just brought the coffee and the slice of apple pie, setting them down with a soft click of the ceramic plate.

She never saw the empty chair across from her. She never stayed long enough to see why Ashley's eyes lit up every time she stared at the ghost sitting in front of her.

In Martha's eyes Ashley is a beautiful young woman in a floral dress. She sits alone in a dim booth talking to someone who isn't there. The diners' other staff had their opinions of Ashley too. To the cook, who was currently scraping the griddle with a metallic screech, Ashley was a curiosity. To the busser, Ashley was simply just crazy. No other opinions or theories came to his mind. Ashley is crazy. For several years Ashley had been a permanent part of the Friday night rush hour. Not that there were a lot of customers but Friday night is their busiest time. "You're late," Greg whispered. Ashley could almost feel the ghost of the breeze across her cheek. He wasn't wearing the uniform he'd left for. Instead he was wearing the slouchy linen suit he'd bought for their first anniversary. It made him look more like a poet rather than a postal clerk. He grinned a boyish grin at her. The one that always made her heart skip a beat. He reached out to cover her hand with his. Ashley couldn't feel the heat of his skin. Only the sudden sharp chill that she felt deep in her bones. She squeezed back anyway. "I know". Is all she says. She closed her eyes trying to anchor herself to him. They talked for twenty minutes about the small things. The fact that Ivy got in trouble at school for reading an inappropriate book. How Nasel had escaped from the pig pen and Ashley got knocked into the mud and ruined her brand new dress. They talked about the music shop and the new records that came in. She told him about the building that was just torn down to make more room for another shop. "I swear. This town gets smaller with every building that falls" "Yes" was all Ashley said. Greg talked hurriedly. He was trying to memorize the world through her eyes. He spoke about a home he would love to own one day far off in the valley. A big wrap around porch. A garden with lots of snapdragons. Two beautiful old rocking chairs on the porch. In Greg's mind, he painted his future with vivid strokes of imagination. Though he wanted these things, he knew he only wanted them if Ashley could be a part of it. This dream of his was pierced seven years ago on a muddy dark road in France. In less than a minute, their life was gone. They were gone.