”I shouldn’t have come here...” Jo thought as she starred out the window of her car towards the diner that her and Piper had frequented in a past reality. Jo had gotten up at 5am and driven 3 hours across the state in the hopes of maybe catching a glimpse of Piper on this chilly Sunday morning in April. “I wish I could get you out of my head...” Jo took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as she closed her eyes and pictured Piper’s smiling face. ”I can’t believe I broke up with Riley for a... A memory of person that I’ve never met... At least not in this life...” Jo opened her eyes and looked down at her keys hanging out of the steering column. ”If I don’t go in there... I’ll regret it.” Jo thought pulling the keys from the ignition and getting out of her car.
As soon as she shut the car door Jo was hit by a cold gust of wind. Flipping her curly black hair back over her shoulder, Jo looked up at the dark menacing sky. ”The storm will be here soon...” Jo grabbed the zipper of her rain jacket and pulled it up to her chin. ”At least I got here before it hit.” Jo thought as she hurried across the parking lot to the entrance of the small diner.
Pushing open the entrance doors and stepping inside the diner Jo was immediately hit by an odd familiarity. The diner looked and smelled just like she remembered it from her past realities, but having never been there in this reality something about the diner was just slightly different. ”This feels so weird...” Jo eye's quickly checked the booths, tables, and the bar for Piper’s presence. ”She’s not here...” Jo felt her heart sink. ”But it is still early...” Jo looked up at the clock on the wall that read 8:45am and then over to the bar. ”I guess I’ll get something to eat while I wait.” Jo hung her rain jacket on the rack near the entrance and sat down at the bar.
A woman in her late 50s poked her head out from the kitchen. “I’ll be with you in a moment sweetie.” The waitress said before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Jo’s eyes lingered briefly on the door to the kitchen before she glanced back over her shoulder to make sure Piper hadn’t magically snuck in on her. ”Damn...” Jo’s internal monologue groaned at the absence of Piper. Turning her attention back to the bar in front of her Jo grabbed a sugar packet and began to fiddle with it while her knee bounced up and down as she sat on the barstool.
“Alright sweetie, do you need a menu or do you know what you want to order?” The waitress asked stepping back out from the kitchen.
Having been to the diner countless times in a past reality Jo knew exactly what she wanted. “Can I get a western omelette with hash browns and an English muffin... umm... and a water... O and a coffee please!” Jo looked up and smiled at the waitress.
“Absolutely.” The woman said as she scribbled Jo’s order onto a ticket. “We’ll get that right out.” The woman said sliding the ticket over the counter and into the kitchen.
”And now I guess I wait.” Jo pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and began browse Reddit while she waited.
After several minutes of browsing through memes, fiddling with her hair, and sipping on coffee the waitress brought Jo her omelette. ”O! That tastes so good!” Jo raved after taking her first bite. The deliciousness of the omelette helped to offset the sadness that had begun to consume Jo’s body. She’d been there for 20 minutes and still no Piper.
As the omelette on Jo’s plate grew smaller and smaller, each bite seemed to bring less and less joy to Jo. ”I’m not going to see her... I’ll probably never see her again...” Jo lamented in her head as she poked the half eaten English muffin with her fork. Hearing the door open Jo glanced over her shoulder to see an attractive blonde college girl walk in followed by her boyfriend. ”Ugh...” Jo groaned in her head. Each time someone other than Piper walked in it felt like someone was stabbing Jo in the heart.
”STRAIGHT BLONDE HAIR!” A voice in Jo’s consciousness announced.
”I choose to revert back.” Jo responded immediately in her head. 50 seconds later Jo’s hair straightened and turned blonde, but Jo paid no attention to it. She knew her hair would be back to it’s normal raven black color and curliness in just a few moments. Jo’s wish to circumvent Sarah’s curse had worked as planned and since that wish Jo had only acquired one new attribute. That attribute was Zoe’s self positivity, which helped Jo to fully come to terms with her new reality. ”Piper...” Jo lamented in her mind as her straight blonde hair reverted to it’s normal curliness and raven black color.
As the clock on the wall continued to slowly tick and the remaining bits of food on Jo’s plate grew cold, the storm finally arrived. Rumbles of thunder and flashes of lighting fit Jo’s mood as she sat there sipping on her coffee and drinking her water. ”I’m an idiot for thinking this would work...” Jo’s sighed and glanced up at the clock. ”It’s been an hour and half... I should just go...” The thought of leaving made Jo want to start crying, but she held it together. Reaching for the check that sat in front of her Jo heard the door open. Not wanting to be disappointed Jo focused on the check instead of the new customer. Another bolt of lighting cracked in the sky and sound of the wind howling against the diner filled Jo’s ears. ”Of course the worst part of the storm hits when I’m going to leave...”
“I’ll be with you in a moment sweetie.” The waitress yelled over to the new customer.
Hearing the waitress say sweetie perked Jo up. Out of curiosity Jo glanced over her shoulder towards a window booth and there sat Piper all by her self. ”PIPER!” Jo shouted in her head. Jo’s eyes darted back to the coffee in front of her and heart began to race. ”O my god... O my god... She’s here! I can’t believe she’s here!!!” Jo covered her mouth with her hand to try to hide her excitement. Taking a moment to gather her wits Jo glanced back over her shoulder to confirm that it was indeed Piper.
”It is her!” Jo exclaimed. ”But she looks so sad...” Jo turned back to her coffee to try and process what was going on. ”The only time I ever saw her like that was when her grandfather died... O my god I hope everyone is alright...” The image of Piper’s gloomy face hung in Jo’s mind.
”SADNESS!” A voice in Jo’s consciousness announced.
”Shit! I choose to revert back.” Jo responded immediately in her head as she readied herself for the brief hurricane of sadness that was about to consume her body. ”What is going on with her?” Jo asked herself trying to comprehend why Piper would be so sad and look disheveled. Piper had never been one to go all out with her makeup or clothes, but seeing her sans-makeup and wearing ill-fitting sweats was out of character for the Piper that Jo could remember. ”What the hell is going...” Suddenly the sadness that was consuming Piper hit and Jo did her best not to start bawling her eyes out. ”Why?..” The sadness was so raw and self-loathing that Jo struggled to comprehend what had happened to Piper to make her feel that way. Jo closed her eyes as her head slumped forward. ”I’m worthless... I don’t matter...” Negative thoughts swirled through Jo’s brain as she experienced Piper’s bitter self loathing sadness.
As quickly as the sadness had hit Jo, it disappeared. ”What is going on with her?” Jo asked herself as see wiped a tear from her eye. Glancing over her shoulder at Piper a bolt of lighting cracked outside. ”You poor thing...” Jo watched on as the waitress took Piper’s order. ”I have to go over there...” Jo turned back to look at the check in front of her. ”But I shouldn’t... I just wanted to see Piper... I didn’t want to inject myself into her life... But I mean...” Jo pictured Piper’s sad face. ”No... No I’m going over there to see what’s going on.” A series of memories of Jon and Piper ran through Jo’s head. ”All of the times that she took care of me and lifted me up when I was at my lowest... It’s time for me to pay her back.”
The waitress picked up the check and Jo’s card as she walked past with Piper’s order. A couple minutes later she returned with Jo’s card and the receipt. “Hey is it fine if I take my coffee over to that booth?” Jo asked the waitress. “I don’t want to drive in this storm and she looks like she could use a friend.”
“Absolutely.” The waitress smiled at Jo and leaned closer. “That poor girl could use a friend right now.”
Jo took a couple deep breaths as she fiddled with her curly hair. ”Do it!” Jo told herself as she got up from the stool with her coffee in hand. As Jo approached the booth that Piper sat in, Piper paid Jo no attention. Instead she sat there starring out the window like a broken soul. “Hi...” Jo said in a somber tone as she reached the booth. “Do you care if sit here?” Jo glanced down at the booth and then back to Piper who had finally turned her head to look at Jo. “I was going to head home... But this storm is bad and I have a long drive home... So could I sit here with you while I wait it out?”
Piper’s sullen eyes studied the statuesque stranger that had approached her booth. “Sure...” She said in a meek voice as her eyes drifted back to the window and the storm raging outside.
“Thanks.” Jo said sitting down in the booth and sliding over to the end just like Piper. Piper briefly made eye contact with Jo from across the table before looking back out the window. “That’s quite the storm.” Jo said softly as the trees in the parking lot shook from side to side in the wind.
For the next 10 minutes or so, nothing was said. Piper and Jo both sat in the booth studying the storm through the window. Other than Jo occasionally taking a drink of coffee and Piper taking a drink of her water, the two were practically motionless. From the waitress’ vantage point the two young women looked like they belonged in a sad oil painting.
“Why?” Piper looked at Jo. “I don’t get it... Was this a bet? Why did you come sit with me?” Piper’s voice trembled.
At first Jo said nothing. She just sat there studying Piper’s intense hazel eyes. Jo had always loved how Piper’s eyes complimented her auburn hair and delicate facial features. “Look...” Jo paused as a memory of Jon and Piper played in her head. “I don’t know what your going through right now and it’s not my business... But it’s pretty clear that whatever it is... Well it’s not good.” Jo began to nervously fiddle with a lock of her curly black hair. “And even though I don’t know you... Seeing someone as down as you are breaks my heart... So I just wanted to give you some company while you deal with whatever it is that you are going through right now...” Jo paused and took a deep breath. “A friend of mine once told me to never weather a storm all alone or you’ll get lost in the darkness...” Jo’s voice began to waver. “That friend helped to guide me through some rough patches in my life, and well... You looked like you could use a friend to help hold the light for you so you don’t lost in the darkness...” Jo’s eyes drifted down to the coffee cup in front of her.
“I see...” Piper said looking down at her glass of water. The two sat there in silence for a couple of minutes before Piper finally looked back up at Jo. “I’m Piper. It’s nice to meet you.” Piper extended her delicate hand across the table towards Jo and did her best to muster a small smile.
Piper’s smile sent a rush of endorphins through Jo’s body. “I’m Jo.” Jo said smiling back and shaking Piper’s petite hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.” The two sat there for a brief moment with their eyes locked on one another and a small smile on each of their faces. "Your eyes are fascinating...” Jo immediately glanced down at her coffee. “Sorry if that was a bit...” Jo quit talking when she looked back up to see Piper was still smiling at her.
“Thank you Jo...” Piper let out a sigh and leaned back in the booth. “I needed that...” A thunderous boom caused both women to glance out the window. “Well... You wanna know?” Piper asked refocusing her attention on Jo.
“Know?” Jo was slightly confused by Piper’s question.
“You wanna know why I've been so sad?” Jo nodded yes. “I found out Thursday that my NOW ex-boyfriend was cheating on me...” Piper ran her slender fingers through her short auburn hair. “I should have known...” Piper shook her head and then refocused her attention on Jo’s blue eyes. “Anyways... That’s why I’ve been so down...” She let out a deep sigh. “It just made me feel so worthless and so useless... Like I wasn’t worthy of love...” Piper’s face began to grow gloomy again. “So yeah...”
Jo sat there for a moment processing Piper’s words. “Everyone is worthy of being loved, but not everyone’s love is worth having. You just have to find someone whose love is worth having.” Jo smiled at Piper whose face was beginning to brighten back up.
“Thanks.” Piper’s face reddened a bit and a small smile returned to her face. “That’s a good philosophy to live by.”
“A wise woman told me that ages ago.” Jo said thinking back to a memory of Piper telling Jon the same thing in a past reality.
~ The End
