Destiny’s Diner - 1. Chapter 1

Tom sat alone in the busy roadside diner, pushing his half-eaten piece of pie around his cold plate. He’d never noticed this place before tonight, but the neon sign out front flashed, ‘We’re always open’, as he drove past, so he took a gamble and headed inside.

There was no rush to get home. Nobody was there waiting for him. Barbara moved out the same day she had the divorce papers served to him and since she left, Tom had been avoiding going home altogether.

The cinnamon sweet apples smelled good, but tonight, Tom just wasn’t hungry. He stared at his plate, lost in his own long thoughts.

“What can I help you with, Tom?” The friendly female voice echoed in the diner.

Not feeling particularly sociable, Tom kept his eyes fixed on the table, “I’ll just have another cup of coffee—Hey! How did you know my name?” His eyes shot up from the cold, uneaten dessert.

Tom gasped. Her flawless skin made it difficult to determine the woman’s age. The waitress could have been anywhere from her mid-twenties to almost fifty, he just couldn’t tell by looking at her. Her blonde hair was held back with golden clips strung together resembling a halo that circled around her head. The plastic name tag on her white lapel said, ‘Destiny.’

Giving him a gentle smile, she shrugged her narrow shoulders and said, “I guess you just look like a Tom. What else would you like this evening?”

Tom rubbed his fingers over his forehead and chuckled. “How about a chance to start all over again?”

“Is it really that bad?” She asked.

Nodding his dark head, “Yeah, I’ve made all the wrong choices in my life.”

Destiny refilled his cup and then placed the glass coffee-pot on the counter before settling into the chair across from him. She studied him for a second, “What if you could go back and change your past? What if you could change just one choice that you made…would you do it?”

Tom’s eyes suddenly sparkled, “Hell yes!” He blurted without hesitating.

“Are you sure, Tom? Every action in the past has a serious consequence in the future.”

“I know exactly what I would change.” Tom spoke. He had relived one particular decision, over and over in his mind for years.

Destiny listened to him.

"There was this boy, Brian McNalley, back in high school." Taking a deep breath, Tom's voice trembled as he continued. "I was really mean to him. If I could change one choice that I’ve made in my life, it would be the night of the homecoming pep rally.”

Destiny softly grinned at Tom, appearing to be surprise by his answer. Most people today were selfish and would change something to benefit themselves, but not Tom. He was thinking about correcting an injustice he caused to someone else, in his youth.

Tom couldn’t lift his eyes to face Destiny. Admitting that he was only ‘mean’ to Brian was a major understatement. He wanted to be honest with her, but he was too ashamed of what he had done to Brian.

Their senior year in high school, Tom and Brian had spent most of that eventful evening making out behind the school’s gymnasium. The autumn night was cold, but they didn’t feel the bitter chill as they got hot and heavy in a darkened corner away from prying eyes.

It was thrilling and taboo, but their brief encounter was over too soon.

Rejoining their classmates before anyone noticed that they were missing, Tom made his way up the crowed bleachers when Brian unexpectedly laced his fingers through Tom’s cold hand. Automatically jerking his hand away, Tom drew the attention of the entire student body.

Mouths suddenly gaped at seeing two teenage boys holding hands. The girls snickered, as guys voiced their disgust at the very sight of them. Tom panicked and pushed Brian away from him. The steep decline of the metal bleacher pitched Brian backwards as he fell into the crowd of students and tumbled down to gym floor below.

The crowd erupted in laughter and cheers of ridicule. Shouts of, ‘Faggot, and Go home queer,’ echoed off the walls.

Hot tears streamed down Brian’s frightened face. Before Tom could check and see if Brian was injured from the fall, trash was pelted at the already humiliated teenager. There was nothing Tom could do, but watch as Brian picked himself up off the floor and ran out of the school.

That was the very last time Tom ever saw Brian McNalley. There were lots of rumors that he moved out of state, a few of people said that he transferred to another school, and even worse, someone said that Brian quit school altogether. Tom never knew the truth for sure and honestly he was always too scared to ever ask any further.

Thinking about that night brought a familiar wave of nausea. Tom knew it well. It was that feeling that he got whenever he thought about the hurt look in Brian’s eyes.

Lost in his own pitiful thoughts of the past, Tom didn’t notice that Destiny got up from the table. “Great,” he grumbled, “I really am the most miserable person on earth.”

She left his bill for him on the table. It was face down, beside his pie plate. Embarrassed from reliving those moments from the past, Tom quickly fished out a couple of dollars out of his pocket as he turned the slip of paper over and noticed the elegant handwriting, “Tom, your order is on the house. Some choices can be changed, Destiny.”

Tom stared at the bill, “Excuse me, ma’am?” He suddenly stood up and looked around the room, but the woman was gone.

The diner was cold and silent. No music played in the background. The sounds of laughter and clicking dishes had disappeared. The dark and dreary dining room looked dirty as if it hadn’t been used in ages. The bright neon signs from out front were now missing. The diner was empty and appeared to have been abandoned years ago.

“What the hell?” Tom muttered under his breath as he quickly gathered his thoughts before rushing out of the dilapidated old diner.

***

Tom’s life was in shambles. His wife had left him, he was stuck in a dead-end job and now, he could add hallucinations to his downward spiral. Was he really losing his mind too?

Making his way through the suburbs, he steered the mini-van into the driveway of a picture perfect two-story house with a little white picket fence. Rows of identical homes flanked both sides of Tom and Barbara's home. The house was perfect. Flowers lined the perfect walkway, perfectly manicured lawns, even the bird bath was perfect. Tom closed his eyes and shook his head. If this was the American dream, then why the hell did every day here, feel like he was trapped in some unstoppable nightmare?

Barbara never understood how hard Tom tried to make this work. She was the one who insisted that he find a ‘real’ job right after college instead of trying to pursue his artwork. When she wanted to buy a minivan, he traded in his Mustang to keep her happy, but nothing Tom ever did could make him change the way he really felt inside.

Tom confessed his deepest, darkest secret to Barbara almost a year ago and life was never the same again.

The house was dark. There was nobody home. Tom chuckled. This place was more of a prison to him than it was ever a home. Tom dropped his briefcase beside the front door and left it where it landed. There was no point in turning on the lights as he made his way up to the bedroom. He was the only person here.

All he wanted to do was sleep. He convinced himself that his delusions were the result of stress and sleep deprivation. A couple of hours rest would do him good. Kicking his shoes off before flopping onto the cold unmade bed, Tom quickly drifted off to sleep.

***

Bacon! The delicious smell of bacon and coffee filled the morning air. Rubbing his blurry eyes, Tom tried to focus. The sheets felt silky against his bare skin.

“Wait a second,” he mumbled, realizing that he hadn’t bothered getting undressed when he crawled into bed last night. Glancing down at his boxer clad waist, he realized that not only were his clothes gone, but someone had changed the sheets too.

Barbara’s stark white sheets and comforter had been replaced with rich brown bedding with threads of gold, spun into the fabric.

“What is going on?”

Music was playing from somewhere beyond the door way, and that was when Tom noticed that the bedroom, where he’d just woken up, was not his own. Panicking, he jumped out of bed and ran his fingers through his hair. It felt shaggy and unfamiliar. Barbara would have a fit it Tom went too long between haircuts. How had his hair grown so fast overnight?

A sexy baritone voice joined the music at the chorus.

Tom shook his head. “Where am I?” he whispered. Unsure of what was happening, Tom pulled on the flannel pajama bottoms and t-shirt that were draped over the wooden footboard of the big bed. They fit his body perfectly as if they were his own.

The singing continued, so he followed the sound down to the kitchen in the center of a loft apartment. The wide open space looked as if it had been converted from a warehouse into upscale living space.

He didn’t know where he was, but it was definitely an artist’s loft. Several large comic book sketches, in various levels of completion, were displayed around the side of the apartment used as an art studio. The cels looked familiar. They were identical to the doodles that Tom drew, up until Barbara made him give up his dreams of becoming an artist.

Tom suddenly froze.

The man standing at the stove, crumbling bacon into a large omelet, was Brian McNalley! His pajama pants hung loosely from his trim hips. Tom watched the muscles flex across his bare back as he tended to the pan.

“Brian?” Tom breathed his name on trembling lips. The man glanced over his shoulder and smiled. It really was him.

Struggling to catch his breath, Tom felt lightheaded, but Brian didn’t notice. “Good morning, sleepy head. Why don’t you have a seat while I finish this up?”

The table was set for two. Tall glasses of orange juice, coffee, a bowl of mixed berries with nuts, as well as a stack of buttered toast, were already on the table waiting.

Tom couldn’t sit. His heart raced…his fingers twitched…he had to see if he was hallucinating again. Stepping behind Brian, he ran his hands over his broad shoulders. His skin was warm and tanned with a sprinkling of light brown freckles. The touch must have felt good because Brian moaned and leaned back into Tom’s touch.

It was amazing. The boy had become a man and he was really here, just inches away from him. Tom trembled with excitement as his hands slipped around Brian’s waist and he nuzzled his nose into the silky brown hair at the nape of his neck.

Feeling Tom’s erection pressing into his behind, Brian moaned, “Oh babe,” he gasped, “Keep that up and I just might have to call in sick today.” He removed the pan from the burner and set it aside. Breakfast would have to wait.

“Brian…” Tom was breathless, “I need you.”

Turning in his lovers arms, their lips met in a passionate kiss. Tom opened up to Brian, deepening their kiss, pressing their bodies closer together. Brian tried to pull back, to break their connection, but Tom wouldn’t let him go.

When Tom’s hungry lips trailed from Brian’s mouth to nibble along his neck and jaw, the throaty chuckles caused him to pause. “What has gotten into you this morning?” Brian asked. “You’re acting like a horny teenager getting laid for the first time.”

Tom didn’t want to lose the magic of the moment, but he had to know what had brought about this wonderful change to his life. “Do you remember that night back in high school, at the pep rally?”

Brian frowned at him for a second, confused by Tom’s questions. “Yeah, Tom, I’ll never forget what you did…”

Pulling him close, Tom started to beg for forgiveness.

“…that was the night you held my hand in front of the entire school.” Brian’s handsome face beamed as he smiled at Tom. “That simple choice changed my whole life.”

Gasping for air, Tom stood there trembling and unable to speak. Brian touched his cheek then ran his fingers through Tom’s dark hair, bringing his mouth back to Tom’s eager lips for another kiss.

Thanks for reading.  I hope you liked my twist on Destiny and the choices we make.  Just remember even if we can't change the past, we can always change the future!
Thanks again for reading,
KC