A prompt a week - 42. Tony's First Day of Vacation - Prompt 566

Tony had gotten up before the sun had even risen. It was the first day of his vacation and he didn’t want to waste it.

He tossed a change of clothes into his old knapsack and figured he would hike across the city, maybe climb some of the hills overlooking the water. He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do yet. He slipped on his hiking boots, slipped his keys and wallet into his knapsack, and marched out of the house.

The early morning fog clung to him like a damp second skin. He was determined that the weather wouldn’t stop him. In fact, the fog began to lift about forty minutes into his hike. It was as he was reaching the base of Morris Avenue that he ran into trouble. Morris ended at Water Mountain Parkway. The parkway, as he used to joke with anyone who would listen, cut a path from the lake up to the beginning of the mountains. To the north were fewer houses and it became mostly woods until you came to the hotels that hikers used in summer and skiers used in winter. However, if you followed the parkway south you’d end up down by lake and the boardwalks. It was much more crowded near the lake as most people used the crystal blue water for wedding pictures, parties, and an escape from summer heat, or winter boredom. He looked to the west and could just make out some dark clouds, but figured he could handle a little rain if it came.

Tony decided he would head up into the mountains. As he began to hike up the parkway a car pulled close to the edge of the roadway and nearly hit him. Before Tony could become upset, he spotted a skunk that seemed agitated. A kit soon appeared, followed by an entire surfeit of skunks. The mother appeared to take up a defensive stance, so Tony turned and began to run in the opposite direction as fast as he could. He glanced over his shoulder to see if he was far enough away, didn’t see the rock, stepped on it wrong, and fell. He hurt his knee, but instinctively protected his face thereby breaking his watch.

“Damn it,” Tony muttered as he noticed his watch. The real pain hit as he went to stand and put pressure on his swollen knee. He nearly collapsed from the sudden pain. He hobbled over to the guardrail and sat on it as the rain began to fall.

“Great. Thanks so much,” he said sarcastically as he looked up at the sky.

As if in response, the rain began to fall heavily making it nearly impossible to see more than a foot in front of you. In seconds everything Tony was wearing was soaking wet.

Tony sat there getting cold and depressed. With the rain coming down in buckets there was no one on the roadway. He could already smell the scent of wet earth, and the amount of water flowing down the parkway would already make travel hazardous.

Just as Tony figured he would be stuck a blue Volkswagen bug slowed to a stop before him. The window rolled down slowly. “You ok? Need a lift?”

Gingerly, Tony hobbled over to the car. ”If the you don’t mind. I hurt my knee. If you can get me down near lake, I can get home from there.”

The door popped open and an elderly woman with bright green eyes waved to Tony. “Get your ass in the car before you drown. Name’s Alice. Don’t worry about the seat, it’ll dry,”

“Thanks. I’m Tony,” he said as he carefully maneuvered into the car.

Alice started the car back up and began inching her way down the parkway. “So, Tony, what kind of fool goes out hiking in this kind of weather?”

Tony really didn’t want to distract her with as heavy as it was raining, but she kept glancing over when he didn’t answer. “I didn’t check the weather and figured, since it was the first day of my vacation, I’d get out and exercise. See some sites around town and just enjoy myself.

Alice shook her head and giggled. “And people say I’m crazy going for food in this!”

“Food?” Tony looked at Alice then back at the road.

“Yeah. Need groceries, but also stop at Carmel Diner for breakfast. I love their peanut butter chocolate waffles.”

The parkway''s sharp slope altered as it came to a gentle turn, becoming Main Street before it turned again and crossed the bridge over the lake before ending at the crossroad of county highway 621. The diner was almost in the middle of the town, built so it overlooked the lake. The diner was a staple in most people’s lives as a meeting place, a place to hangout, eat, and gossip.

Alice pulled into the parking lot of the dinner.

“Hope this is good for you, Tony,” Alice commented as she reached into the back seat and grabbed her umbrella.

“It’s fine. Thanks for the lift.” He slowly slid out of the car and toward the bright awning over the door.

Pop. The umbrella opened over Alice as she opened her door. She exited the car and locked it. “Careful!” She shouted at Tony as she ran around the deeper puddles and headed inside.

The cold rain soaked into his already wet clothes as he carefully stumbled to the door. Once inside, Maureen, him to the counter to sit. Maureen had gone to school with him and just shook her head as took in his appearance.

“Damn it, Tony. You fall into the lake?” Maureen asked as she watched the puddle forming around Tony’s feet.

“No. I avoided the lake, but still nearly drowned.”

Maureen chuckled. “Take a seat at the end. I’ll try to find you a towel and at least a dry shirt. You want something?”

Shivering Tony looked at Maureen. “A cup of coffee would be a godsend. A breakfast platter will have me kissing you.”

“Flattery will get you no where, Tony Kincaid.” Maureen smiled and disappeared into the back.

Tony sat near the end of the counter. He spotted Alice at a table with a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice already in front of her. She waved when she spotted Tony.

Maureen was back out a few moments later with a cup of coffee in one hand and a large plastic bag in the other. “There is a towel and a large Carmel Diner shirt. Go hit the bathroom and change. Want me to call Dillon?”

Tony blushed. Dillon had been his best friend all through school and now worked as a local sheriff. Tony had let his friendship fade because he didn’t want to make Dillon’s life difficult, being the gay friend.

“No, thanks anyway, Maureen. Don’t want to inconvenience anyone.” Tony shuffled off to change. He returned as dry as he could get, and sat down, just as Maureen arrived with his breakfast platter.

He was just getting into his meal when a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to find Dillon standing there in his uniform.

“Finish eating, Tony. Then I’ll take you home, where you and I can have a long overdue conversation.”

Tony swallowed hard and looked over at Maureen.

Maureen smiled and waved, before turning to help her next customer.