Just as the man promised, there was a diner down the road. Guy pulled into the parking lot and found a space in the shade. Ruby seemed disinterested in coming with him, so he left the side door open so she could hop in and out as she pleased. She was a dog used to riding in a motorcycle sidecar, savvy enough to dart in and out of his apartment window, and, after her behavior at the motel, Guy was not worried about her running off. As he left the van, he thought to grab the map. It would be good to study the route while he ate.

​

Guy crossed the parking lot toward a door marked Diner North. At first, he thought the place was locked, as the way inside would not budge. After several docile attempts to rattle and pull the handle, he used the strength of both arms and pushed open the heavy glass to enter the establishment.

​

The diner was bustling in sharp contrast to the stillness of the town’s main street. Nearly every table and a generous row of barstools was occupied. Old and young, they chatted noisily between sips of coffee and toast bites. The air smelled heavily of grease and bacon. Guy’s mouth watered with anticipation. He found the last booth empty, save for a local paper, and slid onto the bench facing the restaurant so he could observe.

​

From his position at the back, he detected one waitress working. Despite the hustle and bustle, the dirty plates, and the cluttered countertop, she seemed oddly pristine. She swung from table to table as though contained in an effervescent bubble, smiling as coffee swooshed around inside a glass carafe with an orange plastic top. There was an upside-down mug on the table, and Guy turned it over to signal his interest in a fill of the brew.

​

Despite Guy estimating her age at fifty, the woman seemed to glow with an unmistakable aura of youth. Her hair was a golden mass of curls, and her cheeks seemed brushed with a kiss of rosy color. Her makeup perfectly complemented the pink uniform that hugged her body through the waist and hips before fanning into an A-line that swirled as she floated around the diner.

​

Within moments, she passed him a laminated, single-page menu. She filled his cup, handed him two sugars and two creamers, spun on her toes, and set off without saying a word. She returned in an appropriate amount of time with a tiny pad and silver pencil whose tip was the shape of a star. She indicated her readiness for his order by cocking her head slightly as she looked directly at him.

​

“What will you be having today, Guy?” Her white teeth sparkled when she smiled.

​

“I will have number five, please,” he replied.

​

“Are you sure about that?” she asked. “Our special is divine. And you’ll need extra energy with the day you have ahead.”

He nodded in agreement, not because he wanted the special but because he was speechless, stunned, and inclined to obey. The waitress winked with one long flutter of an eyelash and was gone. He watched her as she passed inside the counter and through the swinging doors into the kitchen.

​

She returned a while later with a plate of hot eggs fried over easy, pancakes and syrup, two links of sausage, a slice of watermelon, a segment of orange, and seasoned home fries. She delicately slid the plate underneath Guy’s nose so no item rolled out of its appointed place. Guy ate every last morsel of the delicious food. He had not realized how hungry he was.

​

She returned at the perfect moment to refresh his coffee, sliding an extra creamer and sugar alongside the mug.

“Looks like you were right about the special being the thing for me,” he offered bashfully.

​

“A good waitress always knows,” she said as she placed a small Styrofoam container beside his plate. “This is for that sweet little girl you have outside. She is lovely.”

​

“You mean Ruby?” Guy asked.

​

“Of course, silly.” She giggled. “A young pup needs her strength, too.”

​

“I’m taking her on a trip,” he indicated, unfolding his map on the table. He wasn’t sure why he had told her. Guy watched as she traced her long, manicured finger across the route marked by the motel man in yellow highlighter.

​

“To New York City,” she noted, “is quite the adventure. Just follow the signs, and you’ll get there.” She must have sensed his puzzlement. “You may feel lost and misplaced for now, but there is no need to worry. Your journey will be quite enlightening, I’m sure.” She placed a black plastic tray marked VISA on the table. It contained his upside-down check.

​

“A word of wisdom,” she began, closing her eyes to recite the words: “For long you live, and high you fly. / The smiles you’ll give and tears you’ll cry. All you touch and all you see / Is all your life will ever be.”[1] She paused with her eyes closed in pensive reflection before her great lashes sprung open. “Pretty, isn’t it?” She sighed. “Pink Floyd from the song ‘Breathe.’”

Guy nodded as though he already knew the source.

​

“Here.” She pointed to an exurb in the bottom right corner of the local newspaper leftover from the last occupant. There, Guy discovered her quote printed in prominent, bolded ink. She gently coaxed the words away from the remaining paper with a careful tear and handed the clipping to him.

​

“It’s the saying of the week. Take it with you to remember when things become unclear,” the waitress advised.

​

He picked up the square of paper to study the saying more closely. As he did so, the waitress bid him farewell. “Goodbye, Guy. Travel safely.”

​

“Wait.” He stopped her. “How do you know my name?”

​

She said nothing, her bee-stung lips pressing together softly. She offered a subtle wink before seeming to float behind the swinging kitchen doors. Guy waited a moment or two for her to reemerge. When she did not, he gave up, shrugging his shoulders as he flipped over the bill and paid what he owed. In typical diner fashion, she wrote a little note in bubble cursive at the top right corner of the bill.

​

Until we met again, Glinda from Diner North😊

​

He folded the map and stood to leave, almost forgetting the carefully torn quotation. He grabbed it so hastily that the paper slipped out from underneath his fingers, swaying like a feather in the breeze, until it met the sticky floor. As it fell, it became inverted, revealing the details of the flip side. Guy bent down and retrieved it, pleased that it was not soiled. He scanned the advertisement, which was also written in bold.

​

Does your pet seem to have something to say?

​

Do you want to know their most profound thoughts?

​

Get answers from world-renowned spiritual and animal communicator Dr. Greg Osmond. E-MAIL ME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS.

​

Or visit me in my Marvel Studio in New York, New York.

​

Doc Aus, the Australian veterinarian.

​

Guy folded the torn piece of paper in half and tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans. He gathered the Styrofoam container and left the diner with the yellow-routed map securely in his hand. In contrast to Guy’s difficulty entering the diner, his exit was effortless. As he passed the doorway, bells chimed a friendly jingle as he stepped away from the establishment and returned to Toto and Ruby.

 

[1] (David Jon Gilmour 1973) Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s high school yearbook quote taken from Pink Floyd’s Breathe (In The Air)