Prompt 10 of 31

The Writer's Book of Matches pg. 223 "While eating at the counter of a busy diner, a deaf man reads the lips of a fry cook who's telling a co-worker about the broken glass he folded into the omelet of a belligerent customer."

Start time: 11:19

"What're we doing here?" Garith said, as they stepped into the diner.

His sister, who had been looking at her feet, bumped into his back and nearly knocked him down.

Derrick strode in with all the confidence of the world and looked at him.

"Are you both okay?" Derrick asked.

Janithyn half smiled and nodded her head. Her black hair hanging like curtains about her face.

"I'll be fine," Garith said, waving his hand through the air to dismiss the topic.

"Do vampires eat food?" Garith said.

Derrick looked around nervously. He put one hand on Garith's shoulder and a finger on his lips. HIs friend pulled his head away and rubbed the bottom half of his face.

"Damn you're cold," He said.

"Be quiet," Jan said, "You don't want to give it away. Do you know what these people would do to him?"

She glanced around the diner.

Everyone in the joint was engrossed in their own lives not even paying attention to the strange patrons that had entered. Derrick nodded with approval and walked to the last booth and slid in. Garith took the other side and Jan stood at the end for a moment before she took a spot next to her brother.

"So the book wasn't at your place," Derrick spat out. He rubbed his cheek and blinked furiously as his mind processed and formed a new plan.

"What do you think could have happened to it?" Jan said. She brushed her hair behind her ear.

Derrick shrugged.

"At this point I don't know."

"How are you even sure that this book could have undone," Garith struggled to explain without stating the obvious. He gestured at Derrick with his right. "This."

"I went to see a psychic."

Garith rolled his eyes.

"You have got to be kidding." He said. His brow met above his hooked nose. "They're nothing but phonies, charlatains, and fakes. DOn't believe a word they say. There advice is as useless as... Well, I don't know what but it's not worth a damn."

"I understand that," Derrick said, "But it was the only thing I could think of."

A commotion drew the attention of the friends to the opposite end of the café. An unkempt man had trapsed into the establishment with two of his friends, his arms draped around their shoulders. It was obvious by the dull expression with a pirate's smile that he was three sheets to the wind. His friends weren't as far gone but just as annoying. They were talking too loud and making far more noise that was necessary.

"Where the hostess," the drunkest of the three said.

The waitress behind the counter attempted to get their attention to no avail.

"You seat yourself," one of the patrons said.

The two others had been locked in a giggle fest of a joke of their own and no one heard him.

Finally after more needless explanation they took a seat. Much to derrick's dismay it was next to them.

"Great," Garith said.

"Ignore them," Jan said in her usual quiet way.

The three tried to do just that but the moment the conversation found some sort of potential destination the three men would begin to hoot and holler, banging their fists on the table. When the waitress finally took their order one of them grabbed her ass, and when she jerked away from his rough hand she neglected to think of the other on the opposite side of him. He instead slid his hand up her dress.

"Excuse me, sir," she said, pointing her pencil threateningly in his direction.

The three men burst out laughing. The whole situation was a hilarious joke to them.

"I wonder what they're like when they're not wasted," Derrick said, more for himself.

"Exactly the same I Imagine," Garith said.

Derrick thought back on his living life. He had been one of those guys at some point or another. Liquor did things to him he couldn't quite explain. It was dark and wonderful and made every one of his pains disappear. Now if he wanted to drink it would taste like ash in his mouth. He could do it if he wanted but there would be no point.

A sense of guilt and shame draped over Derrick's shoulders. He wondered if he had ever crossed such lines with his friends. He wasn't a bad guy. During any sober moment he would have been a gentleman. At least, he thought.

"Maybe we should go," Jan said. She had pulled herself tight, almost as if she was trying to disappear

"Guys could you keep it down?" Garith said.

The three men looked at them with puffy red eyes.

"Shut the fuck up," one of them said, and all three burst out into laughter.

"Yeah, let's go," Garith said.

It was at that moment that Derrick heard before the man at the bar did. The cooks in the kitchen pointed fingers at the men and laughed. Their eyes were watching mischievously as the waitress brought out their plates of food.

"That was fast," one of them said.

The man at the bar had watched her the whole way. He jumped up from his barstool and bolted to the man that was about to shove the entire breakfast burrito into his face. He knocked it out of his hand and sent all of it's contents across the café floor. The man was so angry by the situation that he didn't notice the pieces of glass tinkling to the floor amongst the egg and sausage.

"You got a lot of fucking nerve," the man said, rising menacingly from his seat.

The man opened his mouth to speak but made no noise. Instead he began to sign to the man. He tried to emphasize what had almost happened.

Derrick watched enthralled. The man was being a hero. He didn't know that these men deserved to be punished, but not like that.

The man pulled back his arm and threw a right hook at the deaf stranger, knocking him straight to the floor.

Derrick was on his feet gripping the man's arm before the drunkard could blink. He squeezed his arm with all the strength her could muster.

"Do you know what he just did?" Derrick said through gritted teeth. "He just saved you from stuffing your pie hole to death."

The man screamed in agony as he dropped to a knee. Derrick twisted his arm behind his back. He shoved him down and forced him to look at the contents of his late night meal.

"See what was in there," He said.

Sadly the man couldn't have been able to since his eyes were shut tight from the pain Derrick was inflicting upon him.

"Please let go of my arm," He screamed.

Derrick shoved him down and released his arm.

The three men quickly got to their feet and scuttled from the diner.