“Oh?What’s that?”Joesph cupped his hand behind his ear, leaning forward.“What was that again?”
Jamie stood up and pushed Joesph away from him.“You heard me.I’m not saying it twice.”
“Sal says the truck still needs to be unloaded.It may rain tonight, and you don’t want that stuff getting wet.”
Jamie groaned.“I’d forgotten about that.”
Joesph looked around Jamie’s bedroom.“You even going to have room for it all?This room is tiny.”
“It’ll have to do.I may have to downsize a little more.”
Joesph crossed his arms.“You’re going to let me redo this apartment, aren’t you?”
“Can we...like talk about all that later?”He looked at Joesph.“Let me get through one project before we consider another?Please?”
“Go shower,” Joesph called over his shoulder, already having left the room.“Then I want to show you the renderings of the diner.I may need your input for the kitchen setup.”
Jamie felt more like himself after a shower, a cup of coffee that Joesph had gotten for him and dressed in clean clothes.He was sitting on the back veranda, trying not to think of anything.
“Come on in here,” Joesph called out from the apartment.“I promise, after this I won’t mention this job again.I just want you to sign off on all this.”
“On my way.”Jamie groaned softly as he raised himself from the rocking chair.He waved to Salzy as he made his way towards the stairs.
“You want a beer?”He called up.
“Not yet, thanks,” Jamie yelled over the railing.
“Mind if I have one?”
“Of course not.”Jamie opened the screen door to go inside.
“I’ll have one, please,” Joesph yelled from the small table that had been returned from the kitchen.Jamie had no idea of when that happened.It was right where it had been when he’d been growing up.
Jamie rinsed out the mug before he sat down at the table.“Okay, I’m here.”
Joesph nodded and folded back the cover of his portfolio case, revealing the drawing he’d done of the front of the diner, looking from the road.He felt his jaw go slack.It took him a full minute to take it in and comprehend what he was seeing.
“Is it...you don’t like it?”Joesph asked quietly.
“No.I mean...yes.”Jamie leaned forward as he looked closely at all the details.He pointed to the big sign close to the road.“Is that for real?”
“Yes.”Joesph pulled the paper closer.“The band, the one that goes all around the outside, is aluminium.All the lettering is outlined by neon.The sign is ringed by old timey looking light bulbs.It’s almost a replica of one I found of a diner on Route 66.”
Jamie looked at Joesph.“It looks...well it looks like something that could have been here when the diner opened.”
“That’s what I was going for.”Joesph smiled.
“Here’s ya beer,” Salzy said, handing a bottle of Bud Light to Joesph.He looked at what Jamie was studying.“Oh, wow!”He leaned over.“That’s incredible.It’sbeautiful.”
“Thank you.”Joesph held his beer up to Salzy, smiling.
“What’s in the flower boxes?”Jamie asked.
“It can be whatever you want, but I drew in rosemary, since that’s about the only herb I know of and how to draw.”
Jamie had to laugh.“I think we can do without the flower boxes.Keep the lines clean around the windows.I think it’s more of a distraction.”
“Okay.”Joesph squinted.“I think you’re right.”
