They sit on Denny’s stools facing a sign that says Breakfast*Lunch*Dinner*Late Night. The cowboy’s accent is hard to hear. It reminds me of the star of Sanford-n-Son but with a southern twang.
A felt cowboy hat adorns a black man with gleaming eyes. It’s hard to see him through my own red blurry eyes. I’ve just flown in and I need a rest before my long drive. The brim of his hat is folded on the front and back instead of the sides and it’s covered in stars.
The man to his left is slightly older and he’s wearing glasses and a Ray’s baseball cap. Both men have short scruffy white beards that are the same length as their haircuts. Both wear baggy wrinkled clothing as if they have just come in for a break from manual labor but their posture is straight and confident.
He nudges his buddy and they laugh. A waitress approaches and catches their communicable laughter. Apparently today is his birthday and he claims men at such an advanced age would be unable to woo a beautiful woman like the haggard waitress before them. Each of the weathered old men attempts to outbid his friend regarding their age. I hear the numbers decrease from mid-forties to low-twenties, all the while claiming their opponent is into his seventies.
Their stand-up act draws three more waitresses into their vortex. None of the servers are younger than fifty but they are flicking their hair and batting their eye-lashes as if they were in their twenties. The innocent flirting charms another round of cackling laughter from the ladies.
The cowboy holds a piece of toast covered in jam in his left hand, with his right he speedily shovels in the food on his plate. When his plate is clean he eats the bread. All the while, I strain to hear as he continues to maintain the attention of the waitresses.
I look at the smiles of the other nearby patrons and their eyes are twinkling. A ray of morning light breaks into the room but that is not why the room is glowing. I breathe in the aroma of Arabica coffee and bacon grease and I feel energized for my drive home.
The cowboy lays a generous tip on the counter and limp-struts his way to the cash register. His buddy follows. Three of the four ladies follow him, continually erupting in fresh laughter before they have finished laughing at his last flirt.
I smile, knowing that I’m sure to get great service today.