wrist. It really hurt.”
“So what if it is him? He’s not going to help us, is he?” argued Ella.
“He’s not going to recognize us from the other day.” I assured her. “We look totally different when we’re dry and not bleeding.”
Ella sighed in a resigned kind of way. “So now what do we do?”
I was about to say that we sit down in the booth behind theirs when I suddenly noticed who was at the counter no more than a few feet away from them. [Cue: gasp of shock and horror.] “Sit down! Quick!” I hurled myself into the nearest seat.
“Now what?” muttered Ella. But she followed my lead and threw herself across from me.
“Don’t you see him? At the counter. Right next to the booth where the movie guys are sitting.”
Ella gazed around my head. “There are two men at the counter.”
“The one with the baseball cap.”
“They’re both wearing baseball caps.”
“You know, maybe you should think of being a lawyer,” I snapped. “You’d be great on cross examinations.”
“Oh excuse me,” Ella snapped back. “But in case you didn’t notice, they both are wearing baseball caps.”
I was grinding my teeth so hard my jaw felt like it might snap. “The one with his hat on backwards.”
“What about him?”
It never ceases to amaze me how a person can be both really smart and about as bright as a nightlight at the same time. I begged the gods for patience. “What does it say on the baseball cap?”
“ Creek’s Auto Repairs ,” read Ella. And then a happy smile lit up her face. “Is that Sam’s dad? I’ve always wanted to meet him. He’s always under a car when I go to the garage.”
“Well you’re not meeting him today.” Is it me, or is it simply astounding how the gods can give with one hand and snatch it right back with the other? I hunkered down in my seat. “I can’t let him see me.” Thank God I was wearing a hat and sunglasses.
Ella gazed at me in what looked a lot like bafflement. “Why not? I thought he liked you.”
“That’s why. I don’t want him to start chatting to us. Not in the middle of Operation Hollywood.”
“There’s not much of an operation if we’ve got to hide in this booth till he leaves,” said Ella.
I picked up a menu. “Just give me a few minutes to think. I’ll come up with something.”
Like all great actors, I’m one of those people who works well under incredible stress. By the time the waitress brought our order I was calm and cool again – I had a plan.
“Do you think we could have the bill now?” I asked as she set two cups of tea down (neither of us could drink another coffee without risking cardiac implosion). “We may have to make a quick exit.”
In my experience, though diner waitresses aren’t likely to be asked out by royalty, they’ve not only pretty much seen it all and aren’t easily thrown, they often have kind hearts as well.
“Sure, honey.” She tore a sheet of paper from her pad. “Just leave it on the table.”
“Now all we have to do is wait,” I said to Ella. “When the movie guys go, we follow them out.” What could be easier?
For once it really was as easy as I thought it would be – at least to start with.
We sipped our tea in companionable silence until Ella leaned across the table and said, “Lola! They’re getting ready to go.”
“Really? What are they doing?”
“They just gave the waitress their money,” reported Ella. “Now they’re standing up.”
“Right.” I took some money from my pocket and stuck it under our bill. “Be ready to move!”
“Here they come!” whispered Ella.
I watched the two men pass us. I watched them open the door of the diner. I watched them step outside.
I gave the command. “That’s it! Let’s go!”
We slipped from our booth and went after them.
Ella had her hand on the door, and I had my eyes on the backs of the two men as they crossed the street, when someone accustomed to screaming over the sound of drills and engines
“So what if it is him? He’s not going to help us, is he?” argued Ella.
“He’s not going to recognize us from the other day.” I assured her. “We look totally different when we’re dry and not bleeding.”
Ella sighed in a resigned kind of way. “So now what do we do?”
I was about to say that we sit down in the booth behind theirs when I suddenly noticed who was at the counter no more than a few feet away from them. [Cue: gasp of shock and horror.] “Sit down! Quick!” I hurled myself into the nearest seat.
“Now what?” muttered Ella. But she followed my lead and threw herself across from me.
“Don’t you see him? At the counter. Right next to the booth where the movie guys are sitting.”
Ella gazed around my head. “There are two men at the counter.”
“The one with the baseball cap.”
“They’re both wearing baseball caps.”
“You know, maybe you should think of being a lawyer,” I snapped. “You’d be great on cross examinations.”
“Oh excuse me,” Ella snapped back. “But in case you didn’t notice, they both are wearing baseball caps.”
I was grinding my teeth so hard my jaw felt like it might snap. “The one with his hat on backwards.”
“What about him?”
It never ceases to amaze me how a person can be both really smart and about as bright as a nightlight at the same time. I begged the gods for patience. “What does it say on the baseball cap?”
“ Creek’s Auto Repairs ,” read Ella. And then a happy smile lit up her face. “Is that Sam’s dad? I’ve always wanted to meet him. He’s always under a car when I go to the garage.”
“Well you’re not meeting him today.” Is it me, or is it simply astounding how the gods can give with one hand and snatch it right back with the other? I hunkered down in my seat. “I can’t let him see me.” Thank God I was wearing a hat and sunglasses.
Ella gazed at me in what looked a lot like bafflement. “Why not? I thought he liked you.”
“That’s why. I don’t want him to start chatting to us. Not in the middle of Operation Hollywood.”
“There’s not much of an operation if we’ve got to hide in this booth till he leaves,” said Ella.
I picked up a menu. “Just give me a few minutes to think. I’ll come up with something.”
Like all great actors, I’m one of those people who works well under incredible stress. By the time the waitress brought our order I was calm and cool again – I had a plan.
“Do you think we could have the bill now?” I asked as she set two cups of tea down (neither of us could drink another coffee without risking cardiac implosion). “We may have to make a quick exit.”
In my experience, though diner waitresses aren’t likely to be asked out by royalty, they’ve not only pretty much seen it all and aren’t easily thrown, they often have kind hearts as well.
“Sure, honey.” She tore a sheet of paper from her pad. “Just leave it on the table.”
“Now all we have to do is wait,” I said to Ella. “When the movie guys go, we follow them out.” What could be easier?
For once it really was as easy as I thought it would be – at least to start with.
We sipped our tea in companionable silence until Ella leaned across the table and said, “Lola! They’re getting ready to go.”
“Really? What are they doing?”
“They just gave the waitress their money,” reported Ella. “Now they’re standing up.”
“Right.” I took some money from my pocket and stuck it under our bill. “Be ready to move!”
“Here they come!” whispered Ella.
I watched the two men pass us. I watched them open the door of the diner. I watched them step outside.
I gave the command. “That’s it! Let’s go!”
We slipped from our booth and went after them.
Ella had her hand on the door, and I had my eyes on the backs of the two men as they crossed the street, when someone accustomed to screaming over the sound of drills and engines
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