Jenny’s Quiet Life
Jenny Miller was twenty-nine and worked as a waitress at Rosie’s Diner, a small spot between a hardware store and a laundromat in rural Kansas. Her days resembled one another. She’d wake up before dawn, put her apron on, and went to work where she greeted every customer with a smile. However, what many didn’t know was that behind that smile there was a lonely young woman.
After her parents died when she was still a teenager, Jenny moved in a tiny one-bedroom apartment above the local pharmacy. Her aunt, who lived in Arizona, visited occasionally, but most days, Jenny was all by herself, with no one around.
The Boy in the Corner
One Tuesday in October, a young boy, not older than ten, took a sit at the furthest booth at the diner.
That first time he came in, he ordered only water and Jenny brought it with a smile.
Then, the same thing happened in the days to come. He arrived at the restaurant at 7:15 sharp, ordered a glass of water, and headed to school.
As days went by, Jenny decided to treat him with some pancakes, assuming he could be hungry. “Oh, the kitchen made an extra. Better you eat it than we throw it out,” she said as she placed the plate in front of him.
