Juan reluctantly picked up the white lacy panties and pulled them on. A crowd of people had left the diner and were watching her. She then collapsed to the asphelt and picked up the black school shoes and the key ring. They were all the possessions she now had. What the hell was she going to do? The medallion was in the coat and it wasn’t here. Neither were Oscar and his truck. She began to sob.
A woman approached her, wearing the getup of a waitress. “Are you alright miss?”
“She’s a runaway” someone said. “We should call the police”
“Yeah” said another voice. “I caught her loitering in the men’s toilets earlier. She’s up to no good” It was the same voice that had made her flee the toilets.
“Go away you lot!” the waitress scolded the bystanders. Then in a much gentler voice the woman said to Juan “Come inside. We’ll get you tidied up. I’ll make you a breakfast”
Juan found herself ushered into the back of the diner. Here the woman used a key to open a door. It was a shower room “It’s the woman’s shower room. We keep it locked. Have a long warm shower. I’ll fetch a towel for you. When you are ready come into the diner. I'll make you a breakfast on the house. How does a bacon and egg burger sound?”
“Thanks” Juan uttered between sobs. Where had Oscar gone? Would he come back once he found her Jacket?
……
The shower was nice. Juan washed off the scum that had coated her thighs. She also washed her hair with shampoo from an automatic dispenser. It was her first chance to explore her naked body, but the knowledge that this might be the body she spent the rest of her life in dampened her enthusiasm. She was scared. Really scared!
The door unlocked but it was just the waitress “I’ll leave a towel here. Your burger will be ready in 5 minutes. Would you like a coffee as well?”
“Yes please” Juan uttered from within the shower cubical.
Juan turned off the water, dried and dressed, including putting the school shoes back on. With the towel the waitress had left a hair dryer and a brush. Taking the hint Juan dried her long blonde hair, looking into the mirror she realised she was now a very good looking young female. Her face was flawless. It was hard to believe those blue/green eyes were her own. She had never had anything but brown eyes before. She used the brush on her hair. It was nice to have hair again. Her old black hair had receded many years ago. It was funny to be nostalgic for baldness. Would she ever get her bald head back?
It took the waitress returning and calling out “Your breakfast is ready” to get Juan to leave the bathroom “What’s your name dear?” the kindly woman asked.
Juan went with the lie she had told the trucker. “Ruby” she replied. She was led by the woman back into the diner and placed at a table near the counter. The waitress then fetched a large plate of food and a coffee of some description and set it down in front of her. “Don’t worry. This is on the house”
Juan noticed the other patrons looking at her, including the man who had wanted to call the police. She ate her breakfast and tried to ignore the other’s in the room.
The police didn’t come, and the other patrons left. New customers who came into the diner had not seen her breakdown in the carpark and paid her no attention. The waitress returned and cleared Juan’s plate and empty cup. “Would you like anything else?”
“No. Thankyou that was tasty” Juan replied.
“So are you a runaway?” The woman asked quietly.
“Kind of” Juan replied. What exactly was she? She wasn’t homeless. The house she rented with her sister was just around the corner. But Juan didn’t want to return there as she currently was. How could she possibly explain? “I just can’t go home at the moment”
“So that’s the local high school uniform. What grade are you in?”
Juan didn’t know what grade Ruby was in. She was one of the older girls though. “Grade 12” she guessed. She was certainly developed enough to be a senior.
“Well you can stay here until it’s time for school. But then I insist you go”
“Sure” Juan replied. She really didn’t know who to confide in. Perhaps the vice-principal Mrs Brown? She had wanted to search the store room where Juan had found the medallion. Was that what she had been looking for? If so she might understand Juan’s predicament.
"Well if there is anything else I can help you with just get my attention"
"There is one thing. That trucker I was with last night, Oscar. Do you know his phone number?"
"Sorry dear. I only do the breakfast shift. Don't know any truckers called Oscar"
"He had a big red truck" but then Juan had doubts "Or was it blue?" she didn't know. She hadn't paid a lot of attention to it.
"We have a lot of trucks that go through here"
"It was big truck with a bed in the back of the cabin"
"Doesn't help dear"
"Do you have video surveillance of your car park?" Juan was hopeful. "It was parked where you found me"
"I don't think that's been working but I can check for you"
5 minutes later tha waitress returned "Sorry the cameras are broken"
Juan tried to put on a brave face