Served cold
Today: Nathan Munn, writer, musician, and author of QUÉBEC.
Issue No. 570
Job Site
Nathan Munn
Job Site
Fiction by Nathan Munn
Mickey and his twin sister Claire sat on opposite sides of the booth amid the low bustle of the diner, snow blowing against the window beside them. No one who looked at the siblings could miss that they were related: despite their different styles of dress (Claire in corduroy pants, a knit sweater and a vintage mustard-yellow overcoat, Mickey, more formal, in night-blue jeans and sport jacket), their matching brown eyes and athletic builds gave them away. People often did a double-take to look at them—these two strange, pretty creatures—and this was part of why they rarely occupied the same space in public.
A middle-aged waitress, looking tired under the fluorescent light, stopped at their table.
“Ready to order?”
Claire looked at Mickey, but he was still studying the menu.
“I’ll have a grilled cheese, please,” she said, smiling at the waitress.
“Anything to drink?”
“No, thanks.”
Scribble.
“And for you?”
Mickey was silent, staring at the menu for five excruciating seconds until, just as the waitress was about to leave, he looked up.
“Blueberry muffin and a glass of milk.”
The waitress sniffed, scribbled, and departed.
“Asshole.”
“What?”
“Are you just naturally rude, or does it take effort?”
Mickey grinned. “No effort at all.”
They sat in silence for a while. Claire looked out the window. Mickey glanced around the diner, drumming his fingers on the table. When he spoke again his tone had changed. He was talking shop.
“Nice work on that construction site in Patterson.”
“Shut your mouth,” she said.
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