Vengeance

13 MEDINA FALLS, ARKANSAS

Another weekend, another busy night at Irina’s Diner.

Sarah Greenwood wrote down the latest order, dropping it off at the kitchen, returning with several plates of food balanced on one forearm. Her eyes briefly met Jake’s as she passed by him, seated at a booth tonight. The counter had been full, but he still sat in a seat with a view of the front door, as usual.

For some reason, Sarah thought about Jake frequently, looking forward to their interactions during lunch and dinner. Thus far, however, no information had been pried from the stranger aside from his first name. Not even Miss Potter had been able to strike up a revealing conversation with him. Jake simply asked what she wanted done around house and yard and was paid in cash upon each task’s completion. As far as Sarah could tell, Jake kept a low profile, leaving Miss Potter’s property only to eat at the diner.

Although Jake was much older than her — in his forties, Sarah guessed — she found him quite handsome. At first, she had admonished herself for being attracted to someone so old. However, she had noticed that men had no qualms about dating much younger women, as long as they weren’t too young. She was plenty old enough, she told herself again — she was in her twenties now.

At the moment, she wasn’t in a relationship, having broken up with her previous boyfriend two months ago. She knew she was attractive enough to have had her pick of almost any of the available men around town, but her last choice had been an unwise one, selecting the handsome and popular former starting quarterback on their high school’s football team. He had turned out to be the jealous and domineering type, monitoring where she went and with whom, even at times telling her what she could wear.

Unfortunately, Trent had trouble taking no for an answer. He was here tonight at a table with two of his buddies, pounding down Saturday night’s half-priced beers after their dinner. His eyes were constantly on her, monitoring her movement through the diner. Trent had been polite and conciliatory at first tonight, commenting on how beautiful she looked and how much he missed her. She had smiled politely and kept her responses limited to what they wanted to order and nothing more.

She stopped by Jake’s table. “Can I getcha anything more tonight?”

“A cup of coffee would be great.”

Sarah was about to get Jake his coffee when she remembered it was half-priced beer night. Perhaps a few drinks would loosen his tongue.

“How about a beer? They’re half-priced tonight.”

“I’ll stick with coffee.”

“No problem,” she replied, attempting to conceal her disappointment.

As she headed to the counter to get Jake’s coffee, passing by Trent’s table, he grabbed her wrist.

“What do you say we get together after work tonight?” he said, slurring his words slightly.

“You’ve had too much to drink,” she replied. “Go home and sleep it off.” She tried to pull away, but Trent clamped down on her wrist.

“Why so unfriendly tonight?” he asked.

“It’s over, Trent,” she said quietly, hoping not to cause a scene, as she tried to pry his hand off her wrist.

“It’s over when I say it’s over!” he said angrily, squeezing even tighter.

“You’re hurting me,” she said. “Please, Trent. Not here.”

“Then hang out with me tonight.”

“Stop it, Trent!”

Someone standing behind her spoke. “How’s my coffee coming?”

She turned, spotting Jake.

Before she could respond, Trent replied, “She’s busy! Have Irina get your coffee!”

“If I were you,” Jake replied, his voice lowering a notch, “I’d take your hand off the lady.”

“Oh, she’s no lady, trust me. Besides, who’s gonna make me?”

Trent glanced at his two friends, then stood, confronting Jake, while still gripping Sarah. Although Trent had been a quarterback, weighing around one hundred sixty pounds, his buddies were former football linemen, over two hundred pounds each. However, standing a few inches over six foot and also around two hundred pounds himself, Jake didn’t back down.

He grabbed the hand holding Sarah, prying Trent’s fingers away. Despite Trent’s best effort, Jake freed Sarah from his grip.

As Sarah stepped back, Trent punched Jake, landing a blow squarely on his jaw.

Jake barely flinched, then responded with lightning-quick speed, decking Trent with a powerful blow to his face. Trent knocked over a table and some chairs as he fell, landing on his back as blood oozed from his nose.

His friends stood suddenly to engage Jake, but he stared both of them down.

Sarah’s dad emerged from the kitchen, a meat cleaver in hand. “What’s the commotion out here about?”

“It’s nothing, Daddy,” Sarah replied. “Trent just slipped and fell.”

Sarah’s dad eyed the bloodied man lying on the floor in front of Jake, with Sarah standing closely behind him.

“You should be more careful, Trent,” he said. “Why don’t you and your friends move along.”

One of Trent’s friends helped him up from the floor, while the other grabbed some napkins from the table to help stem Trent’s nosebleed.

They helped Trent from the diner, where once outside, he shoved his friends away, yelling at them. After they moved down the sidewalk, disappearing from view, Sarah’s dad locked eyes with Jake, then nodded slightly.

Jake reciprocated the nod, then returned to his seat.

Sarah tried to regain her composure, realizing tonight’s event would be the topic of tomorrow’s gossip. After all, nothing much ever happened in Medina Falls.

A few minutes later, Sarah delivered Jake’s coffee, her hand shaking slightly.

“Have a seat,” Jake said.

“Yeah, I could use a break,” Sarah replied. She signaled her mom, informing her she’d be taking a break for a few minutes, then slid into the booth across from Jake.

“I’m sorry you had to step in like that,” she said. “But thank you. It’s just that… Trent’s my ex-boyfriend, and he doesn’t take rejection well. He’s such a hothead.”

“I know the type,” Jake replied. “A former girlfriend of mine has a similar temperament.”

He didn’t elaborate, taking a sip of his coffee instead. Not for the first time, Sarah glanced at his left hand, which lacked a wedding ring, and wondered if there was a significant other in his life. Tonight was the first time Jake had said anything to her aside from what he wanted to eat or drink, and she hoped he might reveal more about himself.

“Relationships are hard,” she said. “You have to work at them, I guess. Not that I have much experience.” Her eyes searched his as she prepared to ask the question that had been on her mind lately.

“Are you in a relationship with anyone?”

Pain registered in the man’s eyes instantly, the same look she’d seen the day he stepped off the bus in Medina Falls. Sarah immediately regretted prying into his personal life. But at least she knew what haunted him. Something horrible must have happened to his wife or girlfriend.

Without thinking, she placed her hand on his, caressing the back of his hand gently with her thumb. “If there’s any way I can help, let me know.”

A long silence ensued before Jake replied. “You can’t help me. But thank you.”

He gently removed her hand from his.