Jukebox

The nickel fell through the slot with a clang and the song she’d chosen played softly from the speakers around the diner. You cheated, you lied... Laura sighed, twisting her straw so that the chocolate shake in her glass spun in a swirling motion. The lyrics seemed to be lost on him however, for he just stuffed another French fry in his mouth with a grin.

“So,” he said between bites. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Joey,” she met his eyes but brought them right back down to her milkshake. “I don’t think this is working.”

“What?”

“Us.”

“Oh.” He pushed his plate away from him. It was his turn to search through the music, and after he popped a nickel in, “Tell Me Why” began to play. She almost smiled, realizing that he was smarter than she gave him credit for.

“Joey, I’ll give you one more chance. Tell me the truth about what happened that night, with her.”

“I can’t.”

They sat for a few minutes in silence, Laura slurping her milkshake as the tune in the background continued on. The waitress stopped by, asking if they were doing alright. Laura’s mouth went dry and she and Joey just stared at each other. After a long moment, the woman smacked her gum and shifted her weight. Joey spoke first. “Yes. We’re fine.” His eyebrow lifted towards her, almost as a challenge.

The song ended and she began searching for a coin but he beat her to it. Have mercy on me... He looked back at her, reaching across the table for her hand but she brought it up to push a stray curl away from her face.

“You’re running out of chances, Joey.”

“I know. You’re right. So what should we do?”

“I don’t think there should be a ‘we’ anymore.”

He barely took a breath “You can’t be serious. So I made a mistake, I get that now!”

His song ended and she’d been ready and waiting this time. Love is a losing game, love can be a shame, I know of a fool you see, for that fool is me...

“Come on, Laura. You know I love you. You have to know that she’s nothing.”

“Do I?” She took another sip.

“Of course.”

“Prove it.” She crossed her arms.

“How? I’ve apologized a thousand times. What more do you want?”

She thought for a moment, her eyes searching his face. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know.” She raised her arm, getting the attention of the gum chewing waitress. “Check, please.”

He had one last nickel, and made his choice carefully. Stay, just a little bit longer...

Laura shook her head, rising from the booth. “I can’t.”