The Jukebox at The Diner Volume Three: “The Boogie” Part One - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
Track One: "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" by Leo Sayer
Previously on The Jukebox at The Diner Volume Three…
Charlier’s Corner
10 AM
With Penny, Jessie, and JePo in charge of the diner, Charlie had slept in. When he woke up he found the coffee ready and a breakfast burrito warming next to the last of the embers of the fire from the night before. He filled his Yeti tumbler and grabbed the burrito. He checked his phone, and the parts had come in for the Maverick, and they had just shipped them all through Greyhound the night before. It was Monique who suggested it. "Charlie, why are you driving a whole day to Fort Collins? Just have them ship it on the bus!”
The suspension and engine would arrive today, so he loaded up the hydraulic pallet jack and the metal ramp he used to load it after taking off the tailgate.
When he pulled into the diner, he noticed a few cars in the lot. The billboard just before the train crossing on the eastern state road seemed to be working.
He parked over by JePo’s trailer and took a walk around the barn. The Appaloosa and the black stallion were both in the pen.
The vets had managed to save all the horses. Thankfully it was just a few cases of exhaustion and dehydration, as well as the stress relocation. It looked like most of the horses had spread out into the valley but there were at least 20 milling about around the feed and water troughs outside the holding pen.
He was walking through the refueling station lot and about to cross the road when he saw Samantha. In a white shirt, tied off above the navel, cut-off jeans, and on roller skates! That’s when the house sound system kicked in.
She skated up to one of the cars in the lot with 2 to-go bags and a drink tray, and after delivering them, turned and saw Charlie, so she skated over to him. He stopped and she skated around him in a circle, blowing a bubble with her gum and stopping on a dime in front of him when it popped.
She was wearing a Maddisun “Sun” shirt.
Jessie came skating out after her in the same outfit and skates and glided up to the other car in the lot he didn’t recognize, and delivered the food.
“It was Mouse’s idea.” -Samantha.
Then she kissed him and skated away. She made sure to shake her money maker on the way back into the diner, spinning around and waving while skating backward, and then spun around again and disappeared into the diner.
That’s when Mouse Facetime’d him.
She was in London in her hotel room. She was standing in front of the window. The view of London was gorgeous, but that wasn’t the main attraction. Mouse was wearing an XL Maddisun shirt.
“I thought she just forgot to add it with the Key City Theatre DVD.” -Charlie
“Nope.” -Mouse, with that island smile, but just for a moment.
That Jones Family grin was on Charlie.
“I guess I’ll make my own then. Enjoy London Mouse.” -Charlie, hanging up.
Charlie walked in and set himself up in the window booth at the end. Penny came over and slid into the booth, a blue Maddisun “Sun” shirt underneath her apron.
“I have skates too but not in the kitchen.” -Penny, as Charlie turned his MacBook around to show Penny something.
It was a layout of Charlie’s Corner. It turned the space between the treeline and the parking lot of the diner into a garden. She also noticed some other things on there.
“Really?” -Penny, with that Jones Family grin.
“Why not?” -Charlie.
Samantha came over and slid in next to Penny.
“Oh, I love that. Can I work the night shift with you guys tomorrow, Penny?” -Samantha nudging Penny. “That one across the booth is gonna be all up in that Maverick for days after the parts get here.”
“Of course! Ladies night tomorrow!” -Penny, leaning forward to see past Samantha. “Soul Mom, your boobs are in the way” -Penny, pushing Samantha back in the booth so she could see Sheriff Joey, who was sitting across from Deputy Bella. “Sheriff, Charlie’s gonna need a hand tomorrow night with the Maverick, right Charlie?”
Charlie just nodded.
Another defeat and the bus hadn’t ever arrived. It was 10:45.
Charlie closed the laptop of his MacBook and put it back in his leather shoulder bag, slid out of the booth without a word, and walked over to the jukebox. He dropped in a dime and then walked out the front door.
“Is he feeling alright?” -Penny
“It’s the shirts. Mouse stole his Maddisun shirt.” -Samantha.
“Ohhh. This time it never got to him.” -Penny
“Yep. Oh my gosh, he’s so cute when he pouts. If he were a puppy I’d name him Eeyore.” -Samantha
“You both quote Winnie The Pooh.” -Penny
Samantha hugged Penny and then slid out of the booth.
She spun in a circle on her skates, and as she headed out said “Thanks for noticin’ me.”
Penny watched her sex pot soul mom skate out of the diner and across the parking lot. She caught Charlie just as he was crossing the road, skidding with one toe stop to slow down, and then wrapped her arms around him. He turned around in her arms and kissed her just as the bus pulled into the parking lot. Sheriff Joey Strongbull got up and headed out to help Charlie load the Maverick parts into his truck, and Bella slid over into the booth Penny was in and watched Joey walk out. Charlie handed something to Samantha and then she skated past Joey, and into the diner, turning down the isle and skidding to a stop.
“Bella, I have something for you, stand up.” -Samantha.
Bella stood up and Samantha reached out and pulled herself up close to the Deputy using her utility belt. Penny watched as Samantha whispered “The Jones Family always pays its debts” and placed a 100-dollar bill into the Deputy’s back left pocket. Penny watched Samantha squeeze Bella’s ass, then kiss her on the cheek, let go, and softly pushed off of the Deputy’s utility belt, spun around, and skated over to the jukebox.
She dropped a dime in and skated out into the parking lot to greet the travelers just stepping off the bus.
Penny was still sitting in the booth, thinking about the recording studio plans Charlie had shown her for the loft of the barn.