GIRL Gives Waitress Drawing, Looks Closer And Calls The Police
She watched as the girl whimpered next to the man, her eyes were glossy with stem tears downcast as she fiddled with her fingers. The waitress knew something was terribly wrong, but when the girl slipped her a drawing under the table, she couldn’t call 911 fast enough. The last thing Kelly Chapman thought she’d do was end her day by calling the authorities. She’d rarely been the type to meddle in other people’s business, always seeing it as too much work with little reward. With the hand life had dealt her, she only saw it fit to live her life as a recluse. The world had taught her to depend on herself and never poke her nose where it didn’t belong, but that day even she would end up breaking her rules.
Kelly was unlike many 21-year-old college students in New Alm, Minnesota. While many her age were busy enjoying college life, she was trying to figure out how to pay her bills at the end of the month. Although she’d graduated among the top in her class in high school, she’d missed a full ride to college by a whisker, forcing her big sister to source her tuition fee.
But things were about to go from bad to worse for her. You see, Kelly and her big sister Maddie were orphans. Maddie was older than her by six years and had assumed legal guardianship. So as Kelly got into her final year of high school, Maddie reminded her that she needed to secure a full scholarship to college. The two’s inheritance money wouldn’t be enough for college expenses, and so Kelly got down to work. For months she worked hard in school and got excellent grades. She was confident she’d secure that scholarship. Her sister had already given enough to see her to the place she was now, and Kelly wanted to ease her burden.
As the two sat in their small living room, Kelly tore open the scholarship letter. Her heart would shatter into a million pieces when she read it. Kelly’s eyes grew wet as she read the letter. She had been rejected, which meant she and Maddie would have to think of another way to cover her college fees before it was too late. To make matters worse, one of the best medical schools in the country had sent Kelly a calling letter. All she needed to do was iron out her finances and hop on the earliest buses to chase her dream of becoming a surgeon. She had no idea that she wouldn’t be leaving her small town.
Like many kids, Kelly had left all the responsibility to her grown-up guardian, but she could see just how much toll this was taking on Maddie. She approached her one night, telling her she could find a local medical school with cheaper tuition, she could live in an apartment outside school, and work to pay her own utility bills. This decision would change her life forever.
A year in, Kelly worked as a waitress in a small diner outside New Alm. Life had already kicked her enough, and she only wanted to focus on her work and school so she could better her circumstances. She had barely made any friends, opting to live the life of a loner that recorded her unlimited piece. But that piece would turn into chaos in a matter of minutes.
Today, weary Kelly wiped down the counter of the small diner, her drowsy eyes scanning the nearly empty room. It was just another ordinary evening for her, with the usual customers coming and leaving throughout the year that Kelly had worked there. She’d grown to love the place, although she never mentioned it to her co-workers. The diner’s cozy ambiance and homestyle cooking always spoke to her. She never knew that her actions would result in everything coming to an abrupt stop.
Kelly kept wiping the table, shooting the occasional customer a warm smile as she counted the minutes until her shift ended. She still needed to get to her apartment and study for a test her lecturer had scheduled for the next day. She had dreams and aspirations beyond waitressing, and she’d work hard until she fulfilled each. She was still lost in her thoughts when she heard the front door chime sing.
Kelly’s attention snapped at the diner’s entrance. A man stood there, the setting sun shining behind him. He scanned the room. Although he hid his face under a cap, Kelly could tell he was tired. His eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were dated. Worry had etched itself all over him. After a few seconds, he took a step forward, and behind him, a little girl poked her head while trying to keep her distance from him.
Kelly didn’t want to judge the man solely by looks. She continued her duty as he walked into the diner, the girl quickly after him. The girl’s clothes mirrored the man’s, they were old and discolored. The two seemed out of place, dressed like they had been on a long and tiresome journey. If only Kelly knew what was truly happening here.
The man guided the little girl through the nearly empty diner, seemingly searching for a booth with a good view of the parking lot and the diner itself. His search landed him in the furthest corner away from prying eyes. He looked around again before sitting with his back against the wall. This alone piqued Kelly’s curiosity.
In Kelly’s time as a waitress, she’d seen all that job had to offer. She’d served everyone from large families to individual drunkards looking to sober up with a plate of messy burgers and jungle fries. She’d served her fellow college mates, high school students, little kids, and even elderly folk. But none of those experiences would prepare her for what she’d uncover today.
Kelly placed the piece of cloth she’d been cleaning with aside and hurried over with a menu. The corner booth the man and the little girl had sat in was perfect for anyone looking to keep an eye on his surroundings. But as she approached, Kelly noticed a hint of fury in the man’s eye and a glimpse of sadness in the little girl’s. Kelly introduced herself. She was about to ask the man if her daughter was okay but noticed something that made her bite her tongue. She opened the menu and slid it over to the man with her shining smile, she asked him if he wanted some coffee before ordering anything. But he didn’t answer, staring her down until she backed away.
Kelly could tell something was wrong. In her time here, she’d seen how happy kids got when they saw food. The little girl was different. She was withdrawn with puffy eyes and a runny nose. Kelly could tell she’d been crying before the man brought her here. She’d almost asked him if the girl was his daughter but held off when she noticed something crucial. Although the man came in with a little girl, Kelly could see they looked nothing alike. She noted that there were a few differences in their physical features. Where the man had silky black hair, dark brown eyes, and medium dark skin, the girl was a blonde with bright gray eyes. Her skin was also very light, a proper contrast to the man. But that was not half of it. She had a narrower nose than him with round lips as opposed to his thin ones. Kelly could tell the two were not related, although she could have been wrong. Still, she kept calm, patiently waiting until the man made his and the girl’s order. If she were smart, she would have intervened now before everything went south.
Kelly returned to the counter with a thousand questions racing through her mind. She wondered what brought the two of them here. Were they running from someone or something? The diner had rarely seen any drama or chaos in the time she had been there, but now the air was thick with a tense sense of foreboding. It all seemed to hover above this man and the little girl.
Kelly passed the order to the chef and waited patiently for the food. The man had ordered a plate of pancakes for himself and the girl, with coffee for him and a cup of hot chocolate for the girl. The order struck Kelly as odd, mainly because it was evening and no one ever ate pancakes at this time of day. She couldn’t help but wonder why the man had made such an odd decision.
As she waited for the order, Kelly’s eyes kept darting back to the booth in the corner. Her brows knitted as she realized the little girl’s cheeks gleamed with tears. The man whispered something into her ear, and the girl burst out in a sob. She collected herself as soon as her eyes connected with Kelly. What was happening? Something was definitely wrong here, and it fell on Kelly to root it out. She needed to know if the girl needed any help at all. Why was she crying like this?
Kelly gathered the man’s order and approached their table with a gentle smile. She placed a plate of steaming pancakes in front of the little girl. She wanted to talk to her until her sight inched to the man. He was glaring at Kelly, the anger in his eyes shimmering.
“That’ll be all, miss,” he said.
But the girl sobbed by his side, although a glower from him rendered her quiet.
“We’ll call if we need anything,” he added, pulling the pancakes before him.
The child’s eyes watered as Kelly backstepped away. If she had had a hunch that something was wrong before, she’d just gotten her confirmation.
Kelly walked back to her vantage point at the counter. She wondered what to do next. Whatever was happening here had nothing to do with her. There was no need to put herself in the line of fire for something that wouldn’t benefit her. Life was tough, and keeping her head buried in the sand was the only thing that had gotten her this far. But what kind of person would she be if she didn’t break her rule for this little girl?
With sweat slicking her forehead, Kelly hurried to the back of the counter. She pretended to be dusting the place while keeping an eye on the girl. She noticed that unlike the man, the girl hadn’t touched her food. She didn’t even touch her hot chocolate. Kelly ate back a curse, realizing she wouldn’t sleep right knowing she’d left a girl in need to suffer.
With her heart beating in her ears, she thought about a quick plan to separate the girl from the man. She needed to talk to her alone and determine whether she needed assistance. Swiftly, Kelly had hurried over to a table near the two, picking up a jar of water left there. Passing by the man and the girl, she stopped.
“Do you want to use the bathroom, honey?” she asked the girl.
“Why?” the man asked her.
“I noticed she hasn’t touched any of her food,” Kelly said without sparing him a look.
Going down on one knee, she quietly slipped a small piece of paper she’d torn off her server book into the girl’s hand under the table. She stuffed a pen together with it. But this was only the first phase of her plan. Kelly spilled some of the water from the jug on the floor and quickly started to clean it. She glanced at the girl, smiling before her sight darted to the paper and pen in her hands. Her heart rate increased as the girl started scribbling on the paper. Kelly could see how nervous she was. She started talking to the man to draw his attention away, but would her plan work?
The man was curt with his answers, but he barely looked at the girl who continued scribbling despite staring at the pancakes before her. When she was done, she dropped both the pen and the paper and leaned into her seat. Kelly reached over to the paper, pretending to clean under the table before rising and walking away.
She headed straight to the kitchen, looking at what the girl had drawn. Her lips parted as the single word scribbled onto the paper bore into her mind: help.
Kelly didn’t hesitate for a moment to call the police, who promptly arrived on the scene. It turned out the little girl had been kidnapped, and the police were actively searching for her. The kidnapper was apprehended on the spot, and the little girl was able to return home safe and sound. Kelly’s quick thinking and trust in her instincts proved crucial in saving the girl’s life.
