Burgers and Onion Rings

The black Peterbilt rolled past with a blast of its air horn that made both occupants of the little blue Nissan jump. As it disappeared into the distance, the driver watched them shrink in his mirrors, a slow grin spreading across his face. He had seen the woman finger fucking hersel, for him. She'd looked mortified the instant she realized what was happening, yet continued.

Her wimp husband had enjoyed seeing his slutty little bitch exposed. That told him almost everything he needed to know. The woman was pretty, but that wasn't the only thing that interested him. Pretty women came and went every day. This one had something more valuable.

She would want to avoid making a scene. Her husband woukd want to protect her from embarrassment more than anything else. They were the sort of couple who would do almost anything to preserve their dignity. People like that could be led right to the slaughter.

He settled deeper into his seat as the diesel engine rumbled beneath him. There was no rush. The interstate stretched ahead for hundreds of miles, and he had all the time in the world. They'd stop for lunch. They'd stop for gas. Maybe a motel before nightfall. Sooner or later, he'd introduce himself properly.

A few miles later, a weathered billboard advertising homemade pie pointed toward a family diner just off the interstate. Jon spotted it first, his stomach reminding him that breakfast had been little more than coffee and a granola bar. He flicked on the turn signal and guided the Rogue down the exit ramp, unaware that another vehicle made the same turn a few hundred yards behind them.

The diner sat just off the interstate, the sort of place that had probably looked the same for forty years. A faded sign promised the Best Burgers in Three Counties, pickup trucks filled most of the parking lot, and the smell of grilled onions drifted through the screen door every time it opened.

Jon and Brandi slid into a booth beside the front window, the cracked vinyl seats squeaking beneath them. A waitress who looked old enough to have worked there since the place opened wandered over with two menus and a pair of waters before asking if they already knew what they wanted. They exchanged a glance, suddenly realizing just how hungry they were.

"Two cheeseburgers," Jon said. "One basket of onion rings for the table."

"And two chocolate milkshakes," Brandi added with a grin.

The waitress scribbled the order onto her pad and disappeared toward the kitchen. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. They simply listened to the murmur of conversations around them, the hiss of burgers on the grill, and the clatter of dishes. The quiet gave them both a chance to finally breathe.

Brandi rested her chin in her hand, staring absently out the window before a sheepish smile spread across her face. "I still can't believe I actually did that."

Jon chuckled, taking a sip of water. "Neither can I, you dirty girl!"

"I wasn't planning to." She shook her head, still looking embarrassed. "When you dared me, I thought I'd chicken out. Then..." She shrugged. "I don't know. It was like ripping off a bandage."

"And?" Jon leered.

Before she could answer, the waitress returned balancing two enormous burgers and a basket overflowing with crisp onion rings. The smell of grilled beef and fried onions instantly pushed every other thought from Jon's mind. She slid the plates onto the table, topped off their waters, promised the milkshakes would be right out, and wandered away again.

Brandi picked up an onion ring, turning it thoughtfully between her fingers before taking a bite. She chewed for a moment, swallowed, and finally answered. "It was terrifying." "But..." A reluctant grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "For about three seconds..." She laughed quietly at herself. "It was kind of exhilarating."

His eyebrows climbed. "I'm not saying I want to make a habit of it," she said quickly, lowering her voice as another customer walked past their booth. "I'm just saying I understand why some people do outrageous things when they'll probably never see those people again."

"So you've discovered your inner exhibitionist?"

She reached across the table and gave the back of his hand a playful nudge. "Maybe I discovered I like getting away with things once in a while."

Their milkshakes arrived, thick enough that the straws barely stood a chance. Jon tried his anyway before pointing it at her. "I nearly had a heart attack," he laughed, and this time she joined him without hesitation. The embarrassment that had consumed them on the side of the interstate was already fading, slowly transforming into the sort of ridiculous story married couples found themselves telling for years, each retelling becoming just a little funnier than the last.

Neither of them noticed the large black eighteen-wheeler parked near the far edge of the lot, where its driver had an unobstructed view through the diner's broad front windows. From where he sat, he could see them laughing together over burgers and onion rings, completely unaware they had already attracted far more attention than either of them realized.