There was a chill in the air as she stood waiting for the train. She glanced at her watch as she lit a cigarette. She pulled her sweater a little tighter as she tilted her head and and stared at the night sky as the cloud of smoke left her lungs and rose in the light of the lamppost. Her tired feet ached from all the standing and walking during the third double shift this week. Barely making ends meet, she took all the extra hours her boss would give her. Besides, he liked having her around. She lived the diner up with her bubbly personality. She was always cracking jokes. She knew all the regulars by name and what they wanted, exactly how they wanted it. Everyone smiled as they came through the door seeing her welcoming face. She already had the coffee pot in her hand as she followed them to their seat. She was the best waitress the diner had.

       She looked at her watch again. It was nearly 10:30. The train should have been here 15 minutes ago. She shoved her half smoked cigarette into the sand that filled the large flower pot and sat down the the cold wooden bench. She noticed a small run in fer left stocking. Just another thing the needs but can't afford to spend the extra money. She struggled to keep a roof over her head. Since her had passed away two years ago, she barely had any savings left. The landlord went up on the rent, the bank repossessed the Ford and her ailing father couldn't provide or care for himself. They were fortunate enough to have a retired nurse for a neighbor that would look in on him while Gladys worked doubles nearly every day. She would prepare meals and do some light housekeeping too. The light flickered as the wind picked up a bit. A red Oldsmobile pulled up next to the platform and the window lowered. A familiar face peered out the window. " Can I give you a lift Gladys?"  It was Tom, a regular from the diner. He was a respectful man with a wife and a son. He didn't live far from her and it was on his way. " That would be great Tom. I really appreciate it."  She walked around to the passenger side and quickly sat down and pulled the door closed. The heat felt nice on her legs. 

        " When are you going to leave that horrible job Gladys" Tom asked as he looked in her direction. He had offered her a better gig with flexibility and quadruple the pay. She had thought about it many times but he was never clear on the details of what she would be doing. 

        " I've thought about that a lot lately Tom. But until you are more detailed with what you want me to do, I think I'll stay where I'm at."

Tom smiled at her and handed her a wad of $20 dollar bills. It was about $280. She looked at him with a confused expression. " What's this Tom?" She asked as she tried to hand it back to him. She didn't want any hand outs.

       " It's your first weeks pay. Just take it, please Gladys. There's been an unfortunate accident at the diner and I'm afraid you don't have a job anymore."  He came to a stop in front of Gladys' house. " I'll be here to pick you up tomorrow at noon. Get some rest and spend time with your father."

       Gladys went inside and slipped her shoes off. She slid on her house shoes and sat down on the sofa next to her father. He was watching the nightly news. There was a news crew outside the diner. It was on fire and firefighters were battling the blaze. Now it was clear what Tom meant when he said there was an accident at the diner. Maybe he drove passed it on his way home when he saw me at the train station, she thought. He knew I wouldn't have a job to go back to. He's a very kind man to give me a job. Her thoughts were running wild with anticipation to find out what this new job was going to be. She made herself a tuna sandwich and a glass of milk. She ran a hot bath and slid into the hot water as she closed her eyes to relax. She could hear her father starting to snore as he does off watching TV. She finished her bath and put on her housecoat. She quietly woke her father to usher him off to bed and she did the same. She lay there with her thoughts going everywhere. Closing her eyes, she ran her arm over the empty side of the bed where her husband once lay. She missed him. She put her hand under his pillow and pulled out a white undershirt. She held it close to her face as she inhaled. She could still see him standing in the doorway wearing it. The loved the smell of the brut he wore and the faint smell still lingered on the old shirt. She drifted off to sleep remembering how it felt to be held in his arms.