The Face of Late- Night Diners

No occasion summoned such waking thoughts of freedom, nor did any proverbial match ignite and strike a chord. It was just a simple day, with a simple line in which he had strummed countless times before.1

'I'm truly free.'2

Surrounding him was darkness; the night was one of such a nature that you dare not venture thought nor dream aside your realm of existence. This diner was simply the four walls that held his story in, and the setting in which the moment carried on.3

It was such a night that the windows could have lacked a tint, and still no ghostly glow of life outside would ever wander in. To his knowledge, the only form of life still writhing was found within some yards of him.4

The counter held finger- prints of retired consumers, rings of coffee mugs long washed and plates of stranger's fading meals. To the corner of his vision were waitresses making due, and a quaint showcase that boasted home- made pies and cakes.5

Behind his sight there were tables of men who sought reprieve from midnight shifts, listless workers who were on their smoking breaks and empty seats that moaned from exhaustion.6

Every upper lip held some form of strength, and every lower sole held a thirst for sleep.7

In towns like these, few had ever wandered from the shackle.8

And here he was; a free man. His heart had held the cure, his eyes had streamed the very meaning of life and within his grasp was a necklace in the form of life's greatest sacrifice.9

He was passing through this diner no more or less than he was passing through the means of life. He'd make small talk with the able bodies, and leave change to be remembered by. But it wasn't himself he was trying to leave behind.10

It was that hope for freedom that the world had wished they'd known.11

While staring at his sodden, smearing plate the only thought that came to mind was that of freedom; the only words that formed a line were that of thanksgiving; the final wince within his heart moved his feet the needed step, as he found himself through exit's door.12

'I'm set free,' were the final words he'd ever spoken.13