"Why don’t you just introduce yourself to her?”

Charlie ignored the question and ordered more coffee. This was his third week sitting in the diner with his blank pad of paper. He had come here to write, but couldn’t find the inspiration. He watched people coming and going, but he didn’t write about them. He talked to the waitstaff, but he didn’t write about them. And he stared at his sheets of paper, but he didn’t even write on them. The only thing to hold his attention was something he didn’t even think to write about.

Every day, at Harry’s Diner, there were three things you could count on: Charlie, the friendly waitstaff, and Virginia Wilson. Every morning, she would order one scrambled egg, a slice of toast, and a glass of orange juice. She always brought a copy of the morning paper, which she would read while she ate. At approximately 8:52, she would fold her newspaper, pay for her meal, then cross the street to the office building where she worked. Charlie just sat there with his coffee and his blank sheets of paper, trying to find something to fill them.

Today, like all the days before, Charlie found himself in what he had come to think of as “his booth,” and watched the people passing by on the street. Virginia came in at her usual time, walked past the front counter, calling her order to the cook (who was already preparing it), and headed towards the booths. It was then that Charlie noticed, she didn’t have her newspaper. Instead of her normal booth, she stopped at Charlie’s table.

“Mind if I join you?” She asked.

In his shocked state, all he could do was nod, and gesture towards the other seat. She seated herself, and looked over at Charlie’s side of the table.

“My name’s Virginia,” she offered.

“Charlie,” he said.

Remembering his name was about as complex a task as his brain could handle at that moment. He wasn’t about to try complete sentences.

“Are you a writer?” She asked, motioning towards his papers.

“I try to be,” came his reply.

A silence followed neither of them knowing what to say. Virginia had already tried every topic she could think of, and Charlie’s brain was still misfiring from the shock. Finally, Virginia broke the silence.