"Writer's Block?" says Aunt Nancy as I walk towards where she's sitting. She's going over some bills with Benny at a table on one of the patios adjacent to the resort.
Benny looks up and smiles. We make eye contact for a second before I slide into a chair across from them.
"Ish..", I say.
The truth is I was getting a little bored; and hungry. I figured if I came over here and killed some time it would help me work out a scene that I'm not quite committed to just yet.
"Hungry?" she says and looks up. She takes her glasses off and hangs them on the collar of her t-shirt before she readjusts her visor.
I love that Aunt Nancy is still rocking the visor. It suits her.
I nod. A moment later one of the wait staff comes over with some menus.
"We've hired a new chef," says Benny. There is no subtext to his words.
"Apparently he's this big whig type of genius from small town god-knows-where. Expensive, but if he keeps the people happy -- then Aunt Nancy is happy!" she says and laughs as she hands me one of the menus.
"Is that how much you charge for food?" I gasp. The prices are shocking.
Although local game would be expensive...
Benny laughs, collects the papers and walks away.
"So...whatd'ya want?" says Aunt Nancy as she closes her menu.
"Burgers?" I say. I'm hungry -- but not exactly sure what for.
"You want something to drink?" she says as one of the servers comes over to take our order.
Do fish like the water?
We both laugh.
She orders a bottle of wine, and the burgers -- with fries for the both of us. My stomach is starting to growl. I hate that feeling; when hunger creeps up on you, but you still have to wait another 20 minutes or so for the food. I feel the saliva start to pool in my mouth.
"He likes you," says Aunt Nancy as she raises her eyebrows.
I turn away and take in the view from where we are sitting. The gardens are groomed. Someone is planting a tree in the distance. Most of the staff have arrived. Now that we have an almost full kitchen staff -- they're nearly ready to open. I really like this resort. There's something very modern about it, even though it's decorated in all natural elements. I like how they use the wood.
I turn back to the table when our wine arrives. The girl who brings it is overly friendly. She smiles a lot -- but it's disconnected from the reality of this particular moment. We don't know each other well enough for her to be this jovial.
I'm instantly suspicious.
I wait until she leaves, before opening my mouth "That girl gives me the creeps," I say.
Aunt Nancy brushes it off by saying that she's probably nervous, or eager, or even stoned. We stop talking while she returns to set the table.
I take a sip from my wine.
When she's gone -- we resume.
"So, you like him too?" Aunt Nancy goads controversially.
I shake my head, top off my glass, and say as stately as I can, "Luring men away from their wives isn't really my thing. We can be friends," I say as I reach across the table to fill up her glass while she lights a cigarette.
"Good for you. Don't let him reel you in!" she says as we clink glasses.
"Cute as a button though," she remarks as we take in the view and wait for our food.
"Tell me about it," I whisper.
Sigh.
"It's eerily quiet here, hey?" I say a moment later when the food arrives. Aunt Nancy always has a theory about this or that, so I'm curious to see what she'll do with this statement.
"It means the dead are around you," she says matter of fact as she bites into her burger. I glare at her because I think she's being callous about hitting a nerve -- but she brushes it off by pointing to her burger with a full mouth while rolling her eyes like she's in heaven.
I take a bite, but continue to show my dissatisfaction by flaring my nostrils. I forget for a moment that I'm annoyed, because this is quite possibly the best burger ever created. I don't care how much that chef from NoWheresVille costs -- he's worth every penny.
"Go on," I say a moment later when I've gotten over the fact that she's pissed me off.
"It's true. When the dead are around you -- it goes eerily quiet. They create some sort of vacuum or bubble with their energy. It blocks out sound in the natural world."
I think about that for a moment. I'm no longer mad at her for being insensitive because I actually think I could use that tidbit in my movie.
"Your friends are probably just dropping in to say hi," she says and then bites into her burger again.
"Too soon!" I snap at her and then take a sip of my wine to calm my nerves. The thought of being surrounded by ghosts freaks me out. The thought of being unable to talk to people I miss dearly and would give anything to have them here eating burgers with me...
I just thought of another idea!
I lean back in my chair and make sure I file away some of the mental notes that I've been writing. Once they're all safe and sound, I allow myself to sit back, relax, and enjoy the burgers and wine.
Unbeknownst to Aunt Nancy, she just helped me tremendously.
