to comb through Earth’s internet, Cin learned as much dining etiquette as he could before striding in the front door of Maisie’s.
The eerie silence following his entrance didn’t even affect Cin, who was familiar with a world where people weren’t encouraged to get to know one another or form relationships of any kind. It wasn’t until the hostess led him to a booth that Cin realized everyone was staring at him.
“You’re definitely new around here,” a pretty redhead waitress said with a smile. “Passing through?”
“No, I bought the old Duncan place and moved in late last night,” Cin admitted, noting that the whole diner was listening intently. “My name is Cindrac Miles, Cin for short. Can I get some coffee, please?”
“What an unusual name!” the waitress grinned. “I’m Shannon. Welcome to Laurel Springs. You’re going to love it here. Let me get you that coffee, and we can talk about the specials.”
Cin grabbed a menu propped up by condiment bottles at the opposite end of the table. He was just opening it when Shannon returned, set a clean cup in front of him, and filled it nearly to the brim with the steaming brew.
“Cream or sugar?” Shannon asked and chuckled when Cin shook his head. “You didn’t strike me as the type. So, let’s go over that menu in your hands. There are all kinds of stuff listed on that thing. Some good, some not so good.”
Shannon paused to glare at a few regulars who burst out laughing at her words.
“Now breakfast, you go with biscuits and anything. Gravy, sausage, bacon, pork chop, if it comes with a biscuit, get it. Same with eggs. Omelets, scrambled, over easy, and even Benedict. Don’t even consider anything exotic like French toast or crepes,” Shannon warned in all seriousness.
“Uh, how about your meat lovers omelet?” Cin hoped that fit in with her recommendations and felt relieved when Shannon smiled.
“Biscuits or toast?”
Just the way Shannon had already emphasized the biscuits made that answer easy. “Biscuits, of course.”
“Hashbrowns or grits?” Shannon asked next.
Cin narrowed his eyes in thought. “What do you recommend?”
“Hashbrowns,” an older man called out.
Shannon shot him a dark look then turned back to Cin. “Some of the older locals think the grits aren’t cooked long enough.”
Cin was just learning what grits were and nodded his head. “Hashbrowns will be fine, thank you, Shannon.”
Sighing in relief when the woman walked away, Cin sipped at his coffee and tried to ignore the other patrons' interested stares. He was quickly learning the drawbacks of being in such an isolated area with a low population.
Still, the benefits outweighed the bad, and as long as Cin treated the local population courteously and respectfully, he hoped they would do the same.
While he waited for his breakfast, Cin used the World Wide Web and was quickly learning the history erased by the elite only a few decades in the future.
Cin was shocked at the world's changes between now and his time and how different the people acted before they were chipped, drugged, and enslaved. What he couldn’t figure out was why anyone had allowed it to get to the point where his future even existed.
Shannon slid a heaping plate of omelet and hash browns in front of Cin, bringing him out of his thoughts immediately. Next, she placed a plate of biscuits beside the first and grinned down at him.
“Do you need any condiments?” Shannon asked, pulling a handful of jellies and butter packs from her apron pocket and setting them beside the biscuits.
“Wow, this smells amazing, thank you,” Cin said politely. “I can’t think of anything else.”
“Enjoy, honey.” Shannon sauntered off, leaving Cin wondering where to begin eating. Everything smelled wonderful.
Looking up what the little plastic tubs were for, Cin cracked open one steaming biscuit and slathered one side with butter and the other with strawberry jelly. His eyes lit up when he tried the jelly side and thought for sure the butter one couldn’t compare until he tried it as well.
Cin was done eating and finishing his coffee when a big bear of a man walked over and removed his hat before sliding into the booth across from Cindrac.
“Well now, my cousin’s boy Andy says you bought the old Duncan place. I’m Sheriff Robbie Groenig and just wanted to introduce myself to our new resident.” The sheriff smiled politely, but his eyes were filled with suspicion. “I hadn’t heard about the Duncan place going up for sale, so I was surprised to hear about your arrival.”
Cin reached