A Table Set For Two
An elderly man raised a white ceramic coffee cup to his lips and took a quiet sip in the corner booth of a diner.
On the wooden table in front of him sat two identical breakfast plates filled with sunny-side-up eggs, crispy bacon, and buttered toast.
Two steaming mugs of coffee rested beside the plates, arranged side by side with fresh silverware on clean napkins.
Yet, the wooden chair directly across from the bearded man in the brown cardigan sweater remained empty throughout the morning.
Every single Sunday, the elderly customer walked into the diner, sat down in the exact same spot, and ordered two complete meals.
He ate his meal slowly while looking across the table at the untouched plate resting on the opposite side.
A Question At The Booth
The waitress carried plates and coffee pots around the room, regularly glancing back at the corner booth.
She watched the empty chair remain unoccupied week after week while the extra breakfast grew cold on the table.
Finally, she walked over to his booth, resting her hands against her dark green apron.
She leaned down toward the elderly man and asked him who he was waiting for every Sunday morning.
The man tilted his head up, his fingers loosening around his coffee cup as he looked at her.
He told her that he was waiting for someone who had promised she would come back.
A Forgotten Photo On The Table
Sunday after Sunday, the exact same routine played out inside the diner without change.
The kitchen staff prepared two plates of eggs and bacon, and the waitress served them to the same wooden table.
Then one morning, the waitress stepped up to the booth to check on him and noticed a small object resting near the second plate.
She reached down and picked up a faded black-and-white photograph showing a young couple standing close together, smiling into the camera.
She looked from the photograph to the elderly man and asked if the woman in the picture was his wife.
The old man took the photograph between his thumbs, staring down at the silver frame and rounded edges of the aged paper.
He told her that his wife had passed away years ago, leaving him with memories of their time together.
He explained that before she died, she had warned him never to let loneliness convince him that he was truly alone in the world.
Because of those words, he continued to reserve the open seat every week, keeping a warm breakfast waiting for anyone who might walk through the door in need of company.
An Unexpected Visitor Arrives
The waitress stood beside the booth, watching as the old man carefully set the photograph back onto the table surface.
Outside the diner’s large front windows, the shadow of a man appeared along the brick building facade.
A man wearing a torn dark jacket with a heavy backpack slung over his shoulder stopped right outside the glass door, peering into the warmth of the room.
His eyes moved across the diner counter before resting on the filled plates of food sitting in the booth near the window.
The elderly man looked toward the glass entryway and caught the eye of the traveler standing outside.
He extended his right hand toward the doorway, opening his palm and gesturing toward the empty chair sitting across from his plate.
The man standing outside paused at the threshold, looking at the open seat before pushing through the glass door and stepping into the diner.
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