Good Writing makes my Toes Curl

CarrollBlog 11.23

She said she fell in love with him the night of the flying saucers. It was one of their first dates. At the time it was obvious he was more interested in her than vice versa. She *was* interested, but he didn't make her hair stand on end. In Manhattan they went into a diner and sitting at the counter, ordered coffee. Those were the days of cigarettes and coffee at any time of the day or night. They lit up and started chatting. The waiter who served them was short and thin, scrawny. After bringing their order he walked away and began talking to a fat guy at the other end of the counter. A few minutes later the two men-- fat and thin-- began arguing. At first it was no big thing but quickly escalated into a shouting match. Everyone in the place was staring at them-- everyone except her date who kept talking to her. He stayed calm and didn't even glance at the men yelling twenty feet away. Suddenly there was a crash. Standing, the fat man smashed a saucer on the counter. The pieces went flying everywhere. The little waiter shouted You'll have to pay for that! Big man snatched up another saucer from the counter and threw it against a wall. Furious, the waiter reached out and grabbing big man by his shirt, yelled for someone to call the cops. The two fighters staggered and shoved their way down the counter until they were near the woman and her date. Any customers still in the place quickly moved to the farthest corner of the diner to get away from the action. All except her date who stayed where he was sipping his coffee. She yelled at him to get out of there-- was he crazy? He only looked at her, smiled and shrugged that everything was fine-- no problem. Luckily the police arrived and separated the fighters. The men calmed down and sheepishly tried to explain to them what had happened. With a gallant sweep of his hand, her date gestured to the empty seat next to him. As if to say-- coast's clear, come on back.
Then.
Right then she fell for him big time.

http://www.jonathancarroll.com/blog/index.php