Kate had to rush to catch the bus. Catching her breath, she slumped into a seat and began staring out the window until she saw familiar landmarks then pressed the button to signal a stop. Getting off, she lumbered into a retro diner sighing heavily.<br/><br/>Stanley Bourdeaux, the owner of The Howling Moon Diner, was a thin, lanky man from Paris with a thick accent and flat, blonde hair that curled obnoxiously across his forehead. The man always wore a blue, pinstriped suit with matching tie, shined shoes, and wore white gloves, rarely touching anything with his bare hands. It was odd for a Germaphobe to own a restaurant, since the kitchen constantly smelled of grease and charred meat, but then again, the man rarely visited that particular room regardless. He was a man obsessed with beauty, cleanliness, and chivalry. Kate was surprised that he was also somewhat neutral towards Ferals, since most biased Humans thought of them as filthy animals. Kate once heard Stanley refer to them as elegant beings with robust stature. It was hard to find an employer that didn't discriminate towards Ferals, which is what frustrated Kate the most.<br/><br/>"Ah, Bonjour, Madame Crawford!" he said with a flamboyant wave, "You arre earlay today, no?"<br/><br/>"Hi, Stanley." she said, walking around the counter, "Yes, I caught the early bus today."<br/><br/>"Today was you're first daay of school, no? How waz eet?" he asked. Kate returned his smile and brushed past him into the back room to change. As she dressed, she spoke through the thin door.<br/><br/>"It was as expected. There are new people and the same jerks as last year." she said, "There is this odd one though. He's somewhat interesting."<br/><br/>"Ohh?" he asked, his tone insinuating and showing deep interest, "A boy?"<br/><br/>"A Feral boy." she said, opening the door. She now wore a retro grey dress that came to her shins, white stockings, and black shoes with a clasp, an apron over her dress and her hair in a bun. Tucking a terminal into her apron pocket she came out of the room to see the place empty for now, "I'm not sure what he is. A sort of mixed breed of a bunch of stuff I can't identify. Like a cat with no tail and pink bat wings.<br/><br/>"Eee sounds vary intaresting, Madame." he said, leaning he elbows on the counter to rest his chin in folded fingers. Stanley was hardly macho in anything he did. He was sometimes more of a woman than her. But his boyfriend preferred it this way which is why they probably started dating in the first place. Kate never saw Stanley's other half around the diner though and sometimes thought that Stanley was making him up.<br/><br/>"He lives next door to me. I was being neighborly." she retorted, checking the 'register' for the current day's balance. It looked like a retro cash register, but it was only aesthetic. The other side was a normal POS terminal.<br/><br/>"So are you two close?" he asked, "Deed you two kicke eet off, as dey say?" Kate blushed for a moment which made Stanley's smile widen.<br/><br/>"He was nice." she said, as a customer walked in. They took a seat and she brushed him off, circling the counter. Business should start picking up now as this diner was one if the few where Ferals and Humans could eat in peace together. Now that school was out, she was expecting fellow students to start coming in.<br/><br/>"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to work." she said to Stanley, playfully sticking out her tongue at him. He responded with a simple wink.<br/><br/>----------------------------------------<br/><br/>The car ride home was silent as usual. Donta's headache started to fade then his stomach started to rumble.<br/><br/>"Hey Mom, any idea what we could have for dinner?" he asked, breaking the silence. His mother sighed.<br/><br/>"I haven't had a chance to get groceries yet today. We could order in." She suggested.<br/><br/>"Or eat out." Donta said.<br/><br/>"Actually I met another Feral downstairs in the Laundry room that said there was a Diner around here that has good food and is nice to Ferals." she said.<br/><br/>"Sounds good." Donta said. It was as if the previous conversation with his teacher hadn't happened. But then again, this was how his mother processed big information such as this. She didn't mention anything about it until she had time to digest it, then think rationally about it. It seemed she wasn't ready just yet.<br/><br/>Clouds started to roll in and threatened to pour rain on the city as they stepped into the Diner. The owner approached them, the only man dressed in a suit while the waitresses wore retro dresses they would have worn in the early 90's. The owner smiled and sort of hesitated, blinking twice as if seeing double. Donta did look very much like his mother, with very subtle differences between them besides the obvious female attributes on his mother.<br/><br/>"Bonjour! Good evening, Madame, Monsieur!" he said with a flamboyant bow, "Please take a seat!" Donta nodded and led his mother across the room, staring at the floor while deep in thought. They sat down and picked up the menus, seemingly retro laminated cardstock, yet had animated plastic OLED touchscreens inside that showed the orders.<br/><br/>-----------------------------<br/><br/>"Madame Crawford!" Stanley called in a hushed, yet raspy voice. Kate had just brought dirty dishes back into the kitchen and she saw him holding the kitchen door open with one thin finger while he stood away from the entrance as if it were poisonous. Kate laid the dishes in the dishwasher and wiped her hands in a rag hanging from her apron as she returned to her boss.<br/><br/>"What is it, Stanley?" she asked.<br/><br/>"Dat boy you mentioned. I doo believe ee is ere." he said, "I doubt dere is many dat looks as you have described."<br/><br/>"He is?!" she gasped, then ducked back inside the kitchen, "He can't know I work here!"<br/><br/>"And vat is so bad about vorking ere?" he demanded, straightening up and putting his hands on his hips, "Are you dat ashamed?"<br/><br/>"No, no. It's just that I don't know many students in my year with a job. It's embarrassing that I have to work while they don't have to." she said through the door. Stanley sighed, poking the door with his index once more, he strained to push it open a crack to peek inside, seeing Kate leaning on the counter.<br/><br/>"Look, eet is admirable for a lady as yourself to be independant." he said, "Eet shows strength, an responsibility! You should be proud, Madame!"<br/><br/>"I suppose, but I didn't tell him on purpose. I don't want him to know my parents couldn't afford to send me to school because the farm is dragging them under." she said, "I'm not proud to be poor."<br/><br/>"Wealth ees not measured by the money you have, but by the richness of your life and those you spend eet with, Madame." he said, still peeking through the crack in the door, "Dis Diner by no means makes me rich, yet I feel dat way when I am wit Gregory." His voice wasn't as it was when he spoke of his boyfriend before. This time he was serious, not bragging about his relationship as he usually does. He did have a point. She barely had any money, yet she was happy. Happier now that she met someone who didn't think of her as dirt. She nodded and pulled open the door, giving Stanley a friendly hug. He allowed it, but held his arms aloft and took his handkercheif to dust himself off after she let go.<br/><br/>"Thanks Stanley." she said, pulling out her terminal. She approached the table where Donta sat and hesitated for a moment before speaking.<br/><br/>"Welcome. Can I take your order?" she asked.<br/><br/>Donta looked up sharply and his eyes went wide for a moment, then he smiled.<br/><br/>"Kate! I didn't know you worked here! You should have mentioned it." he said, "Mom, this is Kate from next door. She's in my class too. Kate this is my mother Raine."<br/><br/>"Nice to meet you, Kate." Raine said, taking her hand.<br/><br/>"Likewise, Mrs. Raine." she said.<br/><br/>"Please just call me Raine." she said.<br/><br/>"Sure." Kate said, "So what will you be having?"<br/><br/>They gave their orders as Kate listened, punching it into her terminal where it appeared on a large screen in the kitchen for the cook to prepare. Once she was done she turned to the front counter, but Stanley was there waving her back with a smile on his face, telling her to sit and talk to them. Sighing, she turned back to them.<br/><br/>"Do you mind if I sit for a minute?" she asked. Donta moved in letting her sit down, "Apparently I get a short break now."<br/><br/>"Good. It gives us the opportunity to chat." Raine said. She saw the manager's gestures out of the corner of her eye and got the message, not letting on that she read the situation, "So you live alone over there in that apartment? How are your parents?"<br/><br/>"They're still living on their farm outside of town." she said, "I'm living in the city for school."<br/><br/>"And I suppose working here is to support yourself. It's nice to see teenagers these days being so independent." Raine said, "Donta should get a job too and help out with the bills."<br/><br/>Donta scoffed, "You never let me have a job before. You said it was an unnecessary risk."<br/><br/>"Well, maybe now you can get one." she said, "Our situation has changed." Kate was confused.<br/><br/>"Is everything alright?" Kate asked, "Was Donta in trouble?"<br/><br/>"No, nothing like that." Raine said, "He's fine."<br/><br/>"Perhaps I will look for a job. I can save for college or something." Donta said. Kate felt relieved. They didn't look down on her at all. Stanley was right, they thought she was responsible and independent. Donta was even thinking about trying to be more responsible like she was. She heard the door open and the simulated chime of old fashioned bells ring above their heads.<br/><br/>"Alright. Well, I better get back to work. I'll talk to you later." Kate said.<br/><br/>"Sure, come over anytime you like." Raine said with a smile, watching her go greet new customers, then leaned over to whisper to Donta, "She seems like a nice girl. Nice catch, Donta."<br/><br/>"What the hell does that mean?" he asked. His mother only winked at him.