xx-lacrimosa

The one thing I will never forget about that tucked away hole of a restaurant was that musty smell that oozed from the aging carpets underneath our broken sandals and highlighted sneakers. They also had one air conditioner on the far left side right above one of the tables. Families would circle it like hawks trying to access the coolest part of the restaurant as the rest of the building enjoyed the comforts of ceiling fans that happily putted along to the classic rock station that always played the same twenty songs on repeat. I remember getting that table on the far left under the air conditioner and sitting a little straighter as two boys

I met Miss West Virginia at an IHOP. She was sitting with four other people and took up half the restaurant. Our waitress asked me and my sister if we would like to talk to her for awhile. I guess she thought we were from around here and that by meeting this woman that the stars would align and the cosmic mystery of both our fates would be unlocked, all in this very IHOP.  Naturally, we said yes. The waitress grabbed our wrists and shuffled us towards the section where Miss West VA was sitting. There were three other members of the wait staff lined up along the entrance to the VIP section hiding all of the goddess except for her crown which