Canned music is playing at a scratchy whisper above kitchen fan. The night is slowing down with promises of work and a sunny day. The diner has only one patron operating this machine. This is two weeks into the new waitress’ start after a twenty five year run from the previous one. The regulars stopped coming. Outside is a tent with plastic tables pulled together after the 2020 pandemic made inside dining not an option. Things are picking up and steadying after a miserable time. The kitchen sizzles as knives and spoons clank being tied up in napkins for the upcoming breakfast rush.