The Six O’clock Café – Short Story by Gabriela Marie Milton

Amazon Bestseller, bestselling author, Gabriela Marie Milton, short prose, Woman poetry, writing 2 Minutes

The night had too many eyes, too many tears, and too many candles. It left sticky traces of wax in our souls. Escaped from its unbearable seduction, the morning light felt like a benediction: the smell of fresh brewed coffee, the whiteness of the tablecloth, the raspberry cobblers aligned on the window of the freezer, your eyes clearer than any mountain spring ever known.

We finished our coffees. Christina, the waitress, blew us a kiss and then threw her hands in the air. Her high-pitched voice rang in my ears:

“Don’t forget to return to the Six O’clock Café, you love birds.”

“We will be back tomorrow.”

I saw the trolley moving like a red sleepwalking worm through the windows. We rushed out.

We watched the city and the sea come to life from our chairs, side by side. It was a bridal time filled with the smell of salt and sweet oranges. Your lips trembled, and you spoke about our wedding.

We were going to get married on a boat. We would leave the shore on a Sunday morning. Behind us, all church bells would toll. I would wear a simple dress made from hemp, and a crown of pink fresh roses gathered the midnight before our marriage when the moon rose from the waters. A huge basket filled with a thousand cherries would be set at our feet to make our marriage as sweet as their flesh. Blue and white threads wrapped around our wrists would protect us forever.

The end of the line.

How did we end up at the Six O’clock Café again? The trolley must have gone in a circle. We laughed, got off the trolley, and entered the place.

I thought everything looked strange. The refrigerator was now on the other wall, and the tablecloths were no longer white. A long-faced waiter passed me.

I asked:

“Is Christina here?”

“Christina? Oh, Christina quit working here five years ago.”

Numb, I looked at you. There was something deeper than desperation in your eyes. Something that I could not translate.

Your arms pull me to your chest. I could hear your whisper.

“Please tell me we are married.”

I looked at my fingers. I had no wedding band.

Reminder

Please stay tuned for more updates on Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku. Tentative publication date: late April. Publisher Literary Revelations.

My books (Only English)
#1 Amazon bestseller, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis)
#1 Amazon Bestseller, Women: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis)

Thank you to all my followers who reviewed my books.
Please read other reviews here:

Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: Love Poems and Poetic Prose by Gabriela Marie Milton in Portland Book Review
Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: Love Poems and Poetic Prose by Gabriela Marie Milton in Manhattan Book Review
Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings in San Francisco by Gabriela Marie Milton in San Francisco Book Review
Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings by Gabriela Marie Milton In Manhattan Book Reviews

Christina Schwarz, the author of the New York Times Bestseller “Drowning Ruth.”

Published by Gabriela Marie Milton

Gabriela Marie Milton #1 Amazon Best-Selling Author, 2019 Author of the Year at Spillwords Press NYC; internationally published poet; poetry collections Woman: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis Pres, July 27, 2021); Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis Press, April, 2020)

Published

57 thoughts on “The Six O’clock Café – Short Story by Gabriela Marie Milton”

      1. I am so glad you like it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sending love 🌹

  4. Those who hesitate are lost. But if they stay together through disruption, there is still hope. Captivating prose poem! Beautiful lush detail!

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  11. Re-reading the piece after reading the ending, nearly every detail feels like a veiled warning of the ending. Of course the night was foreboding, but we thought we’d got through the worst and arrived in an idyllic morning. Until the trembling lip, that is… Maybe it only trembled with longing for the wedding, but then there’s the mention of protection. What do we need protection from? The next sentence – the abrupt end of the line – answers that question. Putting that phrase in a paragraph on its own was brilliant; it captures the surprise with which it caught the characters off guard. The reveal raises so many questions, it sets the imagination running in so many different directions. A novel in just a few paragraphs.

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    1. Dear David, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this wonderful comment. I am humbled by your analysis of this piece and glad you liked it. I hope you had a great weekend.

      Reply

      2. I did, David, thank you… oh, apart trying to cross a small river and falling into it 🙂🙂🙂 I am thrilled too. Have a beautiful rest of the week 🌹

    1. I am so glad you enjoyed dearest Cheryl. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your beautiful words🌹🥰

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much. I am so glad you like it. I hope you are doing well 🌹🌹🌹

      Reply

  19. Such a poignant and surreal reflection. The shifting reality between the past and present, the unspoken questions, and the gentle longing for answers are beautifully portrayed. Your words have a haunting, bittersweet quality that leaves me thinking about love, memories, and what it means to truly belong. Stunning writing. 💫

    Reply

    1. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this beautiful comment. I will cherish it. Sending hugs and good wishes 🥰🌹

      Reply

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