Lady Gladys wasn't just any ordinary restaurant; it was a club, a motel, a picnic spot and many more, depending on what time of the day you got there, as well as the occasion.
Alison vividly remembered meeting Alexander on one occasion at the restaurant, and he was well-known at the time. She didn't know how long he had been going there, but at this point, she would try anything to find him.
As soon as she walked into the all-in-one restaurant, Alison was instantly hit with the aroma of beef stew, so tempting that she'd have loved to order one and forget her worries. But then she spotted Jane, her friend from college who she remembered working at a cooperative and had moved from San Anglico ages ago.
"Hello Alison!" Jane waved from the counter with a smile. She had just finished placing an order on the tray and was now taking it to the respective table. She didn't say another word until she had served the customers, before turning to he friends who hadn't moved an inch from the entrance.
"Didn't expect to see you here," she said,
"Don't stand there, come in and sit down... is Dylan with you?"
Alison shook her head,
"No," she simply replied before settling into one of the empty seats closest to the entrance.
"Oh?" Jane muttered,
"Are you alr...
Before she could ask, Jane heard her name from the kitchen, it was the lady Gladys herself calling.
"I'll be with you shortly okay?" Jane hurried off into the kitchen, leaving Alison alone.
The young lady heaved a sigh of relief; she used this moment to catch her breath and prepared herself to tell Jane the truth. They have been close friends for ages, so she thought perhaps they had been reborn together.
"I can't be the only crazy person."
20 minutes later
Jane was almost running out of breath, trying to hold back a heartfelt laughter, she squeezed the tablecloths and closed her eyes. As soon as she caught her breath, she apologised.
"I'm so sorry for laughing, but that's got to be the most insane story that I have ever heard from anyone in a long time...
"You think I don't know it sounds crazy?" Alison frowned,
"I know it's crazy alright, but it's true, something is wrong with me, but I don't even care anymore, all I need to do is to find Alex and see if he remembers me."
"Haha... oh my God, Al, it's probably a dream, or a vision of the future. I don't believe in time travel and neither do you, so I don't get where all this obsession is coming from."
"You still don't believe me?" Alison asked, pushing aside the plate of food that she had barely touched.
"Who cares?"
Jane rolled back her eyes jokingly,
"I mean, you telling me that I will work in a large cooperative in London because I married some business-oriented man has to be the joke of the year... girl, in case you have forgotten, I dropped out of college, studying math is not funny business. How on earth can I get such a good opportunity?"
Alison sighed; she wouldn't pretend like she didn't see this coming. After all, that's why she hadn't told anyone yet.
"Just forget it," she waved dismissively,
"I didn't come here to tell you this story anyway, I came to ask if ... there's any man who visits this restaurant often, a little bit popular among you."
"You are looking for Alex," Jane took the words right from her mouth and Alison didn't bother to deny.
"Yes, I am looking for him."
"And how do you think Dylan would feel about that?"
"Dylan!" Alison snapped, but soon realised that she was drawing attention to herself, and quickly lowered her voice.
"I don't want to have anything to do with him, didn't you listen to my story?"
"Right, he cheated on you with Becca," Jane answered, shaking her head from side to side in disbelief.
"And when you confronted him, he broke up with you, and fired you on the same day because he is your boss, yes I remember."
"Exactly!"
Alison didn't want to go further with the explanation, because no amount of talking would convince Jane otherwise.
"Look, forget the story I told you and tell me if there's a man named Alex who comes here very often."
Jane sat up, concerned about her friend whose life seemed to be torn apart because of a strange dream. Honestly, she was starting to question Alison's mental health, but couldn't voice her worry.
"I'm sorry," she said,
"But there's no one like that who visits this restaurant often. We don't even have a customer named Alex, and I know so many names... my break is over Al, I have to get back to work, I'll check on you tomorrow."
Jane got to her feet, but as she turned to leave, Alison said something that she hoped would make her friend believe.
"You are thinking of applying for an editorial position at the Hudsons publishing house, but you don't want to say anything yet until you've gotten it."
While they were conversing, Alison remembered this revelation that Jane had made, but she didn't know if it was seven years ago, earlier or later than that.
"How do you know that?" Jane took a sharp turn,
"I just submitted my application yesterday."
"Do you believe me now?"
"Alison...
"Jane, I'm not crazy. If I know this without you telling me, then you must know that I am telling the truth."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Alison," Jane replied,
"And don't worry about paying for the food, I'll sort that out."
With that, Jane walked away, not giving her friend another second to fill her mind with these fantasy stories. And as for Alison, she sat back fuming with anger.
All her ideas have failed her, and with Jane's behaviour, she started to fear that Alexander may not even remember her, when and if they eventually met.