Mel's Over Easy
It’s one of those places in a small town where people gather. In the early hours of the morning, it’s the fishing boat and dock workers along with the retirees that get up ridiculously early. The coffee here is always fresh no matter what time you stop in, and if you’re here in the winter time, the place is where everyone goes to warm up from the cold. The door even has a little bell that jingles when customers come in.
For Charles, Todd and I, it’s our spot. Well, It was mine and Todd until Charles moved into the observatory. Mel sat him with us and our duo became a trio almost overnight.
Mel’s in her thirties. She was born in Philidelphia, and moved to East Bay with her parents when she was five. She said her dad bought the place for a good price after working the docks for a few years, and it’s been in the family ever since. She has a kid that’s a little younger than us, Louis. He works in the diner after school when homework isn’t too much. The labor department tried going after Mel for him working, but Gracie Pibbles, Myles’s daughter represented Mel in court and won. Louis isn’t on payroll, he’s family, and he was just helping his mom out. They couldn’t touch him.
Danny’s the other half. Not that Mel ever claims their together, but he’s the guy at the grill. He doesn’t talk much, but every now and then, you can hear him singing old fishing songs in the back as he works. The crazy thing is that it doesn’t seem to matter how many people or orders there are, he get’s it right. Every. Single. Time.
Mel’s Diner, as we locals call it sits at the three-way intersection on the south end of town. Our town is only two miles or so, and everyone walks around. It sits right across from Pier Street Market on the bay-side of the street, and near the library, civic center, and city hall on the other.
Todd loves the meatloaf at Mels. I like the patty melts. Charles gets Charles things. The coffee is free, and we’re thankful for that.
We sit at a four-top in the back next to the bathrooms. It’s almost always open because tourists don’t want to sit next to the bathroom, and have a view of the side of the next shop. We’re locals and don’t care. Mel put in a jukebox a few years ago. Louis keeps finding good records on EBay. I found that I like the Dropkick Murphy songs, but they’re not what I’d normally listen to. They’re just right for some reason in Mel’s.
Evenings at Mel’s are usually students eating and studying, mixed in with locals and tourists. When it’s busy, us kids will either just jump in and help, or get our food to-go if we have to. That’s kind of what local life is like in a tourist town.
– Anna Ko