t h e . i n t e r v i e w
I. What are your favorite and least favorite things about your hometown? How do they compare to how you feel about Edens Town?
âEdens Townâs all I know,â he said earnestly, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. Dane didnât like being interviewed - not that it had ever happened before. He lived a very uneventful life, and he liked to keep things to himself. Just do what you have to, donât butt in other peopleâs business. Though, living in a town like this, it was never this easy. People always seemed to be watching. âI suppose the worst thing is the speed of the gossip mill,â he said with a solemn nod. âYou canât walk a dog without someone telling someone else. But thereâs a nice community, I like that,â he continued. Dane wasnât that much of a community creature himself, but he supported it nonetheless. âPeople look out for each other. Time seems to stand still, sometimes. I like that itâs a slow-paced life.â
II. How do you feel about your life? For example, your family, your job?
A huff escaped his lips before he even registered the question, and he raised an eyebrow. How did he feel about his life? He wasnât unhappy. He wasnât happy, either. It was just his life. It is what it is. âItâs all right,â he simply said, a shrug accompanying his answer. Then, as silence hung in the air, he waited another few seconds before he became too uncomfortable by the friendly yet intrusive smile of the interviewer and added on to his answer. âYou know, itâs ⊠normal. I wake up, I tinker on my car, go to work, come home, go to bed. Itâs - fine.â Heâd never been one to overshare. âAny other questions?â
III. What are your biggest achievements and your biggest regrets?
He heard the word regret, and he had to try his hardest not to let out a cynical laugh. That was certainly something he didnât have to think hard about. How about proposing to his high school sweetheart? The proposal itself had been fine - great, actually. Heâd never felt better. Coming home to an empty house and a note that evening, however, had quickly knocked him down quite a few pegs. I canât live my life feeling suffocated, Iâm sorry. Well, at least sheâd apologized. Right?
Heâd convinced himself he was over it, it was ten years ago now. Still, he couldnât hear the name Sarah without looking around nervously. But it was fine, he was fine. Instead of all that, though, he said âmy biggest regret? Probably having to sell my house a few years back. I know it was necessary, but - well, I loved that house.â None of that was new information, it had been the talk of the town for months when the for sale sign had gone up. âMy biggest achievement has to be the diner. Weâve been open since 1931 - my great grandfather started with just catering, you know? Bringing food to his neighbors when they had dinner parties. It was actually my grandfather who bought the property weâre still on in 1971. Itâs really just a family establishment. I took over from my dad in 2006, and now itâs 2020. Weâre nearing a century here, and thatâs pretty incredible, I think. Iâve heard people say itâs an institution. That feels pretty good.â
IV. What is your biggest fear?
âOh-well,â Dane started, leaning back in his chair a little bit. âI guess that would be something happening to Up in Smoke. A break-in, a fire, a food poisoningâ he continued, silently thanking the interviewer for not making the nearly inevitable âfire in a place called Up in Smokeâ joke, â -basically, anything that could hinder the business,â he ended, not bringing up the fact that heâd had to move to Ashford a little over six years ago to keep the business afloat again. It was public knowledge, but that didnât make it any more pleasant to talk about. Business was a lot better now, but the house was still sold. What was done is done. Technically, that fit within his range of âbiggest fearâ, but all he let himself think about was that in the end, making some changes in his personal life had allowed him to operate business as usual, which was all that mattered. And the fact heâd had to give up his childhood house to do so? Well, that was just something heâd had to come to terms with.
V. What are your plans for the future?
Finally, he thought, an easier question. âIâll just keep doing what Iâm doing. Taking care of the diner, saving up some money for retirement, working on the house,â he listed, adding visiting mom in the winter, he added mentally. He always felt guilty for not visiting more often, but after his dad had died she seemed to have found a new way to live, with a group of friends and plenty of social outings, which somewhat assuaged his guilt. He just really hated to travel, and he was always nervous when he had to leave the diner for more than two days. And since she seemed to be doing fine and Dane hated seeing his mom without his dad, it was just easier that way.
VI. Can you describe yourself in one sentence?
Dane looked at the interviewer, thought about what kind of question that was, then stayed silent for a few moments. One sentence? Who could do that? And then, after another few seconds, he simply said what he thought.
