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After whistling loudly between his teeth, the first driver yelled, “Move your damned truck!”

The disturbance outside woke her. Cora raised herself on one elbow and peered from the window. Two trucks, one a big dry van and the other a refrigerated trailer, stood motionless. Their drivers began arguing with enthusiastic vulgarities.

Cora ignored the commotion and checked the time. Her phone read 6:17 AM. Unfocused eyes momentarily stared at the ceiling. Nagging dream memories faded. She sat up at the side of her messy bed, rubbed both hands on her strained neck, rolled her shoulders, and shook herself awake. Her back was throbbing. Helping unload crates and boxes yesterday was a bigger effort than she anticipated. Or maybe she was in denial about heavy labor at her age? If top chef Claude had shown up on time, he could have managed the entire delivery confusion himself. Claude, though, was a single father, working as hard as he could since his messy divorce. Cora empathized with his difficulty and appreciated his honesty. The early vegetable delivery arrived late, and she needed to pitch in to get everything finished in time to feed her eager, hungry customers.

In addition, her day manager Ivan was slacking off due to whatever hustle he was operating on the side. She didn’t care about his private life, but it was beginning to interfere with business. That she could never allow. Finding a suitable replacement was the only solution. So, she sacked Ivan. Tossed on his ass with two weeks’ pay. She was grateful for Eddie Coltrane, already proving himself a suitable replacement. Cora Drakos ran a tight ship at the Athena Diner.

The profanities in the street continued. She pulled aside her curtain and looked. A small group of early risers and dog walkers formed a wide circle to watch the ongoing ruckus. Drivers trapped in the narrow road honked horns.

At length, the truckers told each other to fuck off, and sluggishly made their way back to their vehicles. Toxic fumes flowed from tailpipes as truck engines rumbled. The sidewalk superintendents drifted away. The nearby El train, rushing on its way to Manhattan screeched to a halt at the crowded station. The early mor