When Rock Meets Apple

Big Mac walked through the doors of Denny's exactly at 9pm. He had on his best cowboy hat, a white, button-up shirt, his nicest pair of jeans with no belt, and good cowboy boots. He looked around but didn't see Maud anywhere. Maybe she was running late. Maybe she was in the bathroom. Maybe she wasn't coming.

He was suddenly concerned. It had all seemed too good to be true; the beautiful woman who walked up to him out of no where and asked him out. That was the stuff of fantasy, not real life. Now what? If she didn't show? But she didn't seem like the type. Big Mac was brought out of his thoughts by the hostess.

"Hi, welcome to Denny's. Just one?" Asked the hostess.

Big Mac was nervous. Should he say a two? Should he just say he was waiting for his date? He didn't know what to do.

"Two," a voice from behind Big Mac said in a familiar dead. He turned and saw Maud standing behind him - in a Denny's uniform. "I work here part time. My shift just finished. It saved time coming here. Plus I get a discount."

Big Mac shrugged and turned to the hostess who looked to be in a severe state of shock. After a minute she recovered and showed Big Mac and Maud to their table. The two sat down and said nothing. The hostess walk away, but kept looking back as if she was seeing Big Foot on a date with the Lochness Monster.

Big Mac turned to Maud. "She looks surprised."

"I'm not a people person," Maud said.

Big Mac looked around and saw every server and cook looking over at them. Some had their mouths opened, some whispered back and forth, even what looked to be the manager came out and looked. He turned to Maud again. "Mustn' be." And then the two sat in silence until a server timidly came up to them.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaayyy I get you any drinks?" she asked as if she where Oliver Twist asking for more soup.

"I'll have water," Maud said.

"Same," Big Mac also replied.

The server threw their menus down and ran off. Big Mac and Maud continued to sit and say nothing until the server brought their drinks back. "Ready to order?" she asked again in that voice that was somewhere between terrified and shocked.

"Plain pancakes and toast," Maud ordered

"Plain hamburger please. No fries."

"Ok. I'll put this right in," the server said and almost ran off.

"I'm surprised you didn't order anything apple related," Maud said.

"I don't like apples," Big Mac replied.

"Bummer."

Big Mac shrugged. "I gotta pick 'em and sell 'em, not eat 'em."

"I love rocks. I have a pet rock." Maud reached into her purse and pulled out a rock and placed it on the table. "His name is boulder."

Big Mac looked at it, nodded, and said, "We have a dog, Wynona." There was no hint of judgement or surprise in his voice. She had a pet rock and he had a pet dog; nothing more than that.

They sat in silence for a while longer. But yet it wasn't an awkward silence. Both would look at each other, smile, take a drink, and that was it. Neither felt pressured to talk or try to start up some conversation for the sake of having one. They just sat there, enjoying the presence of the other. Eventually Maud did speak.

"You don't talk much," she said unemotionally. "I like that."

Big Mac shrugged. "Nope. Then neither do you."

"As I said; I'm not a people person."

Big Mac looked into her eyes with a somewhat curious expression. "So why ask me out?"

Maud blinked. "What has Pinkie told you about our family?" she asked.

"Your family owns a mining company. You're in college for geology. You don't get along with your parents."

"My parents are ultra-conservative Christians. They believe the only true joy is found in heaven and did the best they could to make that true. They crushed my soul like so much lime and sand stone. I feel nothing. I feel no Happiness or sadness. I feel no joy or sorrow. I am completely dead inside.

"When I saw you after I dropped Pinkie off, I actually felt something. I can't say if it was a good feeling or not since I have nothing to compare it to. I figured if you could elicit that from me, it would be worth seeing what else I might feel in your presence." For such a powerful statement; Maud's voice never varied in pitch and her expression remained blank.

"Maybe I'm your other half," Big Mac simply said. Maud gave him a somewhat quizzical look so he continued. "Now, the ancient Greeks, they believed that there were originally three genders: male, female, hermaphrodite. Each person had two heads, four arms, four legs, the men had two, uh, well two and four. The women had four breast, two who-has, and the hermies, well they had one of each.

"Ok, so Zeus is up there on Mount Olympus and he sees these creatures and fears they'll become more powerful than the gods. So he splits everyone in two. Well the people can't handle this. They all go about searchin' for their missing half. That's what love is. Each person, looking for their other half so they can be whole again."

Maud just stared at him with her emotionless gaze. "I was not expecting you to know that," she said flatly.

Big Mac shrugged again. "You was right, I don't talk much. I learned a long time ago there aint no point in talking when no cares about what you got to say. I asked God not to take my momma; then I asked him not to take my pa. He did anyways. I figured if he wasn't gonna listen to me, no one else would."

Big Mac looked off into space, not focusing on anything for a moment; then continued. "When folks look at me, what do they see? A two bit, hayseed farm boy. I aint suppose to speak up or have thoughts or anything. I'm just supposed to do. Since I was seven I've been told I was the man of the house and I had to step up and take care of things. You don't go tellin' a little boy that. There's so much I want to do in this life; so many places I want to go. But I can't, I'm tied to this farm. My sisters, they're my hope. Hopefully they can escape and go on and do something big and exciting."

"You still can do 'something big'" Maud said.

"Naw. Then what? The responsibility would just fall onto Applejack or Apple Bloom. I can't do that. Besides, not everyone is called to greatness. Most of us in fact. A world full of CEO's, Programmers, Artists, Poets, presidents and generals, that all sounds nice until something needs done. Then what? The world don't need them none to get on about it's business. But without farmers, carpenters, bakers, mechanics, tailors, the whole thing falls apart. Great men can only be great as long as they got an army of unknowns backing them up. I just got to get over myself and realize this is what is and there aint no use cryin' about it."

Big Mac looked down at the table; embarrassed by how much of himself he had put out there. "I'm sorry Maud. I didn't mean to bend your ear like that. You's my date, not my therapist. I shouldn't have done that."

Maud looked straight ahead at Big Mac. Without a word or change in facial expression she reached out and took his hand and held it. Big Mac looked up in some small state of surprise. Maud blinked and the faint shadow of a smile crossed her lips.

"It's ok. I," she stopped and mulled over the words she wanted to say, "enjoyed it."

For almost the rest of the night the two said nothing else to each other. Their food came, they ate, the rest of the staff spied on them, but still they said nothing. Their server came over and asked if they wanted anything for desert and both refused. She left them the check and quick walked away again.

"I'll pay for this," Maud said.

"Dutch at least," Big Mac responded.

"Ok. Same thing next Friday?"

"Yup." Big Mac went to get up when Maud touched his hand. He stopped and looked at her.

"I think you might be my other half," she said in her eternally emotionless voice. But yet, this time, in her eyes, was a hint of something. Was it a tear?

Big Mac looked at her. "Thank you." He tried to come up with something more profound to say, but could only come with, "I like you too."

Maud nodded and got up. She looked into Big Macs eyes and did something so shocking that every server in Denny's dropped their plates; she gave him a hug.