Short Story: Waffle House
Even though we've changed over time, the bright yellow signs still stand tall. We're known for a lot of things, but after the Pacific Nuclear Crisis, we're known more than ever for being a refuge of safety. Because if the Waffle House closes, there's nothing left for it to serve.
I had been working at Waffle House for a long time. Before the Pacific Nuclear Crisis, I was merely a line cook on the night shift. I watched and worked as the lobby filled up during hurricanes. I've worked on limited menus during power shortages -- when my normal position was turned on its head. I've seen fights, drunken make-outs, drunk and sober break-ups, hell, someone even got married here once (they were both regulars, before and after that).
While the world had been declining rapidly due to the climate crisis and end-stage capitalism, when the next crisis arose, Corporate decided that in the name of always being open, as many Waffle Houses as possible would be transformed into nuclear fallout shelters, where it could continue to operate even if the surface building were destroyed. As it turns out, this ended up being the right decision. In September of 2032, a Category 6 hurricane spawned a tornado that destroyed half the town -- including the surface building of this Waffle House.
It's been quite a while since all of that. The community rebuilt the surface building after the United States fell. We actually operate both spaces now, in short shifts of course, and the bunker becomes a bar or a nightclub on some nights of good weather (and remains open as a shelter or fallback kitchen during bad weather).
Since we have no Corporate now to send us ingredients, we had to start growing some ourselves. Because of this the House is now surrounded in wheat and corn fields, and there's an on-site barn too. We do share some of this with other Waffle Houses and we've even started importing from larger farms.
Waffle House has become like a guild, as well, something you can be a "member" of. All it takes is taking up the task, feeding those who come to you to be fed, and wearing the brand. It's like a badge of honor: I run an emergency shelter, I cook food for you, and I give you that food. I'm a volunteer public servant because I'm proud of what I do -- although I don't work night shifts anymore, unless we're running an emergency.
It was between the nuclear crisis and the fall of the States, in July 2034, that I met this incredibly breathtaking woman. We worked together for some time; our schedules didn't overlap a lot so we didn't have too many chances to chat. She quit just days before the President was assassinated.
When society collapsed, and violent chaos erupted, Waffle House became a shelter once again. Mandi and her family were among the huddled masses who took refuge inside. She found some courage and helped the staff shield the windows. These window coverings were originally designed with nuclear disaster in mind, or if hail blew out a window, but now we were using them to protect those inside from anyone who might wish to do them harm.
That traumatic event passed within days. Rebels in hiding took that opportunity to disarm the police, and several of them sacrificed their lives to show that community policing with care does work. We didn't have a king to tell us what we could or could not do anymore, and with the rebels' suggestion, we had decided to answer to no kings, but instead to answer to each other.
There was a lot of ironing out to do, but in the end, they were right. It's a lot better this way.
The libraries became a shining beacon of information and knowledge. After the Internet collapsed, they filled up again as people wanted to know how to survive, how to thrive. It, and Waffle House, became meeting places where people formed mutual aid groups, which intertwined with each other, eventually making the whole town one big mutual aid group.
Radio communications, thanks to the Internet's collapse, made a big comeback. CB and GMRS both went from nearly silent to very noisy, and I imagine a lot of other amateur bands did too.
We're even seeing some areas start to reconstruct the Internet. We're trying to connect with those areas again. Even so, some people don't want to reconnect. The Internet Unions have said they're taking some of their concerns into account, and I think that's a great start. I do miss Wikipedia. I wonder when we'll get access to it again.
I've been with Mandi since the empire's fall, "the Jackpot," some people jokingly call it (why on earth do they call it that?!). I would not have been able to get this far without her. I get to marry her soon. I'm thrilled and honored.
We're still recovering from the twin crises, and the many smaller damages, that we brought upon ourselves all those years ago. But I'm in a great place now, I'm a part of a great support network, I have a beautiful loving fiancé, and although the world is not finished changing, we're making the best out of it.
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